How well is the KC area practicing social distancing? This site is giving out grades
Johnson and Leavenworth are the Kansas City-area counties that rank highest on the social distancing scoreboard, according to a new study.
The company Unacast, which tracks user movement data by using anonymous cell phone data, has developed a social distancing “score” for each U.S. county. Its newly created metric, “Change in average distance traveled,” attempts to capture how people are changing their everyday habits in response to the coronavirus outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic.
Each county — and state — is given a letter grade by the company. A greater than 40% decrease in travel, for instance, gets an “A.” Less than 10% increase, meanwhile, earns a location an “F” grade.
All seven KC metro counties earned grades of “C” or higher, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday.
| Grade | Decrease in average distance traveled | |
Johnson | A | 40% |
| Leavenworth | B | 40% |
| Platte | B | 38% |
| Clay | B | 34% |
Jackson | B | 32% |
Wyandotte | C | 27% |
| Cass | C | 25% |
| *Source: Unacast, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday |
For the United States, the average decrease in distance traveled is 40%
Overall, Kansas received a state-wide “B” grade for social distancing, while Missouri was at a “C.”
Alaska ranks best among states in decrease in average distance traveled (53%), while Wyoming (0%) is worst.
In Kansas, Grant County — in the southwest part of the state — received the highest grade (66% decrease), while Chase County in the east-central part of the state rated lowest (20% increase). Other “A” grades included Douglas, Jefferson and Riley Counties, while Coffey, Woodson and Wabaunsee each had failing marks.
Missouri’s best-rated county is southwest-located Dade (51% decrease), while Montgomery, located in the eastern part of the state, had the lowest score (13% increase). Other “A” grades went to Andrew, Gentry and Worth, while Atchison, Clinton and Holt each received an “F.”
Every county and state’s data can be found on Unacast’s social distancing scoreboard page.
