Dante Chinni, project director for the Knight-funded Patchwork Nation, released a report showing which groups got the cash in the government's 'cash for clunkers’ program. Based on federal data, the nearly 700,000 cash-for-clunkers transactions took place in and benefited three community types: “Monied ‘Burbs,” where the educated and wealthy live; “Boom Towns,” the growing and diversifying communities, and “Campus and Careers,” where the young and collegiate people live.

Communities with high populations of African-Americans or with socially conservative counties saw fewer benefits.

This chart shows the total each community type received from the program.

Chart taken from US government data.

-- Marly Falcon, Knight Foundation contributing blogger