CorrelateAI › Pairs
Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US Urban Population
Atmospheric Methane (global) and US Urban Population correlate at r = +0.80 over 42 years (1984–2025), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.47. Direction flips without the trend.
Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is 0.80, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes -0.47. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.
- Pearson r
- +0.80
- p-value
- < 0.0001
- Years compared (n)
- 42 (1984–2025)
- 95% confidence interval
- 0.65 to 0.89
- Correlation with the time trend removed
- -0.47
Sources
- Atmospheric Methane (global) (ppb): NOAA GML. Global annual mean atmospheric methane from marine surface sites (NOAA GML).
- US Urban Population (% of total): World Bank. US Urban Population (World Bank indicator SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS).
Related pairs
- US Rural Population vs US Urban Population (r = -1.00)
- Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US Natural Gas Consumption (r = +0.98)
- Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US GDP per Capita (r = +0.98)
- Atmospheric CO₂ (Mauna Loa) vs Atmospheric Methane (global) (r = +0.98)
- Atmospheric Methane (global) vs US GDP (current US$) (r = +0.98)
- US Population vs US Urban Population (r = +0.97)
Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.