About MAP SO HARD

MAP SO HARD ranks all 50 U.S. states on the statistics people actually argue about — gas prices, electric bills, obesity, smoking, drinking, physical inactivity, and more — and turns each one into a clear, share-ready map. The project started as a social-media account and is growing into a forever-updated web app.

What makes this different

There is exactly one promise behind every map on this site: every number is real, and every number is cited. We do not estimate, interpolate, average, or "reason out" a value to fill a gap. If a statistic cannot be sourced cleanly and consistently for all 50 states from a single authoritative dataset, we do not publish it — we pick a different metric or a different period instead.

That discipline is the whole point. Anyone can make a colorful map. The hard part — the "so hard" part — is making one you can trust enough to repeat at a dinner-table argument.

How a map gets made

Every map answers a single question: *"How does each state rank on X?"* Behind that map:

• One authoritative source (government statistical agencies first; a recognized industry standard only when it is the de-facto measure, such as AAA for daily fuel prices).
• One metric definition, one time period, and all 50 states pulled from the same underlying table.
• A stored record of provenance for every single value: the source, the source URL, the data period, the date we retrieved it, and a note pointing to the exact table or figure.

For the full set of rules, see our Methodology.

Who makes it

MAP SO HARD is an independent, owner-operated project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any of the government agencies or organizations whose public data it visualizes. Source organizations are credited on every map and in our methodology.

We deliberately do not pad this page with invented credentials, a fictional masthead, or a head-count we do not have. What we can stand behind is the standard above and the citation attached to every value.

Corrections

If you believe a number is wrong, tell us — sourced corrections are welcome and are exactly how a data project should work. See Contact for how to reach us, and Methodology for how we handle updates and revisions.