Hard Times and Easy Livin'

This multivariate map is part of a story from the New York Times in late June 2014. It appears to have been researched and consolidates multiple varibles into a bi(better or worse)-variate map describing the socio-economic health of our nation. The Upshot blog features some insghts from the story, data, and map.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/upshot/where-are-the-hardest-places-to-live-in-the-us.html?_r=2&abt=0002&abg=0

Only Connecticut, Hawaii, and Wyoming are filled entirely with blue. No single state is entirely orange, but three states in the South (Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia) do not contain a single county colored deepest blue.
While the map has an interactive element, it tells its story well as a static map.

The author(s) selected multiple factors to determine habitability and then distilled what mattered into a easily digestable graphic. (a rare treat) Regardless of whether the research or methodology is botched, coherent and effective representation is very challengeing. This is a fine product. Most of the other bivariate maps I found were boring, ugly, improperly used, or inappropriate for the theme and data. This map aligns perfectly with the concept and desired message. While it is likely many of the data sets had limited granularity, census block level data would improve the relevence and accuracy of the map. An additional description of the top factors that determine rank should be included for the reader. Furthermore, a breakout feature to immediately spotlight the best and worst counties could make the map more complete. I have yet to double check ColorBrewer for printability and visual issues, but I find the color scheme appealing.