comments w/r AR, LA, NY, NJ metrics

Purpose
– the "forest": Previous posts (summary post, 14Apr2022) did not identify the individual states. The overall non-random, top/bottom, Rep/Dem differentiation was the point. Curiously, this differentiation persisted within the Rep/Dem state groupings – for example, as Rep states' R:D vote ratio increased, their infant mortality increased and their suicide rates increased (see posts 07Apr, 21Apr)

.– the "trees": This post presents four individual states and their metrics for comparison.
– z-scores are used so that dimensionless comparison can be done
– note: a negative z-score of a negative metric is considered positive

Comparing and Contrasting the four states ...
i) two Dem states and two Rep states: ranking the states, NY and NJ are at the top end and AR and LA are in the bottom end
ii) the z-scores show why: NY and NJ have large (+) values for positive metrics and large (–) values for negative metrics
iii) compare with AR and LA: both AR and LA have large (–) values for (+) metrics; and large (+) values for negative metrics
iv) LA is curious ... being middle-of-the-road for Predictor metrics
v) the AR large (+) evangelical value stands out compared with the NY and NJ large (–) values for the evangelical Predictor metric
vi) NJ is very urban (the most urban state)
vii) the NY and NJ diversity* values are large – no. 3 and no. 2 (HI is no. 1)
viii) contrasting the Rep and Dem states: the suicide, opioid dispensing rate, and incarceration rate differences are remark-able

similar visuals of other states' metric z-scores:
TX, AZ, FL, GA posted 02Jun2022
ND, SD, WA, OR posted 09Jun
AL, MS, CT, RI posted 14Jul
IL, IN, OH, PA posted 08Sep
NH, MA, NE, IA posted 15Sep
KS, MO, ID, MT posted 13Oct
UT, OK, CO, NM posted 10Nov
NC, SC, DE, MD posted 08Dec