Community Corner

Best Maps of 2013: Obama Won the 'Starbucks Counties'

Strange Fact: The more Starbucks cafes there are in town, the more likely that county voted Democratic last election.

As the end of the year draws near, we will be highlighting the best data maps Patch has run in 2013. It's part of our Newscruncher series, which breaks down the characteristics of your town by the numbers. If you see any technical issues with this map, or if you'd like to suggest ideas for future Newscruncher articles, please email data@patch.com.

The interactive map above shows the number of Starbucks in a given zip code and which way residents in that zip code voted in the last election. 
How is this for an interesting correlation?: Areas with the most Starbucks were more likely to vote for Obama in the last election.

As Dante Chinni wrote this summer for Patch, "the stores are based heavily in counties that voted for President Barack Obama in 2012. The visual interpretations are backed up by the numbers: Obama won 'Starbucks counties' over Mitt Romney 52% to 46%. That margin is two percentage points better than Obama did overall – where he beat Romney by 4%."

One theory behind this correlation is that Starbucks cafes usually cluster around more densely-populated places, which tend to vote Democratic.
How to Use the Map
Using your cursor, you can hover over an area and the zip code will appear on the top right corner. Press the 'Election' button to see an overlay of which areas voted for which candidate and the 'Starbucks' button to see where the Starbucks are located.

Do you think liberals like lattes? Tell us in a comment or a blog post.


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