Friending clustering
How often a person's friends are also friends with each other. It shows how tight-knit the local network is, which is separate from how far it reaches across income groups.
Reported for3,091areas, in 51 states — none in PR
Link to density0.56not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.53Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerateshare
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
Social Capital Atlas · Opportunity Insights clustering_county
On average, how often two of a person's friends are also friends with each other. It shows how tight-knit local friend groups are. That is separate from how far they reach across class. Time period: measured over Facebook users aged 25-44 in 2022, with noise added to protect privacy.
Combining areas: an average weighted by children with below-median parental income.
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 0 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Friending clustering and Homicide rate, annualWhere Friending clustering is higher, Homicide rate, annual tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Homicide rate, annual by US county | +0.61 | +0.48 |
| Friending clustering and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Friending clustering is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | +0.38 | +0.43 |
| Friending clustering and Routine checkup in the past yearWhere Friending clustering is higher, Routine checkup in the past year tends to be higher: 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 | +0.14 | +0.42 |
| Friending clustering and Homicide rateWhere Friending clustering is higher, Homicide rate 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. Homicide rate by US county | +0.55 | +0.41 |
| Friending clustering and Taking blood pressure medicationWhere Friending clustering is higher, Taking blood pressure medication 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. Taking blood pressure medication by US county | +0.35 | +0.41 |
| Friending clustering and High blood pressureWhere Friending clustering is higher, High blood pressure 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. High blood pressure by US county | +0.48 | +0.39 |
| Friending clustering and Current cigarette smokingWhere Friending clustering is higher, Current cigarette smoking 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. Current cigarette smoking by US county | +0.61 | +0.37 |
| Friending clustering and StrokeWhere Friending clustering is higher, Stroke 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. Stroke by US county | +0.55 | +0.36 |
| Friending clustering and Arrivals per 100 people stayingWhere Friending clustering is higher, Arrivals per 100 people staying tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Arrivals per 100 people staying by US county | -0.38 | -0.34 |
| Friending clustering and Lack of reliable transportationWhere Friending clustering is higher, Lack of reliable transportation 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. Lack of reliable transportation by US county | +0.49 | +0.33 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Friending clustering 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 | +0.01 | -0.03 |
| Friending clustering and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Friending clustering is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | +0.38 | +0.43 |
| Friending clustering and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Friending clustering is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | -0.23 | -0.30 |
| Friending clustering 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 | -0.31 | +0.07 |
| Friending clustering 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 | +0.35 | +0.18 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,091 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
- Kusilvak Census Area, AK — 0.261
- Nome Census Area, AK — 0.235
- Northwest Arctic Borough, AK — 0.228
- East Carroll Parish, LA — 0.222
- Bethel Census Area, AK — 0.221
Lowest
- Bronx County, NY — 0.0716
- Osceola County, FL — 0.0734
- Utah County, UT — 0.0758
- Kings County, NY — 0.0759
- Bernalillo County, NM — 0.0761
The middle area reports 0.115. The middle half of counties falls between 0.103 and 0.127 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
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