Water area
The percentage of the county's total area that is water: lakes, rivers, bays and coastal sea. A county with a big lake or a long coast scores high. About two in three counties are under 2%.
Reported for3,062areas, in 48 states — none in AK, CT, HI, PR
Link to density0.36not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.49Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerate% of total area
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, percent water area
The share of the county's total area that is lakes, rivers, bays or sea. 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 1 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Water area and Vacancy rateWhere Water area is higher, Vacancy rate tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Vacancy rate by US county | +0.14 | +0.34 |
| Water area and Expected yearly hurricane lossWhere Water area is higher, Expected yearly hurricane loss tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Expected yearly hurricane loss by US county | +0.31 | +0.31 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water area and Share White, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | -0.04 | -0.01 |
| Water area 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 | +0.00 | +0.01 |
| Water area and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | -0.03 | -0.02 |
| Water area 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 | +0.12 | -0.05 |
| Water area 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 | -0.07 | +0.01 |
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
- San Francisco County, CA — 75
- Ozaukee County, WI — 75
- Milwaukee County, WI — 75
- Door County, WI — 75
- Lake County, OH — 75
Lowest
The middle area reports 0.93. The middle half of counties falls between 0.31 and 2.86 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
US Counties With the Highest Water Area · US Counties With the Lowest Water Area
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works