We’re most average!
Thursday, May 17, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
This is the best reason I can think of to move the primary up as early as possible…
White, rural and homogeneous. New Hampshire and Iowa play big roles in choosing presidential candidates but don’t look much like the rest of the country.
A better bellwether might be Illinois. It’s the most average state, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the Census Bureau.
Illinois is the fifth largest state, with a big city in Chicago, rolling countryside in the south and a lot of sprawling suburbs. And it has Peoria, which, it turns out, really is a barometer of America’s preferences. Many companies continue to use the city in central Illinois as a test market, taking literally the adage about how things play there. […]
The AP ranked each state on how closely it matched national levels on 21 demographic factors, including race, age, income, education, industrial mix, immigration and the share of people living in urban and rural areas. The rankings were then combined to determine the state that best mirrors the country as a whole. […]
Illinois’ racial composition matches the nation’s better than any other state. Education levels are similar, as is the mix of industry and the percentage of immigrants. Incomes in Illinois are a little higher and the state is more urban the rest of the nation. But the age of the population is very close to the country’s mix of minors, seniors and those 18 to 64.
What other “most average” qualities can you think of for Illinois? Snark encouraged.
Or, you might come up with examples of how we aren’t so average.
- 105th Blues - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 9:35 am:
Hooray for mediocrity and being unexceptional!
- Beowulf - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 9:39 am:
Since Illinois is the “most average” state of the 50 states in the union according to the Associated Press, would this also mean that Illinois state government is probably typical of the state governments to be found in the remaining 49 states? And, if that is a correct postulate, could we assume that we are in dire need of another 49 clones of Patrick Fitzgerald? Perhaps Patrick Fitzgerald should be seeking out “tips” from Santa on how he is able to cover all 50 states in a 24 hour period. Be afraid, be “very” afraid.
On the bright side, the AP did not say that Cook County was the “most average” county in the nation. I guess there is still hope for the country.
- VERY ANONYMOUS - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 9:51 am:
Sorry to say this, as a transplanted southerner, the women up here are as average as they come. I know, I know, I’m a creep and a jerk and blah blah blah. But I’m sorry, you guys are not fishing out of a pond stocked with trophey bass. They’re nice fish, but not really made for the record books now are they.
- Patriot - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 9:59 am:
Illinois is below average in protecting children from sexual predators and refuses to pass ‘Jessica’s Law.” Illinois is below average in funding education even though lottery money was earmarked for school funding. Illinois is below average in protecting Second Amendment Rights and goes out of its way to punish gun owners with new laws.
- fedup dem - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 10:40 am:
The number 1 reason why that AP story (citing Illinois as being average) is full of horse manure is the fact that it implies in error that every state has a “professional” baseball team that has been saying, “Wait until next year” for 98 years!
- Reddbyrd - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 12:03 pm:
Did not know the definition of most average was mediocore and we not count the White Sox as a professional team.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 1:51 pm:
We’re average in actually trying to accomplish anything. We’re extraordinary in corruption, BS and self-aggrandizing.
- Slice & Dice - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 2:10 pm:
The BIG questions - Will this help Springfield land the Simpson’s movie premier this summer?
- i d - Thursday, May 17, 07 @ 3:05 pm:
We are not average because we claim that Abe belongs only to Illinois, the Simpson’s live in Illinois, Illinois has the last horse slaughter house, Illinois is home to Superman, and our biggest CITY was originally named stinking onions.