Misc

Visualized: The Many Shapes of Bacteria

Published

3 years ago

December 2, 2022

Mark Belan

Infographic illustrating the visual diversity of bacteria

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Invisible Diversity: The Many Shapes of Bacteria

Bacteria are amazing.

They were the first form of life to appear on Earth almost 3.8 billion years ago.

They make up the second most abundant lifeform, only outweighed by plants.

And most interesting of all: they exist in practically every environment on our planet, including areas where no other lifeforms can survive. As a result, bacteria exhibit a wide variety of appearances, behaviors, and applications similar to the lifeforms we see in our everyday lives.

The incredible diversity of bacteria goes underappreciated simply because they are invisible to the naked eye. Here, we illustrate how researchers classify these creatures on the basis of appearance, giving you a glimpse into this microscopic world.

A Life of Culture

Though bacteria may look similar to other microorganisms like fungi or plankton, they are entirely unique on a microscopic and genetic level.

Bacteria make up one of the three main domains of life. All life shares its earliest ancestor with this group of microbes, alongside two other domains: the Archaea and the Eukarya.

Archaea are very similar to bacteria, but have different contents making up their cell walls.

Eukarya largely consists of complex, multicellular life, like fungi, plants, and animals. Bacteria are similar to its single-celled members because all bacteria are also unicellular. However, while all Eukarya have nuclear membranes that store genetic material, bacteria do not.

Bacteria have their genetic material free-floating within their cellular bodies. This impacts how their genes are encoded, how proteins are synthesized, and how they reproduce. For example, bacteria do not reproduce sexually. Instead, they reproduce on their own.

Bacteria undergo a process called binary fission, where any one cell divides into two identical cells, and so on. Fission occurs quickly. In minutes, populations can double rapidly, eventually forming a community of genetically identical microbes called a colony.

Colonies can be visible to the human eye and can take on a variety of different shapes, textures, sizes, colors, and behaviors. You might be familiar with some of these:

Superstars of a Tiny World

The following are some interesting bacterial species, some of which you may be familiar with:

Epulopiscium spp

This species is unusually large, ranging from 200-700 micrometers in length. They are also incredible picky, living only within the guts of sturgeon, a type of large fish.

Deinococcus radiodurans

D. radiodurans is a coccus-shaped species that can withstand 1,500 times the dose of radiation that a human can.

Escherichia coli

Despite being known famously for poisoning food and agriculture spaces from time to time, not all E.coli species are dangerous.

Desulforudis audaxviator

Down in the depths of a South African gold mine, this species thrives without oxygen, sunlight, or friends—it is the only living species in its ecosystem. It survives eating minerals in the surrounding rock.

Helicobacter pylori

Known for causing stomach ulcers, this spiral-shaped species has also been associated with many cancers that impact the lymphoid tissue.

Planococcus halocryophillus

Most living things cease to survive in cold temperatures, but P. halocryophillus thrives in permafrost in the High Arctic where temperatures can drop below -25°C/-12°F.

‘Bact’ to the Future

Despite their microscopic size, the contributions bacteria make to our daily lives are enormous. Researchers everyday are using them to study new environments, create new drug therapies, and even build new materials.

Scientists can profile the diversity of species living in a habitat by extracting DNA from an environmental sample. Known as metagenomics, this field of genetics commonly studies bacterial populations.

In oxygen-free habitats, bacteria continuously find alternative sources of energy. Some have even evolved to eat plastic or metal that have been discarded in the ocean.

The healthcare industry uses bacteria to help create antibiotics, vaccines, and other metabolic products. They also play a major role in a new line of self-building materials, which include “self-healing” concrete and “living bricks”.

Those are just a few of the many examples in which bacteria impact our daily lives. Although they are invisible, without them, our world would undoubtedly look like a much different place.

Related Topics:virus fungi bacteria microbiome microorganisms microscopic

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United States

Mapped: GDP Growth by U.S. State (1998-2024)

Since 1998, where has GDP growth by U.S. state been highest? See how energy and tech hubs outpaced the rest in this map.

Published

22 hours ago

November 4, 2025

Pallavi Rao

This cropped graphic maps the states with the fastest Real GDP Growth between 1990–2024, using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Real GDP Growth by U.S. State (1998-2024)

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

North Dakota (+164%) and Texas (+141%) posted the most real GDP growth since 1998, powered largely by the shale boom.
Several Rust Belt and industrial states—including Louisiana, Michigan, and West Virginia—lagged with growth under 35% over the same period.

The 1990s were a different time. Dial-up internet, gas costing a dollar, and many states still leaning on manufacturing.

Even then, new tech clusters and improved drilling methods were starting to reshape the map, setting up today’s energy-rich and tech-focused states for the strongest economies.

The visualization ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia by inflation-adjusted GDP growth between 1998–2024. Data for real GDP growth by U.S. state is sourced from Bureau of Economic Analysis.

ℹ️ Real GDP growth measured from chained 2017 dollars.

America’s Shale Boom in One Map

North Dakota’s economy more than doubled thanks to the Bakken shale boom, which lifted its real output by 164%—twice the U.S. average.

Texas, already the nation’s largest oil-producing state, followed closely with 141% growth.

Rank	State	State Code	GDP Growth (1998–2024)	CAGR	2024 GDP (Billions)
1	North Dakota	ND	164%	3.8%	$80,058
2	Utah	UT	157%	3.7%	$299,471
3	Idaho	ID	144%	3.5%	$129,018
4	Texas	TX	141%	3.4%	$2,769,766
5	Washington	WA	134%	3.3%	$856,014
6	Arizona	AZ	126%	3.2%	$570,089
7	Colorado	CO	117%	3.0%	$557,633
8	California	CA	115%	3.0%	$4,048,108
9	Florida	FL	113%	3.0%	$1,726,710
10	Oregon	OR	102%	2.7%	$330,250
11	Nevada	NV	102%	2.7%	$269,011
12	South Dakota	SD	101%	2.7%	$76,796
13	Nebraska	NE	96%	2.6%	$189,243
14	Montana	MT	93%	2.6%	$78,441
15	North Carolina	NC	89%	2.5%	$844,209
16	Massachusetts	MA	87%	2.4%	$778,523
17	Georgia	GA	85%	2.4%	$881,508
18	South Carolina	SC	84%	2.4%	$357,074
19	Oklahoma	OK	83%	2.4%	$263,695
20	Tennessee	TN	83%	2.3%	$561,201
21	Virginia	VA	81%	2.3%	$761,734
22	New Mexico	NM	76%	2.2%	$147,085
23	Maryland	MD	74%	2.2%	$546,028
24	New Hampshire	NH	73%	2.1%	$119,337
25	Iowa	IA	71%	2.1%	$265,795
26	Minnesota	MN	68%	2.0%	$507,688
27	New York	NY	65%	2.0%	$2,322,139
28	District of Columbia	DC	65%	1.9%	$184,298
29	Arkansas	AR	64%	1.9%	$188,340
30	Vermont	VT	63%	1.9%	$46,276
31	Maine	ME	62%	1.9%	$99,174
32	Kansas	KS	61%	1.9%	$230,522
33	Wyoming	WY	60%	1.8%	$51,498
34	Alabama	AL	59%	1.8%	$325,345
35	Indiana	IN	58%	1.8%	$519,517
36	Hawaii	HI	56%	1.7%	$117,627
37	Wisconsin	WI	53%	1.6%	$453,299
38	Delaware	DE	51%	1.6%	$110,972
39	Pennsylvania	PA	50%	1.6%	$1,007,874
40	New Jersey	NJ	47%	1.5%	$846,000
41	Kentucky	KY	44%	1.4%	$295,375
42	Missouri	MO	42%	1.4%	$448,714
43	Illinois	IL	41%	1.3%	$1,148,106
44	Rhode Island	RI	40%	1.3%	$80,381
45	Ohio	OH	39%	1.3%	$923,141
46	Alaska	AK	39%	1.3%	$71,567
47	Mississippi	MS	36%	1.2%	$158,192
48	Connecticut	CT	35%	1.2%	$356,835
49	West Virginia	WV	34%	1.1%	$106,475
50	Michigan	MI	30%	1.0%	$702,467
51	Louisiana	LA	23%	0.8%	$329,173
N/A	U.S.	USA	81%	2.3%	$29,298,013

New Mexico and Oklahoma also landed in the top 20. Cheap feedstock, rising exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and associated midstream build-out helped these states capture much of the value created by soaring U.S. energy production.

ℹ️ Related: New Mexico overtook North Dakota as the second-largest oil producing U.S. state.

Tech & Tourism Hubs Sustain Rapid Expansion

Utah (+157%), Idaho (+144%), and Washington (+134%) show how a diversified tech sector can supercharge state-level GDP.

Microsoft’s cloud push, Idaho’s semiconductor fabs, and Utah’s “Silicon Slopes” collectively fostered high-wage job growth and attracted inbound migration.

Even the giant economies of California (+115%) and Florida (+113%) managed to outpace the national average rate of GDP growth by U.S. states. This shows how tech and professional-services clusters spill over into broader economic activity.

Rust Belt and Coastal Laggards

Manufacturing-heavy states in the Midwest and Appalachia largely underperformed. Michigan (+30%) and West Virginia (+34%) never fully recovered the industrial output lost after the early-2000s recession and the Great Financial Crisis.

Connecticut (+35%) and New Jersey (+47%) illustrate how high costs and slow demographic growth weighed on East Coast economies.

Louisiana, hit by multiple hurricanes and refinery shutdowns, posted the slowest gain at just 23%, one-quarter of the national pace.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The World’s Largest Economies, Including U.S. States on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Maps

Mapped: Median Rent Price by U.S. State

Explore how median rent by state varies across the U.S. in 2024, with coastal and mountain states far above the national median.

Published

2 days ago

November 3, 2025

Niccolo Conte

cropped map of median rent by state in the U.S. in 2024

Mapped: Median Rent Price by U.S. State

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

Coastal states have the highest median rents with California leading at $2,104, followed by Hawaii ($1,942) and Massachusetts ($1,848). The District of Columbia ranks third among the states at $1,931.
While coastal states tend to have the highest rents, Colorado ($1,822) and Nevada ($1,709) are among the few landlocked states far above the national median of $1,487.

Across the United States, median rent varies by more than $1,000 between the highest and lowest states.

This map compares the median gross rent (including utilities) in each state in 2024 using data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates, providing a snapshot of rental affordability nationwide.

U.S. States with the Highest Rent

The Census Bureau data shows that California has the highest median rent at $2,104, edging out Hawaii ($1,942) and Massachusetts ($1,848).

The District of Columbia—while not a state—ranks third overall at $1,931, reflecting its dense urban housing market and limited supply.

The data table below shows the median rent by state in 2024, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. national median:

Rank	State	Median gross rent in 2024 (includes utilities)
1	California	$2,104
2	Hawaii	$1,942
3	District of Columbia	$1,931
4	Massachusetts	$1,848
5	Washington	$1,824
6	Colorado	$1,822
7	Florida	$1,812
8	New Jersey	$1,800
9	Maryland	$1,721
10	Nevada	$1,709
11	Arizona	$1,672
12	Virginia	$1,646
13	New York	$1,634
14	Oregon	$1,597
15	Utah	$1,593
16	New Hampshire	$1,558
17	Connecticut	$1,550
18	Delaware	$1,530
19	Georgia	$1,506
20	Texas	$1,475
21	Alaska	$1,444
22	Rhode Island	$1,418
23	Idaho	$1,384
24	North Carolina	$1,338
25	Illinois	$1,322
26	Vermont	$1,319
27	Minnesota	$1,291
28	Tennessee	$1,284
29	South Carolina	$1,272
30	Pennsylvania	$1,252
31	Maine	$1,210
32	Montana	$1,177
33	Michigan	$1,168
34	Wisconsin	$1,142
35	New Mexico	$1,117
36	Indiana	$1,104
37	Nebraska	$1,102
38	Ohio	$1,090
39	Kansas	$1,079
40	Alabama	$1,077
41	Missouri	$1,067
42	Louisiana	$1,064
43	Oklahoma	$1,044
44	South Dakota	$999
45	Kentucky	$998
46	Wyoming	$998
47	Mississippi	$990
48	Arkansas	$982
49	Iowa	$981
50	North Dakota	$980
51	West Virginia	$883
--	U.S. Median Rent	$1,487

Other high-rent states include Washington ($1,824) and Colorado ($1,822), underscoring how tech hubs and lifestyle destinations command premium rents.

Rents remain particularly elevated across the West Coast and the Northeast Corridor as states like New Jersey ($1,794), New York ($1,771), and Oregon ($1,765) continue to face upward price pressure due to limited housing inventory and strong demand near metropolitan centers.

States With the Lowest Median Rent

The lowest median rents are found in West Virginia ($883), followed by North Dakota ($980) and Iowa ($981).

Even when including utilities, median rent in these states is $500 below the national median of $1,487, underscoring their housing cost advantage.

Many Midwestern states, including Wyoming ($998) and South Dakota ($999), also maintain some of the lowest rents in the nation, less than half of California’s.

However, lower rents often correspond with slower wage growth and fewer high-paying job opportunities, balancing the affordability equation.