Determining the level of development in rural areas of East Azerbaijan Province using statistics methods (factor analysis and cluster analysis).

Studying and identifying abilities and facilities and then determining the level of development in rural areas are considered the first step in the process of planning and developing such areas. The present research has been conducted with the aim of determining the levels of development of villages of East Azerbaijan Province. In these article 45 normalized variables has reduced to 8 meaningful factors applying the technique of factor analysis and then the final factors extracted by cluster analysis. Villages have been categorized in five homogeneous and equal clusters based on the level of development, and applying the scale (Z-score) the condition of available equipments and services has been studied, and finally the effective and preventive factor in development of villages in each cluster has been identified. The research methodology of the article is analytical and causal and the findings show that regarding the level of development among the villages of the province there is difference and inequality in a way that from the total of 141 villages of this province, one village is at the level of fully developed, 5 villages developed, 55 villages almost developed, 24 villages underdeveloped, and 56 villages at the level of fully underdeveloped.