Manufacturing-dependent counties

The regional/racial divide is perhaps most evident when looking at counties whose economies are tied to manufacturing. The USDA’s Economic Research Service identifies these as places where 23% or more of the county’s average annual labor and proprietors’ earnings came from manufacturing, or where 16% or more of jobs were in manufacturing. Those counties in the Midwest and Appalachia tended to give higher levels of support to Mrs. Clinton in 2008, while her share of the vote was lower among those counties in the South. This year, those counties overall skew in Mrs. Clinton favor. But notice the peak this year, where support for Mrs. Clinton is split. That’s a result of Mr. Sanders running a more competitive race with her in places like Michigan, Wisconsin and even parts of Ohio.