The data, provided to NPR by a mobile phone location data company called SafeGraph, is based on the locations of approximately 18 million mobile phones across the country. NPR’s analysis determined the percentage of cellphones that did not leave their “home” location daily in every U.S. county.
About 50% of those mobile phones that SafeGraph had data on stayed home on April 12, which was Easter — the highest point in the data. That number hasn’t since come anywhere close, showing a steady decline with the most recent numbers showing less than 40% stayed home on April 27.
The trend, SafeGraph says, is consistent across the entire country, though the degree to which movement is increasing is different. Some counties showed extreme dropoffs in social distancing, while some showed more mild curves.
“Regardless of what the orders say or the governors say, we’re seeing the whole country softening up,” says Nick Singh, a marketing lead at SafeGraph.
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