Regional Subcultures of the United States

This study develops the case, theory, and statistical methodology for a new measure of American regional subcultures. Using principal component and cluster analysis on some 45 measures of racial origin, ethnic ancestry, religious affiliation, and social structure, I show how the entire population of U.S. counties can be partitioned into 10 distinctive, regional subcultures that are relatively homogeneous and contiguous. Next, I identify the cultural characteristics of each subculture and relate my new classification scheme to the work of Elazar, Gastil, Garreau, and Fischer. Finally, I compare the relative utility of this new measure with Elazar's typology in explaining the variation in a number of social, political, and policy indicators.