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Worldwide Major Earthquakes (M5+) vs US Rural Population
Worldwide Major Earthquakes (M5+) and US Rural Population correlate at r = -0.68 over 66 years (1960–2025), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = +0.04. Likely spurious (shared time trend).
Verdict: Likely spurious (shared time trend). Both series mostly just trend over time. After removing that trend the correlation collapses to 0.04 — the relationship is probably coincidental, not causal.
- Pearson r
- -0.68
- p-value
- < 0.0001
- Years compared (n)
- 66 (1960–2025)
- 95% confidence interval
- -0.79 to -0.52
- Correlation with the time trend removed
- +0.04
Sources
- Worldwide Major Earthquakes (M5+) (earthquakes per year): USGS. Annual worldwide count of magnitude 5+ earthquakes (USGS ComCat).
- US Rural Population (% of total): World Bank. US Rural Population (World Bank indicator SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS).
Related pairs
- US Rural Population vs US Urban Population (r = -1.00)
- US Population vs US Rural Population (r = -0.97)
- US Adult Obesity vs US Rural Population (r = -0.95)
- US Median Age vs US Rural Population (r = -0.95)
- US Electricity Generation vs US Rural Population (r = -0.95)
- US Life Expectancy vs US Rural Population (r = -0.95)
Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.