Many people find winters to be intolerably brutal, especially older people who have chronic aches and pains. The solution for many is to migrate south like the birds to soak in warmer weather and sunshine. Hence the term “snowbird!” Snowbirds escape the dreary northern weather months for the American Sun Belt. But there are many options in terms of states and counties to live in. That’s where a new study from the Florida Rentals team comes in. They created a careful analysis based on, first of all, weather, but also other important factors like cost of living and age demographics.

The study analyzed all 50 states and applied its scoring system to them. In the highest-scoring states, the team also scored specific counties in those states. The methodology weighed the weather the most heavily.

Click below to zoom.

Florida Has a Slam Dunk Snowbird Score

Florida took a healthy lead in snowbird scores, which comes as no surprise since it’s known as a snowbird paradise. The state scored 88.19 out of 100 thanks to sunshine and warm temperatures year-round, fairly low taxes, and a high population of people over 65. The Sunshine State population is 21.6% over 65, and the average winter temperatures are 59.4 degrees, and of course, no snow. These conditions draw around a million snowbirds to Florida every year, enough to increase the state population by 5% in the winter months.

As for other high-scoring states, another southern state rich in beaches, South Carolina, comes in second at 85.91 points. It’s followed by New Mexico and Arizona, both desert states, scoring 84.41 and 84.19, respectively. New Mexico and Arizona have the added bonus of low humidity, a great soother to people with chronic pain conditions like arthritis.

Choosing the Best Snowbird Counties

Many people are aware of which state they’d like to live in for the winter, but the team can help prospective snowbirds decide on a specific location with their county scores. Diving deeper into the data, we find that Florida has 60% of the top 10 high-scoring snowbird counties. Citrus County leads with a score of 88.12, a hidden gem with a high senior population, 6% sales tax rate, 60.9° F average winter temperatures, and roughly $3,563 monthly cost of living. Delve into the team’s other data to learn more about great snowbird counties.

Snowbird Scores Beyond Weather

While climate will always be the most important factor in a migration based entirely on temperature and weather, the team made sure to consider other key factors. Economics can play a huge role in a person’s decision to move. The county analysis helped in this consideration since Collier County, containing the city of Naples, Florida, is highly sought after, but the team shows us it’s also one of the most expensive locations.

Budget-conscious snowbirds might look to warm states with a low cost of living, like Arkansas, as a more affordable alternative to Florida or South Carolina. Overall, this is a comprehensive analysis of the best locations for snowbirds to flock to before the weather takes a turn for the chilly.

A new study from the PA Requirements team unveiled regional patterns in children’s soda consumption across the U.S. Some states have consumption rates up to five times higher than others, revealing some truly alarming statistics. The map is based on the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included 42 states in a week-long analysis of soda drinking behavior. The end result is a map that paints a concerning picture of soda consumption among American children.

Click below to zoom.

West Virginia is at the top of the list, with 22.5% of high schoolers there reporting that they drank soda twice or more every day. That’s one in four West Virginia teens having several sodas every single day. Kentucky is close behind, with 18.5% of teens drinking multiple sodas, followed by Mississippi at 17.1%. These numbers seem especially high compared to the state with the lowest consumption, Massachusetts. Only 4.9% of teenagers there reported drinking multiple sodas a day.

The survey asked students to report their soda consumption with one of three answers each day: didn’t drink any soda, drank one soda, or drank two or more sodas. Responses show that children in Southern states drank the most soda.

Unfortunately, the results show us more than beverage preferences. There are a lot of health implications we can glean from these results. One soda contains 7 to 10 teaspoons of sugar, comprised of high-fructose corn syrup. For small children, the impacts of consuming so much processed sugar are even more pronounced. High sugar consumption is linked to obesity, dental disease, sleep disruption, and type 2 diabetes.

Children are also more prone to developing a sugar addiction. Drinking too much sugar leads children to develop a sugar addiction and symptoms of excessive sugar consumption, which include weight gain, mood swings, and trouble focusing.

The map colors show us a “sugar belt” across the Southern United States, with seven of the top highest consuming states located in the South. Research has shown that education impacts nutritional choices as well as income levels. Some of the states on the high end of the spectrum have lower public school ratings and high poverty levels, so it seems this isn’t coincidental. Culture may play a part as well. With many soda companies originating in the South, it might be that Southerners enjoy soda more and have normalized having a soda with meals.

Understanding soda consumption rates and health risks can help parents and educators make informed decisions about health choices for children. We don’t always realize how much soda we’re consuming until we look at hard data like this. This map and research underscore the need for soda-drinking interventions, especially in certain regions. While soda is a good treat, it’s not intended to be drunk daily, especially not for children. Through studies like this, awareness, and education, we can improve the health of American children.

When dating apps connect people all around the world, sparking more long-distance relationships than ever, this prompts a fascinating question: does region affect what we find attractive? A new study from NapLab sheds some light on the answers, revealing that location does seem to affect what features Americans find most attractive.

Click below to zoom.

The survey had 1,012 participants across 50 states. Their approach was straightforward, asking participants three questions: which body part do you find most attractive on others, what is your gender, and what state do you live in? This method allowed the team to map out the results across America, showing us patterns based on location while challenging some of what we thought we knew about universal standards of beauty.

The research reinforced some of what we already know about what different genders find most attractive. For example, men are believed to be most drawn to features associated with fertility. This held true in the NapLab study, showing that 25.82% of men are most attracted to buttocks and 20.60% are most attracted to breasts.

Women are thought to be drawn to more emotional aspects of a relationship, which holds true in what they’re attracted to. The study showed women being most drawn to expressive features, with 26.10% saying they find the face most attractive, 26.09% favoring eyes, and 17.39% answering smile.

This research helps show how factors beyond biology could influence attraction. Climate might play a role, as we can see from Hawaii’s results. Its tropical climate and plentiful beaches mean more skin exposed and a bigger emphasis on physical fitness. Hawaii was the only state in which women found abs most attractive. In some of the rural states, men were predominantly attracted to buttocks. On the opposite end of the spectrum, more conservative states seemed more hesitant to express sexual attraction, stating that they found smiles and eyes most attractive. This indicates that religious background and other cultural norms can affect what people are attracted to or what they admit feeling attracted to.

Despite these variations, there were things that Americans had in common across the nation. Almost no respondents said they were most attracted to skin, feet, or hands. Neck and jawline received zero votes. It seems there are some biologically driven constants that geography doesn’t change.

This research shows that there is no universal agreement on what features are most attractive. There’s already been plenty of scientific research on what we’re biologically attracted to and why, but this study shows other factors might be in play. While some of our feelings are driven by biological impulses, it’s clear that culture, climate, and other regional factors change what we’re attracted to. This is a fun study for couples to discuss together, as well as giving armchair sociologists some food for thought. Find many more intriguing insights in the details of this map!