Search Budgets in the United States

Interactive Search Budgets Map

The wonderful world of data.  It’s so easy sometimes to fall down a black hole of numbers, trying to make sense of what we’re seeing and how those data points should drive what we do.  The linked Tableau map you see above is what happens when a car nerd turned data analyst digs into the search data at AutoTempest.  We thought it’d interesting to see the average max budget numbers from each state, and with a little help from Tableau we were able to create this cool interactive map.

The Numbers

What Do They Mean?

The trap is set!  What do the numbers mean?  That’s a dangerous question to ask, because it would be easiest to assume that the states with higher median household incomes would be searching for more expensive vehicles.  To a degree, that holds true, especially for the west coast states, Colorado, and Minnesota.

That being said, Mid-Atlantic states with some of the highest household incomes in the country like New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. fall much closer to the middle of our max search price spectrum than they do to the top. This could be for any number of reasons, none of which become apparent from looking at the data. Perhaps the used vehicles in places with challenging winter weather like New England end up in less desirable condition than those with no snow. Road salt can wreak havoc on even the newest vehicles. Overall inventory may also be an issue in some places, with more supply and less demand for certain vehicles, driving down their prices.

It is true though, that states with the most people search for more vehicles, with California, Texas, Florida, and New York taking the top spots in that order.

Where does your state fall on the spectrum?  Did you think that the map would look like it does?  Let us know your thoughts!

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