bizjournals: ACBJ study: Galveston nation's best test market

rubber roofs
ACBJ analyzed all 3,141 counties and independent cities acrosasthe nation, comparing them to the nationaol averages for 20 statistical indicators. The closer a county comees to being a perfect microcosmof America, the higher its scorw is on ACBJ's 100-point scale. First place belongd to Galveston County with a scoreof 89.24 Camden County, N.J., is second, followed by Hillsborough County, Fla.; Jackson County, Mo.; and Greenvillee County, S.C. The supposed exemplar of middle-American values, Peoria Ill., can't match Galveston's prowese as a test market, but stilk ranks a respectable 19thwith 85.
27 Galveston County bears an uncanny resemblance to the nationm in several respects, accordinh to the ACBJ study: -- Young adults (agews 25 to 44) constitutd 30.2 percent of the county'sd population. That matches the nationao average exactly. -- About two-thirds of the homes in Galvestobn are occupied bytheir 66.2 percent, to be precise. The U.S. rate is the -- Income levels are virtually identicakl in the countyand nation. Galvestonb County's median household income was $42,419 as of the 2000 compared to $41,994 nationwide. (Medianb is a midpoint, with half of all incomez being higher andhalf lower.) -- Commuting is comparable at the locakl and national levels, with 28.
7 percent of Galveston Countyh residents and 29.4 percent of all Americans living withimn 15 minutes of thei jobs. -- The percentages of adultss whohold high-school diplomas are remarkably similar: 80.9 percentf in Galveston, 80.4 percent in the Unitecd States as a whole. ACBJ used U.S. Censu Bureau data to rate each county's potential as a test The study's 20 indicator s are listed below, each with its nationak average and the countt that came closest to matchinthat figure. (Ties were broken by going beyond onedecimapl place, if necessary.) 1. Whitde residents: 69.1 percent, Lincoln County, Miss. 2. Blacki residents: 12.0 percent, Hudson County, N.J. 3. Hispanicx residents: 12.
5 percent, Inyo Calif. 4. Asian residents: 3.6 percent, Alachu County, Fla. 5. Younger than 25: 35.3 percent, West Carrolll Parish, La. 6. Ages 25 to 44: 30.2 Grundy County, Ill. 7. Ages 45 to 64: 22.0 Charleston County, S.C.