Disparities in Socioeconomic Conditions Among U.S. States

This section contains my final project for MUSA 5500 Geospatial Data Science in Python.

Background: The United States of America (USA) is a large country comprising 50 states. Each state is not equal, and it would be interesting to analyse and map out the differences in level of development and socioeconomic indicators between each state as if they were 50 sovereign countries. My final project’s research question is inspired by Gapminder. I aim to apply this in the context of US States to answer these questions: how do socioeconomic variables vary across US states? And do they suggest which states are more developed/deprived than others?

Implication: This analysis is important in understanding the individual state’s performance. It could guide federal decision-making in resource allocation and state-level policymaking to improve the situation of deprived states. Some of the socioeconomic indicators I aim to analyse are GDP per capita, life expectancy, median household income, education levels, variables related to the Human Development Index (World Health Organisation, 2024). Other variables I include are unemployment rate, labour force, participation rate, labour productivity, population, poverty rate, and net exports by state.

Data Sources: Data are sourced from US Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The variables analysed are for the year 2023.

Methodology: I make an interactive bubble graph and map showing the variation in socioeconomic variables across states. I then apply scikit-learn to the data set to identify clusters of states. This would enable us to identify which states are more developed/deprived in the USA. Finally, I apply predictive modelling to identify which variables matter most for the dependent variables: GDP per capita, life expectancy, median household income, and education levels. This could inform policymakers which areas to investigate further, if they seek to improve the level of development in a deprived state.

References: World Health Organisation, 2024. Human development index. [Online] Available at: https://www-who-int.proxy.library.upenn.edu/data/nutrition/nlis/info/human-development-index [Accessed 5 December 2024].