[Statistical Analysis] Mapping the Myths and Truths of the United States

Economy, technology and climate change are transforming the way our country looks and acts on a daily basis. The media strive to paint a picture, but the view we get often depends on the network we select. How about some raw numbers? Some geographic perspective? Who is the typical American? Where does he/she live? And where are all of these bugs coming from?

Globally renowned scholars Cynthia Enloe and Joni Seager get to the heart of these questions and more in their newly released book "The Real State of America Atlas: Mapping the Myths and Truths of the United States" (Penguin Group, 2011). The authors offer an illuminating look into everything from jobs, home ownership and wealth distribution to the food we eat and the athletic teams we support. Of particular note is that much of the information is presented geographically — plotted on a U.S. map — so that PMPs can get a clear picture of what America looks like.

Who Are We? When Enloe and Seager finished crunching the numbers, a variety of interesting statistics about the "average American" emerged. For example:

• 86 percent of U.S. citizens were born in this country.
• 82 percent live with their families.
• 65 percent live in single-family detached homes; 13 percent in apartments, condos or co-ops.
• 45 percent consider themselves middle-class; 14 percent upper-middle or higher.
• 34 percent of the typical household's income is spent on housing.

The average American, according to the authors' research, is a white woman of German ancestry in her late 30s who was born here. She is employed (earning less than her male counterpart), lives in a house with at least one family member in a racially segregated urban neighborhood, has one or two cars in the driveway and considers herself middle class. (By the way, women barely edge men out in the "average American" scenario, constituting 51 percent of the U.S. population vs. men at 49 percent.)

When asked to report information about her well-being — physical and emotional health, financial and workplace well-being, and access to basic necessities — the average American scored 65.9 on a 100-point scale.
 

Anybody Home? Not surprisingly, since the housing bubble burst, Americans' confidence in homeownership has waned. In 2003, 83 percent considered buying a house a safe investment. In 2010, that number fell to 70 percent. Still, 80 percent continue to believe that homeownership is important to the economy, and 66 percent consider owning preferable to renting — a good sign for the pest management industry. The top reasons we want to own are that we find comfort in the safety of a neighborhood and appreciate the positive environment for our children.

States with the heaviest percentage of homeownership (75 percent or more of the population) include West Virginia (the highest level of homeownership, at 79 percent), Delaware, Mississippi, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Those with the smallest percentage of homeownership (fewer than 65 percent of the population) include New York (the lowest homeownership state, at 54 percent, although Washington, D.C., comes in at only 45 percent), Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, North Dakota and Rhode Island.

Among family households, 83 percent of married couples own homes. Single-parent family households aren't as likely to own, with only 57 percent of male-headed households and 49 percent of female-headed households owning. Among singles, 56 percent of women and 51 percent of men own homes. Reflecting continuing income differences, the gap between homeownership among non-Hispanic whites and African Americans continues to grow: In 1970, the gap was 24 percent; in 2009, it had grown to 29 percent.

Foreclosures played a huge negative role in homeownership in 2010 — and that trend has continued in 2011. Nationwide, one of every 78 housing units received a foreclosure notice in the first half of 2010. States hard hit were those that also have high pest pressures, including Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Florida. Some metropolitan areas in these states saw one-third or more of all housing units receiving foreclosure notices.
 

Show Us the Money. As one of the world's wealthiest nations, the United States was, in 2010, home to 413 billionaires and 7.8 million households with a net worth of $1 million or more. On the other end of the spectrum, nearly a fifth of American households have an annual income of $20,000 or less, and 15 percent live at or below the poverty line (some analysts estimate this figure closer to 30 percent). As the economy struggles, more families cycle in and out of poverty. Demographically, Native Americans and single female heads of households are the poorest.

From a distribution standpoint, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans own 35 percent of the wealth. The richest 10 percent hold 73 percent of the wealth. The top 20 percent own 85 percent. That means 80 percent of our population collectively own 15 percent of our country's wealth.
 

Climate Change & Bugs. Across the pest control industry, we're experiencing a change in attitude among many customers. Not only do they want us to rid their properties of pests but they want us to do it in environmentally friendly ways. That's consistent with the findings of "The Real State of America Atlas": 61 percent of Americans say they are active in, or sympathetic to, the environmental movement. Eighty-five percent say they have reduced energy consumption in the past year. And cities are taking pride in their recycling programs: An average 32 percent of waste was recycled in 2008, with cities like San Francisco (69 percent), Los Angeles (62 percent), Chicago and San Diego (both at 55 percent) reaching much higher goals.

Also cause for attitude changes in our industry are the effects of climate change. Even as global climate change impacts are documented, many Americans don't believe that global change is happening. Enloe and Seager attribute this disbelief to the "denial movement" — an effort on the part of some to discredit scientific evidence through campaigns supporting their own interests. The result is that the number of Americans who believe climate change is real is declining even as climate change impacts continue to climb. In 2010, 81 percent of Democrats believed that global change was happening while only 57 percent of independents and 47 percent of Republicans believed it.

What changes are affecting our industry? Well, if you do business in the Midwest or Southwest, you've probably had to contend with a surge in invasive species over the past few years. And no matter where you operate, you're probably seeing more bugs in general. Other effects that can play a role in how our industry does business today include the increase of severe weather events, the decline in water supplies and major ecosystem disruptions.

The author is a Cleveland-based freelancer. She can be reached at ddefranco@giemedia.com.

Win the Book!
We’ve barely touched the surface of the fascinating profile Enloe and Seager present in “The Real State of America Atlas,” so PCT is giving you the opportunity to win a copy of the book. Just visit www.pctonline.com and click on “online extras” to enter today!