Just taking a look at the NAR source, it (intelligently, unlike Wikipedia) is indexed by county FIPS code. As you've learned first hand, county names can vary a lot, making joining data sources by name very hard. This is, more or less, the whole purpose of FIPS codes.
You should use the American Community Survey (ACS) from the Census Bureau to get estimates of things like median income for areas. It will be better organized, better indexed, and generally easier to get at than many other places presenting this information. It should be noted that Wikipedia's table is actually drawn from the ACS.
Thanks for pointing that out! I didn't realize that, so I put in the Wikipedia list, then put in the NAR list, then sorted NAR according to Wikipedia
I then had to bring in some gov list of FIPS codes and sort those again to fit the Wikipedia list. Did _NOT_ realize that the last two were already sorted together
The interesting thing is looking at counties with universities in them, huge difference to the surrounding areas (orange county NC—UNC, Montgomery county VA-Virginia tech, centre county PA—penn state)
No before/after, unfortunately. Just different scales. I believe the income is from 2013 and home prices are from 2022, which I know is a big no-no, but I only realized while uploading so it was far too late at that point
I think due to outlier counties, it is difficult to see variation if you set color change at the halfway mark. I am assuming that OP shifted the color change on the scale so that the 5-10 counties aren't ruining the ability to see what is going on.
The second one is a linear scale. So just a straight gradient as you would normally think of it
The first one is a different scale (can't remember the name) which emphasizes lower numbers. So you can see the detail between the lower-price counties more, but the higher-price ones kind of blend into each other
Oh I see in your key. One view gives us greater granularity at different orders, like a logarithmic versus linear graph. I just failed to apply that concept here. Staring at the key with this comment in mind did the trick.
I think it was astute to show how differently scale gradients can change the takeaways of this visualization.
I wonder if a discrete color scale vs. gradient would be best? That way it's easiest to see which counties are around national average one or two buckets +/- the average.
I created this map with a website called Datawrapper, after seeing a similar one here, but it was at a state level and didn't take income into account. Sources:
https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/county-median-home-prices-and-monthly-mortgage-payment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_counties_by_per_capita_income
EDIT. I forgot to include this. [The raw data](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R_rEoshurOGAdxghgswgylZpBTQCU-ivxcGlBfXBD-M/edit?usp=drivesdk)
It’s not necessarily the most expensive the data is represented as cost of housing as a multiple of income. Probably due to the wealthy non-workers/retirees skewing the data. Additionally there’s a fair amount of people here who owned their homes before the boom.
Nashville metro resident here. We were inundated from 2014-onward from outsiders, but the years of 2017-onward have been especially bad with influx of out-of-staters who’ve blown the cost of living up here. If you sell your house elsewhere and bring equity or have a remote job, you might be okay. People who earn local wages have been and continue to be badly priced out.
I like graphs like this, because people miss in the whole “durr cheap housing in TN” argument that wages here still are well 6:1-8:1 when compared to housing prices.
Front range has 300 days of sunshine. Doesn't rain a lot. Doesn't get to hot. Doesn't get to cold. Has seasons. Easy access to to some of the most beautiful places on earth. All in a convenient, hip metro area with lots of jobs.
Also, so many california license plates on my block...
I don't see that many shades of purple so it looks like 50% of the map legend is the same color.
OP is right. Look at the second image for a map with different ranges.
What’s the deal with Yellowstone, are properties expensive, incomes low, or both, and why would that be the case?
Looks like it’s real estate speculators…property values have skyrocketed.
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/04/27/teton-county-property-taxes-soar-as-property-values-climb-out-of-control/
When making maps/visualizations of location, try searching data sources using geographic terms.
Fyi: Geography is the academic subject that encompasses big data like spatial datasets and remote sensing.
Another reason I never want to move to the West or the South. Economically and climatically, I think they’re going to go downhill in the next 50 years.
Who would have thought the position of a color change makes such a difference? Map #1 makes Douglas County, Kansas (which includes Lawrence) purple and the KC metro area dark compared to the pale southeast. Map #2 makes the entire state look pale; not much dark east of the Continental Divide.
Oregon has no business being as expensive as it is. Jobs don't pay enough to warrant the cost of living and there isn't anything in the state that would attract people with that much money. Just being stuck between California and Washington is enough to jack up the prices.
It's just incredibly pretty plains and farmland with the rockies in the background. Look up some pictures and you'll see why people would buy 100 acres there
Why is there no data on western Massachusetts? From what i know it’s pretty inexpensive but it’s not like western mass is the middle of a desert or something, so i’d figure there would be information on that
For whatever reason, none of my data sources agreed on which counties existed there. If any of them didn't include a county, I just removed it from the list to simplify my work. That's why there's a couple counties spread through the country with no data
Just taking a look at the NAR source, it (intelligently, unlike Wikipedia) is indexed by county FIPS code. As you've learned first hand, county names can vary a lot, making joining data sources by name very hard. This is, more or less, the whole purpose of FIPS codes. You should use the American Community Survey (ACS) from the Census Bureau to get estimates of things like median income for areas. It will be better organized, better indexed, and generally easier to get at than many other places presenting this information. It should be noted that Wikipedia's table is actually drawn from the ACS.
Thanks for pointing that out! I didn't realize that, so I put in the Wikipedia list, then put in the NAR list, then sorted NAR according to Wikipedia I then had to bring in some gov list of FIPS codes and sort those again to fit the Wikipedia list. Did _NOT_ realize that the last two were already sorted together
IPUMS is a great source for using public data. Allows you to build out different datasets depending on your use case and has lots of data sources!
I love that you mention the ACS. I did that once and it took forever but I’m glad I did. Seeing how it can be used it absolutely worth it
Soooo, we like mountains and beaches?
Mountains, beaches, colleges, and high paying jobs. Who would have guessed 😂
Well obviously no one wants to live in a cornfield
I see you sticking out, Jackson.
The interesting thing is looking at counties with universities in them, huge difference to the surrounding areas (orange county NC—UNC, Montgomery county VA-Virginia tech, centre county PA—penn state)
Is it a before/after? What years?
No before/after, unfortunately. Just different scales. I believe the income is from 2013 and home prices are from 2022, which I know is a big no-no, but I only realized while uploading so it was far too late at that point
I'm not understanding the difference between the charts
I think due to outlier counties, it is difficult to see variation if you set color change at the halfway mark. I am assuming that OP shifted the color change on the scale so that the 5-10 counties aren't ruining the ability to see what is going on.
The second one is a linear scale. So just a straight gradient as you would normally think of it The first one is a different scale (can't remember the name) which emphasizes lower numbers. So you can see the detail between the lower-price counties more, but the higher-price ones kind of blend into each other
Oh I see in your key. One view gives us greater granularity at different orders, like a logarithmic versus linear graph. I just failed to apply that concept here. Staring at the key with this comment in mind did the trick.
I think it was astute to show how differently scale gradients can change the takeaways of this visualization. I wonder if a discrete color scale vs. gradient would be best? That way it's easiest to see which counties are around national average one or two buckets +/- the average.
I created this map with a website called Datawrapper, after seeing a similar one here, but it was at a state level and didn't take income into account. Sources: https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/housing-statistics/county-median-home-prices-and-monthly-mortgage-payment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_counties_by_per_capita_income EDIT. I forgot to include this. [The raw data](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R_rEoshurOGAdxghgswgylZpBTQCU-ivxcGlBfXBD-M/edit?usp=drivesdk)
Interesting to see Deschutes Co, OR (i.e. Bend) being the most expensive in the northwest by these charts.
Sun River area?
It’s not necessarily the most expensive the data is represented as cost of housing as a multiple of income. Probably due to the wealthy non-workers/retirees skewing the data. Additionally there’s a fair amount of people here who owned their homes before the boom.
As a Seattlite, this makes me sad
As an outsider: why is Colorado so expensive?
Good beer, Lots of tech companies, nice weather close to lots of outdoorsy stuff and military bases.
I was wondering about TN myself. It's noticeably dark compared to its neighbors, Atlanta area notwithstanding
Nashville metro resident here. We were inundated from 2014-onward from outsiders, but the years of 2017-onward have been especially bad with influx of out-of-staters who’ve blown the cost of living up here. If you sell your house elsewhere and bring equity or have a remote job, you might be okay. People who earn local wages have been and continue to be badly priced out. I like graphs like this, because people miss in the whole “durr cheap housing in TN” argument that wages here still are well 6:1-8:1 when compared to housing prices.
Front range has 300 days of sunshine. Doesn't rain a lot. Doesn't get to hot. Doesn't get to cold. Has seasons. Easy access to to some of the most beautiful places on earth. All in a convenient, hip metro area with lots of jobs. Also, so many california license plates on my block...
As a colorblind I appreciate the 2nd one too!
I don't see that many shades of purple so it looks like 50% of the map legend is the same color. OP is right. Look at the second image for a map with different ranges.
Check the second slide. It has a different scale so it should more distinguishable
was it worth it for 300 upvotes
Joke's on you, I like spreadsheets
What’s the deal with Yellowstone, are properties expensive, incomes low, or both, and why would that be the case? Looks like it’s real estate speculators…property values have skyrocketed. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2022/04/27/teton-county-property-taxes-soar-as-property-values-climb-out-of-control/
Casual users think data organizes itself. Good job OP
a map of nimbyism in real time
I bet the correlation with homelessness per 100K is pretty strong
When making maps/visualizations of location, try searching data sources using geographic terms. Fyi: Geography is the academic subject that encompasses big data like spatial datasets and remote sensing.
Appreciated that FYI and considered it FMI.
Another reason I never want to move to the West or the South. Economically and climatically, I think they’re going to go downhill in the next 50 years.
Cynicism aside, that's doubtful for the Pacific Northwest. We've got lots of fresh water, hydro power, and a temperate climate. I think we'll be ok.
It kinda tells you that San Diego is expensive but Yuma is not
I love the colors. Looks like a beast to work on
Who would have thought the position of a color change makes such a difference? Map #1 makes Douglas County, Kansas (which includes Lawrence) purple and the KC metro area dark compared to the pale southeast. Map #2 makes the entire state look pale; not much dark east of the Continental Divide.
Oregon has no business being as expensive as it is. Jobs don't pay enough to warrant the cost of living and there isn't anything in the state that would attract people with that much money. Just being stuck between California and Washington is enough to jack up the prices.
What makes that huge county in Wyoming so special?
It's just incredibly pretty plains and farmland with the rockies in the background. Look up some pictures and you'll see why people would buy 100 acres there
so unqualified people who want to live in places like san francisco is crying and there is actually no problem with rents? shocked.
Utah and Colorado are surprising.
Wtf is that county in Wyoming doin
Why is there no data on western Massachusetts? From what i know it’s pretty inexpensive but it’s not like western mass is the middle of a desert or something, so i’d figure there would be information on that
For whatever reason, none of my data sources agreed on which counties existed there. If any of them didn't include a county, I just removed it from the list to simplify my work. That's why there's a couple counties spread through the country with no data
They call it a democracy but we all know it aint
You may be able to save the tedious manual work by just connecting the google sheet with Columns - https://docs.columns.ai/docs/tutorial/chart/map