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Metro in Regional Context




Situation & Outlook Report

Alexandria, LA Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 10780)
Geographic-Demographic-Economic Characteristics -- access other areas
See about updates.

This section is no longer being updated. Access the permanent replacement section at http://proximityone.com/cbsa/1/cbsa10780.htm. Please bookmark this new URL.

Access 2018 S&O Reports, featuring county and metro projections to 2030, via the interactive table at http://proximityone.com/metros.htm. The 2018 reports are similar but have been greatly expanded and updated.

Contents of this Report
This document is organized into these sections:
1. Recent Trends & Outlook
2. Overview & Updates
3. Reference & Thematic Pattern Maps
3.1. Lay of the Land
3.2. Neighborhood Patterns of Economic Prosperity
4. Population Characteristics & Trends
4.1. Component City Characteristics
4.2. Component County Characteristics
4.2.1. RDEMS Component County Characteristics
4.3. General Demographic Characteristics
5. Housing Characteristics & Trends
5.1. Total Housing Units
5.2. General Housing Characteristics
5.3. Residential Construction; Housing Units Authorized & Value
5.4. Housing Price Index
6. Economic Characteristics & Trends
6.1. Economic Profile
6.2. Cost of Living Indexes
6.3. Cost of Doing Business Indexes
6.4. Consumer Price Index
6.5. Gross Domestic Product
6.6. Establishments, Employment & Earnings by Type of Business
6.7. Labor Market Characteristics & Trends
7. Education Infrastructure
7.1. Component School District Characteristics
7.2. Component Higher Education Institution Characteristics
8. GeoPolitics
  Terms of Use
  Related Resources
  Using this Document
  Updates
  About Metros & Principal Cities
  Glossary


1. Recent Trends & Outlook
Summary of recent business, demographic, economic trends; year-ahead & 5-year outlook.
- the Recent Trends & Outlook section, updated quarterly, covers topics about this metro such as .. assessing the implications of next jobs report .. impact of Fed''s interest rate action .. which sectors are expanding or contracting .. housing market conditions .. insights to help your planning and decision-making. The Recent Trends & Outlook section is available in the subscription edition.

2. Overview & Update
The total population of the Alexandria, LA MSA metro changed from 154,131 in 2010 to 154,798 in 2015, a change of 353 (0.2%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 263 in 2010 and 268 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was -196 (2011), -386 (2012), 51 (2013), -415 (2014), -415 (2015). View annual population estimates and components of change table. See more about population characteristics below.

This metro is projected to have a total population in 2020 of 164,420. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 10,293 (6.7%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 21,311 (2010) to 30,771 (2020), a change of 9,460 (44.4%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 274 in 2008 and 388 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $36,283 in 2008 to $38,695 in 2014, a change of $2,412 (6.6%). Per capita personal income (PCPI) is a comprehensive measure of individual economic well-being. Use the interactive table to compare PCPI in this metro to other metros. See more about PCPI in Economic Characteristics section below.

282 metropolitan statistical areas, of the total 381, experienced an increase in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between 2009 and 2014. This metro ranked number 295 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $5,373 in 2009 to $5,290 in 2014 a change of ($83) (-1.54%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $5,373 in 2009 to $4,770 in 2014, a change of ($603) (-11.22%). GDP is the most comprehensive measure of metro economic activity. GDP is the sum of the GDP originating in all industries in the metro. See more about GDP in Economic Characteristics section below.

Attributes of driil-down, small area geography within the metro ... metros account for 65,744 of the national scope 73,056 census tracts (others are in non-metro areas). This metro is comprised of 38 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 10780; see table usage details below the table.

3. Lay of the Land & Neighborhood Patterns of Economic Prosperity   go top

3.1. Lay of the Land go top
Lay of the Land. The following map shows the metro with bold boundary.
Counties are labeled with county name and state-county FIPS code.

 
  View developed with CV XE GIS software.   See this section to learn about making custom metro maps.

3.2. Patterns of Economic Prosperity by Neighborhood go top

Median household income by census tract (see color/data legend at left of map).

 
  View developed with CV XE GIS software.   See this section to learn about making custom metro maps.

4. Population Characteristics & Trends go top
Updated monthly, quarterly, annually. Housing market conditions and extended detail Available in subscription edition.

4.1. Component City Characteristics go top
Principal Cities (about principal cities); Click link to view city profile.
  •   Alexandria

Cities 10,000 population and over; click link to view city profile.
  AreaCensus
2010
July 1
2010
July 1
2011
July 1
2012
July 1
2013
July 1
2014
Change
2010-14
%Change
2010-14
  Alexandria, LA (2200975) 47,723 47,661 47,825 47,942 48,276 48,175 514 1.10
  Pineville, LA (2260530) 14,555 14,522 14,525 14,491 14,448 14,425 -97 -0.70

All places interactive tables General Demographics | Social | Economic | Housing
All places time series population estimates interactive table.

4.2. Component County Characteristics   go top
Updated periodically, annually. General demographics, social characteristics and extended detail Available in subscription edition.

Metropolitan areas are defined as one or more contiguous counties based on a set of demographic-economic criteria. Counties comprising the metro are shown below. For multi-county metros, this section provides insights into how the population is changing by county. Many metros changed geographic composition (counties included in the metro) between the Census 2010 vintage and the current vintage. These changes, if any, are also shown below (county is marked with **). See projections in related section.Click county code link to view county components of change.

  AreaJuly 1
2010
PctJuly 1
2011
PctJuly 1
2012
PctJuly 1
2013
PctJuly 1
2014
PctJuly 1
2015
Pct
Metro Summary ... more details 154,131 100.0 154,408 100.0 154,459 100.0 154,785 100.0 154,798 100.0 154,484 100.0
  Coosa County, LA (01037) 14,075 9.1 14,210 9.2 14,250 9.2 14,373 9.3 14,333 9.3 14,374 9.3
  Tallapoosa County, LA (01123) 14,075 9.1 14,210 9.2 14,250 9.2 14,373 9.3 14,333 9.3 14,374 9.3

All counties interactive tables General Demographics | Social | Economic | Housing
All counties population estimates & components of change time series interactive table.

4.2.1. RDEMS County Characteristics
Updated quarterly. For more information, see RDEMS Main.
Links open HSG1 Housing & New Residential Construction section. Select other sections from list above table.
  Rapides Parish, LA

4.3. General Demographic Characteristics
Updated annually. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Race/Origin 154,753 154,872 119 0.08
  One race 152,539 150,976 -1,563 -1.02
    White 102,934 102,166 -768 -0.75
    Black/African American 102,934 102,166 -768 -0.75
    American Indian/Alaska Native 1,304 681 -623 -47.78
    Asian alone 2,119 2,092 -27 -1.27
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0 46 46...
    Some other race alone 412 337 -75 -18.20
  Two or more races 2,214 3,896 1,682 75.97
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 5,146 4,939 -207 -4.02
Population 25 years and over 101,927 101,959 32 -4.02
  % high school graduate or higher 83.8 84.8 1.0 1.19
  % bachelor's degree or higher 17.7 16.9 -0.8 -4.52
Total Households 55,320 53,802 -1,518 -4.52
  Median household income ($) 39,960 40,209 249 0.62
  Mean household income ($) 57,562 55,290 -2,272 -3.95
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 154,753 154,872 119 0.08
  Male 77,155 75,697 -1,458 -3.95
  Female 77,598 79,175 1,577 -3.95
  Under 5 years 10,004 10,164 160 -3.95
  5 to 9 years 11,177 11,321 144 1.29
  10 to 14 years 10,627 9,658 -969 -9.12
  15 to 19 years 10,242 11,519 1,277 12.47
  20 to 24 years 10,776 10,251 -525 -4.87
  25 to 34 years 20,805 20,120 -685 -3.29
  35 to 44 years 18,818 20,198 1,380 7.33
  45 to 54 years 20,848 19,551 -1,297 -6.22
  55 to 59 years 10,508 10,487 -21 -0.20
  55 to 59 years 10,508 10,487 -21 -0.20
  60 to 64 years 9,095 8,762 -333 -3.66
  65 to 74 years 12,426 13,588 1,162 9.35
  75 to 84 years 7,063 6,301 -762 -10.79
  85 years and over 2,364 2,952 588 24.87
  Median age 36.9 37.0 0.1 0.27
  18 years and over 116,391 117,011 620 0.53
  21 years and over 110,321 110,295 -26 -0.02
  62 years and over 27,514 27,588 74 0.27
  65 years and over 21,853 22,841 988 4.52

5. Housing Characteristics & Trends go top
Updated monthly, quarterly, annually. Housing market conditions and extended detail Available in subscription edition.

5.1. Total Housing Units
Updated Annually. Independent annual model-based estimates. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
  ItemCensus
2010
July 1
2010
July 1
2011
July 1
2012
July 1
2013
July 1
2014
Change
2010-2014
%Change
2010-2014
  Total Housing Units 64,570 64,663 65,023 65,343 65,770 66,118 1,455 2.25

5.2. General Housing Characteristics
Updated Annually. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Units in Structure 65,505 66,123 618 0.94
  1-unit, detached 44,916 45,743 827 1.84
  1-unit, attached 836 696 -140 -16.75
  2 units 1,905 2,081 176 9.24
  3 or 4 units 2,859 2,269 -590 -20.64
  5 to 9 units 1,906 2,584 678 35.57
  10 to 20 units 859 1,649 790 91.97
  20 or more units 1,335 632 -703 -52.66
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 65,505 66,123 618 0.94
  Occupied Housing Units 55,320 53,802 -1,518 -2.74
    Owner 36,165 34,153 -2,012 -5.56
    Renter 19,155 19,649 494 2.58
  Vacant Housing Units 10,185 12,321 2,136 20.97
  Homeowner vacancy rate 1.00 2.80 1.80...
  Rental vacancy rate 6.70 11.60 4.90...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.72 2.69 -0.03 -1.10
Average household size; renter-occ 2.56 2.81 0.25 9.77
Median Value $ owner occupied 119,500 120,700 1,200 1.00
Median Rent $ renter occupied 732 758 26 3.55

5.3. Residential Construction; Housing Units Authorized & Value
Updated Monthly. 12 most recent months. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
  ItemAug15Sep15Oct15Nov15Dec15Jan16Feb16Mar16Apr16May16Jun16Jul16
Total Residential Units 15 14 17 15 16 20 21 21 13 24 23 11
  in 1 unit bldgs 15 14 17 15 16 18 21 19 13 24 23 11
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  in 5+ unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Bldgs with 5+ units 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Percent Coverage 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 62 62 62 62
Value ($000), Total Units 1,770 2,016 2,962 2,510 2,961 3,445 4,520 3,506 2,176 4,629 4,307 2,375
  1 unit structures 1,770 2,016 2,962 2,510 2,961 3,258 4,520 3,319 2,176 4,629 4,307 2,375
  2 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 187 0 187 0 0 0 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  5+ unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5.4. Housing Price Index go top
Updated quarterly. All transactions; not seasonally adjusted. See related Housing Price Index (HPI) interactive table.
See related 5-Digit ZIP Code HPI interactive table.

    Housing Price Index:2015Q32015Q42016Q12016Q22016Q3
    201.25 204.64 200.04 205.10 205.43
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  1.68 -2.25 2.53 0.16 2.08
6. Economic Characteristics & Trends go top

6.1. Economic Profile go top
The Economic Profile shows shows derivation and key components of total personal income. Data are organized by place of residence and place of work. The place of residence profile includes estimates of total personal income, population, and per capita personal income. The place of work profile includes estimates of total earnings, total employment and average earnings per job. Updated annually. See related interactive table.

  Item20112012201320142015Change
2011-2015
%Change
2011-2015
Personal income 5,616,386 5,896,542 5,917,682 6,040,984 6,304,741 688,355 12.3
  Net earnings 1/ 3,225,149 3,342,818 3,383,665 3,517,676 3,547,233 322,084 10.0
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,474,867 1,529,458 1,595,712 1,557,920 1,765,274 290,407 19.7
    Income maintenance 2/ 166,525 173,038 166,611 164,338 164,159 -2,366 -1.4
    Unemployment insurance compensation 21,371 15,714 10,098 6,940 8,439 -12,932 -60.5
    Retirement and other 1,286,971 1,340,706 1,419,003 1,386,642 1,592,676 305,705 23.8
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 916,370 1,024,266 938,305 965,388 992,234 75,864 8.3
  Population 4/ 154,408 154,459 154,785 154,798 154,484 76 0.0
  Per capita personal income 36,374 38,175 38,232 39,025 40,812 4,438 12.2
  Per capita net earnings 20,887 21,642 21,860 22,724 22,962 2,075 9.9
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 9,552 9,902 10,309 10,064 11,427 1,875 19.6
    Per capita income maintenance 1,078 1,120 1,076 1,062 1,063 -15 -1.4
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 138 102 65 45 55 -83 -60.1
    Per capita retirement and other 8,335 8,680 9,168 8,958 10,310 1,975 23.7
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 5,935 6,631 6,062 6,236 6,423 488 8.2
  Earnings by place of work 3,593,653 3,703,967 3,791,812 3,931,300 3,972,928 379,275 10.6
    Wages and salaries 2,477,581 2,517,656 2,533,926 2,601,350 2,626,283 148,702 6.0
    Supplements to wages and salaries 645,277 654,048 654,438 669,538 680,165 34,888 5.4
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 481,250 487,429 484,838 498,005 506,682 25,432 5.3
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 164,027 166,619 169,600 171,533 173,483 9,456 5.8
    Proprietors' income 470,795 532,263 603,448 660,412 666,480 195,685 41.6
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 16,457 21,942 32,124 20,507 4,671 -11,786 -71.6
      Farm proprietors' income 454,338 510,321 571,324 639,905 661,809 207,471 45.7
Total full-time and part-time employment 81,871 81,085 80,890 81,561 82,262 391 0.5
  Wage and salary jobs 66,648 65,849 65,564 66,057 66,347 -301 -0.5
  Number of proprietors 15,223 15,236 15,326 15,504 15,915 692 4.5
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 949 921 901 892 882 -67 -7.1
    Number of farm proprietors 14,274 14,315 14,425 14,612 15,033 759 5.3
Average earnings per job (dollars) 43,894 45,680 46,876 48,201 48,296 4,402 10.0
  Average wages and salaries 37,174 38,234 38,648 39,380 39,584 2,410 6.5
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 31,830 35,649 39,607 43,793 44,024 12,194 38.3
Dollar items are in current dollars (not adjusted for inflation). Per capita items in dollars; other dollar items in thousands of dollars.
See related notes.

6.2. Cost of Living Indexes   go top
Updated periodically. Available in subscription edition.

6.3. Cost of Doing Business Indexes   go top
Updated periodically. Available in subscription edition.

6.4. Consumer Price Index   go top
Updated monthly. Available in subscription edition.

6.5. Gross Domestic Product by Sector   go top
Updated quarterly, annually. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table. Additional detail in subscription edition.
  Item200920102011201220132014Change
2009-14
%Change
2009-14
Gross Domestic Product, millions of current dollars 5,373 5,518 5,210 5,298 5,300 5,290 -83 -1.54
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 5,373 5,451 5,032 4,995 4,882 4,770 -603 -11.22

6.6. Establishments, Employment & Earnings by Detailed Type of Business go top
Updated quarterly. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
  SectorEstablishments
2015Q1
Employment
2015Q1
Avg Weekly Wages
2015Q1
Establishments
2015Q2
Employment
2015Q2
Avg Weekly Wages
2015Q2
 Total, all industries 3,810 102,301 716 3,803 103,763 725
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 52 4,955 1,365 52 5,014 1,195
 Total, all industries - St Govt 57 5,644 780 57 5,680 905
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 101 11,479 611 101 11,547 730
 Total, all industries - Private 3,600 80,222 686 3,593 81,521 683
    Goods-producing 510 15,062 908 506 15,197 948
      Natural resources and mining 103 1,314 681 100 1,142 795
      Construction 287 5,392 878 284 5,505 954
      Manufacturing 120 8,356 964 122 8,550 965
    Service-providing 3,090 65,160 635 3,087 66,324 623
      Trade, transportation & utilities 898 18,336 601 894 18,501 596
      Information 36 ...... 35 ......
      Financial activities 440 3,520 777 440 3,483 800
      Professional & business services 608 9,939 803 614 9,974 713
      Education and health services 542 20,825 709 536 21,091 719
      Leisure and hospitality 277 ...... 281 9,261 299
      Other services 281 2,834 565 280 ......
      Unclassified 8 17 375 7 14 403

Notes: cell value of '...' indicates value suppressed to maintain confidentiality.

Use the following links to access detailed establishment and employment data by type of business (CSV files).
  .. see notes on using these files.
  2013Q1 .. 2013Q2 .. 2013Q3 .. 2013Q4 .|. 2014Q1 .. 2014Q2 .. 2014Q3 .. 2014Q4 .|. 2015Q1 .. 2015Q2 .. 2015Q3 .. 2015Q4 .. 2016Q1 .. 2016Q2
 
6.7. Labor Market Characteristics & Trends go top
Updated monthly. Available in subscription edition.
For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
Table shows 13 most recent months.
  ItemAug15Sep15Oct15Nov15Dec15Jan16Feb16Mar16Apr16May16Jun16Jul16Aug16
Unemplymnt Rate 7.2 6.9 6.5 6.3 6.0 7.1 6.6 7.1 6.2 7.3 8.2 7.8 7.8
Unemployment 613 577 546 529 500 596 554 610 529 629 717 672 657
Employment 7,881 7,839 7,871 7,895 7,860 7,822 7,901 7,946 7,969 7,960 7,977 7,932 7,792
Labor Force8,4948,4168,4178,4248,3608,4188,4558,5568,4988,5898,6948,6048,449

7. Education Infrastructure   go top

7.1. Component School District Characteristics   go top
Districts in this metro. Updated periodically. See related School District interactive table.
District NameCity Name District
Code
Locale
Code
CountyState2012-13
Enrollment
2013 Total
Population
Grade Relevant
Pop Ages 5-17
Grant ParishColfax 22006904222043LA 3,289 22,030 3,529
Rapides ParishAlexandria 22012901322079LA 24,065 132,723 24,693

Number of districts: 2 ... Total enrollment: 27,354
All school districts interactive tables General Demographics | Social | Economic | Housing
All school districts enrollment & adminstratively reported data interactive table.

7.2. Component Higher Education Institution Characteristics   go top
2014-15 School Year. Extended detail Available in subscription edition.
  Institution City Name Code LevelTotal UG EnrollmentFulltime UG EnrollmentTotal Grad EnrollmentFulltime Grad Enrollment
Blue Cliff College-Alexandria Alexandria, LA4501283 271 244 0 0
Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria, LA1580883 2,049 938 0 0
Louisiana College Pineville, LA1595687 985 931 271 38
Louisiana State University-Alexandria Alexandria, LA1593826 2,702 1,549 0 0

  Number of institutions: 4 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 6,007
  Levels: 3-Assoc degree, 4-at least 2, but < 4 years, 5-Bach degree, 6-Postbacc cert, 7 Masters degree, 8 Post-masters cert, 9 Doctors degree

8. GeoPolitics   go top
Updated periodically. Voting patterns, citizen voting age population, state legislative districts, congressional districts .. in this metro.
Available in subscription edition.

Notes
  • All data are for current vintage county and metro definition.
  • Developed by ProximityOne -- Metro Reports (888-364-7656)
  • Data sources: ProximityOne, Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Housing Finance Agency,
    National Center for Education Statistics.

Updates go top
The subscription edition updates frequently. Selected items are listed below. Register to receive update notifications.
  • Overview lead narrative; quarterly & annual/March.
  • Housing Price Index (section 5.4) quarterly.
  • Establishments, employment & earnings (section 6.6) quarterly.
  • Economic profile and personal income (section 6.1) annual/November.
  • Labor market situation (section 6.7) monthly.
  • Residential construction; units authorized & value (section 5.3.) monthly.
  • Population by county; annual series 2010-2016 (section 4.2.) annual/July.
  • Population by county; links for individual counties (section 4.2.) annual/July.
      -- includes annual data 2010-2016.
      -- includes components of change; race/origin; single year of age; age group summaries.
  • Total population and components of change; annual/March.
  • Census tracts overview section; annual/December.
  • General Demographics section updated/extended; annual/December.
  • Gross Domestic Product section; annual/September.
  • Higher education institutions; annual/February.
  • Metro & county demographic component detailed annual estimates; annual/March.
  • School districts in metro & K-12 enrollment; annual/August.
More about schedule and upcoming events ... Calendar ... Upcoming Events ... Find Event

Terms of Use go top
Situation & Outlook Reports are a proprietary resource developed by ProximityOne. There is no warranty of any type associated with any aspect of this report. The user of this document is solely responsible to any use, direct or indirect, that might be made of this document.

Related Resources go top
  • Metros main page
  • Current estimates and projections: states to 2030, counties & metros to 2020 by age, counties & states to 2060.
  • Making Custom Metropolitan Area Maps
  • Rental Market Conditions by Metropolitan Area
  • Metro Gross Domestic Product
  • Housing Price Index
  • Establishments, Employment & Earnings
  • Regional Economic Information System
  • ACS 2014 1-year General Demographics ... Social Characteristics ... Economic Characteristics ... Housing Characteristics

Using this Document go top
The Situation & Outlook Report, a component of the Situation & Outlook, is a core ProximityOne information resource providing insights into characteristics and trends of counties, metropolitan areas, states and the U.S. The Report also provides a gateway to drill-down demographic, economic and business data for smaller geographic areas.

Metropolitan areas include approximately 94 percent of the U.S. population -- 85 percent in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and 9 percent in micropolitan statistical areas (MISAs).

About Metropolitan Areas & Principal Cities -- scroll section go top
Metropolitan Areas are designated by OMB ("Standards for Delineating Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas") based mainly on Census Bureau-sourced data. Metropolitan areas are defined as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MISA). MSAs and MISAs are also referred to a Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs). Contiguous CBSAs are defined as Combined Statistical Areas (CSA).

By definition, metropolitan areas are comprised of one or more contiguous counties. Metropolitan areas are not single cities and typically include many cities. Metropolitan areas are comprised of urban and rural areas and often have large expanses of rural territory. A business and demographic-economic synergy exists within each metro; metros often interact with adjacent metros. The demographic-economic make-up of metros vary widely and change often. See more about metros.

Principal Cities. The largest city in each metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area is designated a "principal city." Principal cities are designated by OMB based on Census-sourced data. Additional cities qualify as principal cities if specified requirements are met concerning population size and employment. The title of each metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area consists of the names of up to three of its principal cities and the name of each state into which the metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area extends. Titles of metropolitan divisions also typically are based on principal city names but in certain cases consist of county names.

One or more principal cities are designated within each Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Micropolitan Statistical Area (MISA). The term "principal city" is defined in the OMB "Standards for Delineating Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas." A principal city is an OMB designation applied to one or more incorporated places and/or census designated places (CDPs). The OMB standards designate a Principal City (or Cities) of a Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) as determined by:
  a) The largest incorporated place with a 2010 Census population of at least 10,000 in the CBSA or,
        if no incorporated place of at least 10,000 population is present in the CBSA,
        the largest incorporated place or census designated place in the CBSA; and
  b) Additional places with 2010 Census population of at least 250,000 or in which 100,000 or more persons work; and
  c) Additional places with 2010 Census population of 50,000-250,000,
        and number of workers working in the place meets or exceeds the number of workers living in the place; and
  d) Additional places with 2010 Census population of 10,000-50,000, and at least one-third the population size of the largest place,
        and in which the number of workers working in the place meets or exceeds the number of workers living in the place.

ProximityOne User Group go top
Join the ProximityOne User Group to keep up-to-date with new developments relating to metros and component geography decision-making information resources. Receive updates and access to tools and resources available only to members. Use this form to join the User Group.

Support Using these Resources go top
Learn more about accessing and using demographic-economic data and related analytical tools. Join us in a Data Analytics Lab session. There is no fee for these one-hour Web sessions. Each informal session is focused on a specific topic. The open structure also provides for Q&A and discussion of application issues of interest to participants.

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ProximityOne develops geographic-demographic-economic data and analytical tools and helps organizations knit together and use diverse data in a decision-making and analytical framework. We develop custom demographic/economic estimates and projections, develop geographic and geocoded address files, and assist with impact and geospatial analyses. Wide-ranging organizations use our tools (software, data, methodologies) to analyze their own data integrated with other data. Follow ProximityOne on Twitter at www.twitter.com/proximityone. Contact us (888-364-7656) with questions about data covered in this section or to discuss custom estimates, projections or analyses for your areas of interest.

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