Heat Maps Show the Surprising Musical Preferences of the United States

Rock & Oldies

Do you think that you live in a country music-loving town, or a city that's more fond of rock and roll? A recent data analysis by Movoto Real Estate may surprise you with its findings. They took statistics gleaned from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and calculated the musical preference of the lower 48 United States. The results were arranged in heat maps, with the most popular types of tunes appearing as warm reds and oranges. In total, there are 17 genres that cover the musical interests of the country.

You wouldn't necessarily think of Las Vegas as being a place that likes the alternative sound, but its residents report that it's true. And country music isn't just for Nashville anymore. Floridians like the honky-tonk sound, with the cities of Tampa and Orlando listing it as one of their favorite genres. Minneapolis, Minnesota was another surprising statistic. Their citizens enjoy listening to rap, and support hometown acts like the hip-hop artist Atmosphere.

Being interested in a musical genre isn't just about the sound; it's also about the lifestyle, fashion, and philosophy behind it. This interesting series of maps can tell us more than we realize about cities and the people that inhabit them.


Alternative


Country


Folk


Gospel


Indie


Jazz


Metal


Pop


Punk


Rap & Hip-Hop

Movoto website
via [22 Words]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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