OOH Today’s Stat of the Week – Powered by StreetMetrics
$11.6 Billion Midterm Cycle: The Persuadable Audience Lives in the Suburbs
Outside the urban core, suburban and highway boards carry 3 to 8 times the share of residents from competitive counties
The Stat
In Philadelphia, boards more than 10 miles from City Hall reach 3.2x the share of competitive-county residents that boards within 10 miles do (23.7% vs 7.3%). In Chicago the gap is 5.8x. In Los Angeles it’s 8x.
The Context
The 2026 midterms are on track to be the most expensive election cycle ever, at a projected $11.6 billion. In past cycles, October alone has taken 28 to 36% of total spend. Pennsylvania has more competitive House seats than any other state. Two of them, PA-1 in Bucks County and PA-7 in the Lehigh Valley, sit inside the Philadelphia media market, where one super PAC alone has reserved about $12.9 million. Broadcast TV can’t separate the city from the suburbs. Out-of-home can, frame by frame.
The Insight
That boards near swing suburbs reach swing-suburb residents is no surprise. What matters is the size of the gap and how steady it is: Philadelphia’s ratio stayed between 3.15x and 3.32x on every day of the week. Downtown, these residents index about 120 during weekday working hours and drop off at night. Every other suburban commuter follows the same pattern. Downtown boards aren’t reaching a special persuadable crowd. They’re reaching the commute.
The Takeaway
In the final four weeks, use suburban and highway boards 10+ miles out to persuade, and buy downtown only during the working day. In Phoenix and Las Vegas the whole metro is competitive, so distance doesn’t matter there. Operators who can show a campaign where a board’s audience lives, not just how many people pass it, are best placed for October’s political dollars.
Competitive counties are those where the vendor’s data tags a large share of residents as politically persuadable.
Sources: StreetMetrics viewable OOH contacts, Sep 13 to 19, 2026; AdImpact (2026 cycle projection, June 2026); Gabelli Funds (October share of cycle spend, Sept 2026); PhillyVoice (Pennsylvania competitive House seats); Philadelphia Inquirer (House Majority PAC Philadelphia-market reservation, April 2026).
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