The suburbs are up for grabs. Anybody who’s paying attention to the 2020 election knows that. But there’s a more fundamental question: Just what are the suburbs anyway?
In a statistical sense, they are surprisingly hard to define. The United States Census Bureau, the primary source of demographic data, doesn’t offer a lot of insight; it distinguishes only between urban and rural areas.
So The New York Times decided to develop its own method for defining suburbia. From there, we were able to evaluate the demographics and, by extension, the political implications of demographic change.
The key finding: Suburbia should not be considered a distinct entity, but two separate realms. The difference between inner-ring and outer-ring suburbs goes well beyond geography. CONT.
Robert Gebeloff, New York Times