Christian Smith
CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Illinois is considered the most American state in the U.S., according to multiple data-driven reports.
The latest data analysis by The Washington Post compared each state’s US census variables to the total country average. The results revealed that data from the US and Illinois censuses are almost identical.
Analysts wanted to find out which state was “most American” to help determine whether results in one state could predict those in another. Furthermore, if Iowa and New Hampshire were not the best states to start presidential primaries, which state would be best to represent America as a whole?
Illinois ranks first overall
In February, data analysis by WalletHub found that Illinois, Florida and Ohio were “much better” at representing the electorate than Iowa and New Hampshire. Iowa ranked just 19th and New Hampshire 36th when comparing their demographics to the U.S. population.
Metrics for these analyzes were calculated across variables of race, religion, income, education, work, gender, age, and social issues in each state.
In both analyses, Illinois ranked first in overall representation of Americans. The Washington Post found that Illinois had a 91% similarity to the US population, while WalletHub found that Illinois had a 94% similarity when all demographics were averaged.
“It is most similar in terms of gender, age, proportion of residents born in the US, and unemployment rate, with over 99% similarity for each of these metrics,” according to WalletHub research.
Florida followed in second and Ohio in third. States with the highest overall representation include Utah, Mississippi, and Alabama.
It’s not the first time Illinois has been on top
Additionally, this isn’t the first time Illinois has topped the list, comparing the closest to the general American population. The Washington Post reported that since at least 2009, the Land of Lincoln has been on top consistently. Furthermore, a 2016 NPR Report which compared census data during the presidential election also found that Illinois was the state with the best average representation of Americans.
So if Illinois has consistently ranked at the top, why isn’t it hosting the first presidential primary elections?
Iowa and New Hampshire have been the first stops for presidential candidates since 1976, according to the National Constitution Center. That’s because both parties held their first primaries in Iowa since 1976 and Iowa passed a law mandating that its caucuses needed to hold their elections at least eight days before any other state, the NCC said.
But despite their lower ratings, both states proved pivotal for both parties during the presidential nomination, Deseret news reported.
“Rather than basing the order on tradition or political favor, we should consider putting the most representative states first during the presidential primaries,” said Cassandra Happe, an analyst at WalletHub.
