Natural amenities scale
A score for the natural features most people say they like in a place to live: warm, sunny winters, mild summers that are not humid, hills or mountains, and lakes or coast. It adds up six scores, each showing how far a county is above or below the average county, so 0 is average and nine in ten counties fall between -4 and +4. The weather parts are averages for 1941 to 1970. It covers the lower 48 states, not Alaska or Hawaii.
Reported for3,062areas, in 48 states — none in AK, CT, HI, PR
Link to density0.00not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.83Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typeratescore
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
Nothing to draw here: this measure has no state figures. Its publisher reports it for counties. This site does not add county numbers up into state figures, since a home-made figure could clash with one an agency publishes itself. The chart above covers the whole country, year by year.
Where it comes from
USDA ERS Natural Amenities Scale · USDA ERS natural amenities scale, Scale
The sum of six standard scores for climate, land and water; 0 is the average county. Published for counties only, and not rebuilt for larger areas here.
Combining areas: it cannot be combined, so it is shown only where its publisher works it out.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 2 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Natural amenities scale and Median home valueWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Median home value tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Median home value by US county | +0.47 | +0.61 |
| Natural amenities scale and Median gross rentWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Median gross rent tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Median gross rent by US county | +0.40 | +0.61 |
| Natural amenities scale and House price index (2000 = 100)Where Natural amenities scale is higher, House price index (2000 = 100) tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. House price index (2000 = 100) by US county | +0.56 | +0.53 |
| Natural amenities scale and Mainline Protestant adherentsWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Mainline Protestant adherents tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Mainline Protestant adherents by US county | -0.46 | -0.52 |
| Natural amenities scale and Daily sunlightWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Daily sunlight tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Daily sunlight by US county | +0.48 | +0.50 |
| Natural amenities scale and Community resilience to disastersWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Community resilience to disasters tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Community resilience to disasters by US county | -0.33 | -0.48 |
| Natural amenities scale and ObesityWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Obesity tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Obesity by US county | -0.42 | -0.45 |
| Natural amenities scale and Taking blood pressure medicationWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Taking blood pressure medication tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Taking blood pressure medication by US county | -0.43 | -0.45 |
| Natural amenities scale and Routine checkup in the past yearWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Routine checkup in the past year tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Routine checkup in the past year by US county | -0.39 | -0.44 |
| Natural amenities scale and Social connection scoreWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Social connection score tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Social connection score by US county | -0.25 | -0.42 |
34 more pairs with natural amenities scale have a page: Winter nightly low · Expected yearly tornado loss · Cloud cover · Frequent physical distress · Winter daily sunlight · Share Hispanic or Latino, any race · Longest dry spell · Economic connectedness · Adults under 65 without health insurance · Environment score · Mean income of arriving households · Returns claiming charitable contributions · Binge drinking · Colorectal cancer screening · Population (WONDER) · Effective property tax rate · Share foreign-born · Membership organisations · Fair or poor self-rated health · Housing insecurity · Freezing days · Cognitive disability · Expected yearly loss from natural hazards · Share White, not Hispanic · Mammography in the past two years · Adult income rank of children raised poor here · Vision disability · Lack of reliable transportation · Any disability · Social vulnerability to disasters · Expected yearly wildfire loss · Disability-free score · Food insecurity · Average test score.
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Natural amenities scale and Share White, not HispanicWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Share White, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | -0.30 | -0.33 |
| Natural amenities scale and Share Black, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | -0.05 | -0.02 |
| Natural amenities scale and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Natural amenities scale is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.39 | +0.40 |
| Natural amenities scale and Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | +0.19 | +0.17 |
| Natural amenities scale and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | -0.00 | +0.02 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,062 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Ventura County, CA — 11.2
- Humboldt County, CA — 11.2
- Santa Barbara County, CA — 11
- Mendocino County, CA — 10.9
- Del Norte County, CA — 10.8
Lowest
- Red Lake County, MN — -6.4
- Wilkin County, MN — -6.1
- Tipton County, IN — -5.4
- Norman County, MN — -5.37
- Mower County, MN — -5.18
The middle area reports -0.15. The middle half of counties falls between -1.43 and 1.08 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
US Counties With the Highest Natural Amenities Scale · US Counties With the Lowest Natural Amenities Scale
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