Pennsylvania Economic Maps - Hunsicker

    This first map details the eligible voting-age population that is in poverty. Explicitly speaking, regarding the whole number of people, the second map shows the same situation except in percentage terms. When one examines the first map, first they will be drawn to significant metropolitan areas such as Allegheny County, which encompasses Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia County, which are both extensive areas with raw numbers of impoverished people. This is caused by the fact that cities have a higher price of living than those areas in other counties. However, one must also note that in the second map reviewing percentages, areas such as Forest and Camden County still report a high number of those in poverty. This plays a role in the election cycle since many of those who are in poverty support the Democrats' economic plans, while those who are more affluent tend to vote more on the Republicans' side of the political aisle. However, a significant caution to note is that voting does have more to do than just the economics of a person since education and urban-rural split, among others, play a factor in who someone votes for.

    When reviewing the income of individuals from a specific area, it is essential to note that it is almost always better to look at the percentage of people rather than raw numbers. When reviewing what is considered high-income ($100,000 or more), it also concerns the urban-rural split that accompanies much of this. The urban-rural split splits the city-like areas with the more "country" counties that are out of the way. When looking at the urban-rural split that will be seen in a later map, it becomes apparent that even though some rural areas have a higher income, they tend to vote more on the Republican side because many in those areas prefer a small government that uses an invisible hand approach in the market. When looking at areas more closely in the city, such as Erie County, which has a higher income population of 21.44%, it still tends to vote more on the Democratic side, most likely due to a higher level of education, in which they have a 28.71% population of people 25 and over who have a Bachelors degree.

    This County Health Rankings and Roadmaps map comes from the University of Wisconsin. It examines the country's inequality in terms of income using a percentile-based approach. When it comes to this college, they examine the lowest and highest earners in each county of Pennsylvania, with the more income inequality areas darker blue and the least in more of lighter blue. This can affect multiple voting values and how people turn up for voting, as transportation can be a barrier to voting in certain areas. Additionally, areas with higher income inequality can cause voters to feel that their vote should go to candidates who preach economic reform, which is predominantly a more Democratic approach. Though essential to note, areas with a high-income majority are more likely to vote Republican, such as in Fayette, since they have a higher chance of losing that income due to high taxes.

    

    The above map shows the urban-rural split hinted towards in many areas of this post. This comes courtesy of Dr. Holoviak of the Philosophy and Government Department at Kutztown. Recently, she published a book this year titled Pennsylvania Government and Politics: Understanding Public Policy in the Keystone State, which has been a great help in my research process for pre-election screening. Looking at the split resulting from this, we understand that counties and other areas are influenced not just by primary values of education, income, age, and gender but also by the fact that some areas are rural. At the same time, others are urban in design which can also play a factor in who one vote as a since urban areas are more likely, but not always to vote left and rural vote for more right..