Mutual-friend share
The share of local friendships where the two friends also share a third friend nearby.
Reported for3,091areas, in 51 states — none in PR
Link to density0.52not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.42Moran’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 support_ratio_county
The share of friendships within the county where the two friends also share a third friend in the same county. The atlas calls this the 'support ratio'. That sounds like a measure of support, but it measures how tight-knit friend groups are. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mutual-friend share and Departures per 100 people stayingWhere Mutual-friend share is higher, Departures per 100 people staying 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. Departures per 100 people staying by US county | -0.48 | -0.48 |
| Mutual-friend share and Arrivals per 100 people stayingWhere Mutual-friend share is higher, Arrivals per 100 people staying 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. Arrivals per 100 people staying by US county | -0.45 | -0.44 |
| Mutual-friend share and Median gross rentLinked across counties, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, a weak link of -0.25 remains. Median gross rent by US county | -0.65 | -0.25 |
| Mutual-friend share and Friending clusteringLinked across counties, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, a weak link of +0.23 remains. Friending clustering by US county | +0.53 | +0.23 |
| Mutual-friend share and Share with a bachelor's degree or higherLinked across counties, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, a weak link of -0.14 remains. Share with a bachelor's degree or higher by US county | -0.52 | -0.14 |
| Mutual-friend share and Median home valueLinked across counties, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, a weak link of -0.13 remains. Median home value by US county | -0.54 | -0.13 |
| Mutual-friend share and Safety scorePoints one way across counties (+0.08) and the other across people (-0.14), when bigger places count for more: the average county and the average resident disagree. Safety score by US county | -0.38 | +0.08 |
| Mutual-friend share and Premature mortalityPoints one way across counties (-0.07) and the other across people (+0.15), when bigger places count for more: the average county and the average resident disagree. Premature mortality by US county | +0.34 | -0.07 |
| Mutual-friend share and Returns claiming charitable contributionsLinked across counties, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. Returns claiming charitable contributions by US county | -0.50 | -0.07 |
| Mutual-friend share and Median household income (model-based)Linked across counties, but mostly as both follow how urban, rich and educated a place is. Comparing only places with similar density, income and education, what is left could easily be chance. Median household income (model-based) by US county | -0.55 | -0.05 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Mutual-friend share and Share White, not HispanicWhere Mutual-friend share is higher, Share White, not Hispanic 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. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | +0.13 | +0.14 |
| Mutual-friend share 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 | +0.09 | -0.08 |
| Mutual-friend share and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Mutual-friend share 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 | -0.12 | -0.14 |
| Mutual-friend share 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 | -0.44 | -0.10 |
| Mutual-friend share 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 | +0.13 | -0.06 |
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
Lowest
- Storey County, NV — 0.697
- Douglas County, MO — 0.774
- Broomfield County, CO — 0.783
- Chattahoochee County, GA — 0.81
- Alexandria city, VA — 0.829
The middle area reports 0.994. The middle half of counties falls between 0.987 and 0.997 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
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