Five states are minority-majority, that is, they are states where minorities are a majority of the population. Nevada is one of them.

Nevada is the most recent to join the group, with 48.8 percent of the population categorized as “Non-Hispanic White” in 2017 by the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The percentage of non-Hispanic whites was lower in the other four minority-majority states: Hawaii (21.8%), California (37%), New Mexico (37.4%), and Texas (41.9%).

That was one of the measures drawn on by Governing magazine in an analysis this week of how race, geography and education shape how states rank “from those that most favor Republicans demographically to those states that most favor Democrats.”

Governing also factored in states with the lowest rate of undergraduate degrees to the highest. Nevada’s 23.4 percent of residents with undergraduate degrees in 2016 tied with Kentucky, and ranked higher than four other states: Louisiana (23.3%), Arkansas (22.1%), Mississippi (21.9%), and West Virginia (21.1%). That national average is 31.1%

The magazine also ranked states from rural to urban. More than 90 percent of Nevada’s population is concentrated in urban areas, which puts it roughly in the middle of the pack of states nationally.

Overall, Governing ranked Nevada the 14th most demographically likely state to favor Democrats. While most of the states ranked above Nevada are solid or solidifying Democratic strongholds, the Governing analysis also named Texas and Florida slightly more likely to favor Democrats than Nevada, a ranking which is belied by the results of at least the last two election cycles.

By the way, part one: The Feb. 22 Nevada presidential caucus is the third contest in the 2020 presidential process, following the New Hampshire and the Iowa caucus. More than 90 percent of New Hampshire’s population is non-Hispanic white, the 4th highest in the country. At 85.9 percent, Iowa ranks 6th.

By the way, part two: The District of Columbia would have ranked right behind Hawaii among states with largest minority-majorities, but it isn’t a state. Democrats in the U.S. House passed a bill endorsing statehood for D.C. earlier this year. But the U.S. Senate has refused to take but the bill, which also includes numerous election reforms. Historically, Congress has shown little interest in letting D.C. have representation in the U.S. House, let alone two U.S. senators, so the District of Columbia is not a state.