Skip to main content

This striking map shows the U.S. mapped by property value

the u s mapped by property value not land area us map
Metrocosm
If you add up all the residential property in Texas, a state that accounts for about 7 percent of the United States’ total land area, it comes to over $1.64 trillion. It’s one of the five states — along with California, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania — that make up half of the country’s $33.1-trillion in total property value and about 16 percent in terms of area. California contributes the most, with $7.56 trillion, followed by New York with $2.36 trillion.

To get a sense of what all that concentrated property value looks like, Max Galka created an animated map at Metrocosm. To make the cartogram, Galka used The Economist’s data. The cartogram morphs from the usual representation of the U.S. to a mess of red, yellow, and orange blobs of various sizes. The big red ones, mainly in New York and California, represent counties where the housing value is over $40 billion. The little yellow and yellow-orange ones in the middle are counties with property values under $5 billion and $15 billion.

When the map goes back to its original view, you can see the vast majority of the counties are the two yellow shades, while only a few in the states mentioned above are red. A few other areas in states such as Washington (around Seattle), Michigan (in the Detroit suburbs), and Illinois (the Chicago area) also have pockets of red and orangish red surrounded by yellow.

Recommended Videos

That the high property values are concentrated in these handful of states isn’t surprising, but seeing it illustrated in a way that goes from a swatch of yellow to a bulbous protrusion of red really drives the point home … and just how much that home is worth really depends on where you live.

Jenny McGrath
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
The 11 best smart home products that support Matter
Amazon Fire TV on Echo Show 15.

Matter is arguably the biggest thing to happen to smart homes since their inception. The interoperability feature lets devices from different ecosystems interact with each other, giving you the freedom to shop for your favorite products regardless of manufacturer. Unfortunately, not all devices have rolled out support for Matter – and not all of them will.

Some notable products support Matter as of today, although dozens more are expected to add the functionality in the coming months. For now, here are the 11 best smart home products that support Matter. For a full list, head over to the official Matter website. We've seen massive adoption of the technology over the past few years, so there's a good chance your favorite devices now support Matter.

Read more
You only need to spend $34 to stay warm with this space heater deal
The Dreo DR-HSH006 space heater in the living room.

If this winter has felt particularly chilly in your house, you might want to take a look at space heater deals. If you want one that's portable and budget-friendly, check out the Dreo DR-HSH006, which is currently on sale from Walmart with a $36 discount that drops its price from $70 to just $34. There's probably not much time remaining before this flash deal expires, so if you're interested in buying this heating device for less than half-price, you need to proceed with the transaction right now.

Why you should buy the Dreo DR-HSH006 space heater
While there are space heaters that are huge and bulky, the Dreo DR-HSH006 is a portable model with a handle that you can carry to different rooms around the house, so you can use it wherever you are. It only takes a few seconds to warm up and provide heat, with temperature settings between 41 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit that you can adjust in increments of 1 degree. Since it's powered by a brushless DC motor and it's equipped with a winglet fan, the device operates silently at just 34dB, so it won't disturb you while it works in the background.

Read more
25 last-minute Valentine’s Day gifts that will arrive in time (and are still impressive)
Valentine's Day flowers and chocolate covered strawberries.

Your significant other may have told you they don't want anything big for Valentine's Day, but that doesn't mean they don't want something. And if you've waited until now to get a gift, you're in good company. The internet has made getting last-minute Valentine's Day gifts a total cinch, whether you just want a luxury tech gift, a trendy piece of jewelry, or a whole damn pizza oven. (And yes, we will advocate for pizza ovens as last-minute Valentine's Day gifts.)

Why stop at getting something for your partner? Get some soft pajamas for the kids, fresh flowers for mom, and a frozen drink machine for yourself—er, the household—while you're at it. Most of our picks for last-minute Valentine's Day will arrive on your doorstep via Amazon Prime's next-day shipping, but there are a few from other sites that offer lightning-fast delivery.

Read more