Those Benevolent Boosters:Spatial Patterns of Kiwanis Membership in the United States

Abstract

For over 80 years service clubs such as Rotary, Lions, and Kiwanis have helped to shape the economic stamina and social character of communities across the United States. However, despite their ubiquity within cities and towns, little research has examined spatial patterns or concentrations of service clubs or their members. The study presented here provides an overview of geographic patterns of membership in the third largest community service club in the world, Kiwanis International. County and state maps showing location quotients (LQs) reveal a core of membership concentration in northern Midwest and Rocky Mountain states, especially Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana. The lowest LQ values were found in urbanized states such as Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Maryland. A socioeconomic profile was also developed of counties that had very high or low LQ values. High LQ counties were mostly rural and have experienced recent losses in population and retail sales. In contrast, counties with at least one club but very low LQ values were primarily urban and have experienced population increases and economic growth. As suggested by the profile, Kiwanis membership remains robust in many rural communities despite unfavorable economic circumstances.