The effects of social capital on the six kinds of social statistics in the American States were measured using a latent factor analysis. These statistics were health condition, age-adjusted mortality, economic inequality (the Robin Hood Index), educational performance in children, unionization, unemployment and degree of trust.

Social capital exerted negative effect on all social statistics except for the educational performance. In addition, economic inequality indirectly influences both mortality and health condition via "distrust".

The social capital index was calculated as the average of the regression residual scores (R-score: the Studentized residual). Using the average R-scores, a social capital map of the American States was generated.