In Data News, 2019-08-20
The 15 community types identified in the American Communities Project (ACP) were derived from a standard clustering method of analysis, conducted by political scientist Iris Hui, PhD, where a set of 36 different indicators – everything from population density to military service members – were sorted using an algorithm that identified like places.
The majority of the data used to define the types in the ACP came from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, 2008-2012. Data on religious adherence and faith came from the Religious Congregations and Membership Study, 2010.