A Drug-Selling Gang's Finances Tweet

In 2000, The Quarterly Journal of Economics published an awesome econ paper (no that is not an oxymoron) by Steven Levitt and Sudhir Venkatesh. It not only covers the economics of selling drugs but includes incredible commentary like,

"Given the risk of violence, face-to-face bargaining is difficult because the opposing gang leader may simply kill you."

The point of the following charts is to visualize super cool data in a way that is hopefully just as cool. If you have questions about anything, please refer to the original paper, as it explains methodologies etc. much better than I could.

Race

Median Income

Unemployment Rate

Housing Characteristics

Children Living In:

Education Level at Age 25+

Organizational Structure

Gang Finances by Year, Monthly Averages in 1995$

Detailed Gang Finances by Year, Monthly Averages in 1995$

Price and Quantity of Drugs Sold, Monthly Averages in 1995$

The Impact of Gang Wars on Gang Finances

Price and Quantity of Drugs Sold, Monthly Averages in 1995$

Implicit Valuation of a Foot Soldier's Life

Implicit Valuation of a Foot Soldier's Life Compared to Typical Estimate

Likelihood of Occurrence per Person per Month

Cumulative Frequency per Person over Four-Year Period

Estimated Hourly Wage