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Situation & Outlook Report

Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 11700)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa11700.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 Asheville, NC MSA metro changed from 425,462 in 2010 to 441,782 in 2015, a change of 21,378 (5%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 117 in 2010 and 116 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 3,017 (2011), 3,612 (2012), 5,322 (2013), 4,526 (2014), 4,526 (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 458,832. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 33,367 (7.8%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 80,339 (2010) to 109,323 (2020), a change of 28,984 (36.1%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 383 in 2008 and 515 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $34,108 in 2008 to $36,470 in 2014, a change of $2,362 (6.9%). 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 138 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $14,382 in 2009 to $16,405 in 2014 a change of $2,023 (14.07%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $14,382 in 2009 to $15,002 in 2014, a change of $620 (4.31%). 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 105 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 11700; see table usage details below the table.

Fortune 1000 Companies with headquarters in this metro.
  • Ingles Markets, Incorporated

Number in this metro: 1. Extended data & analysis in subscription edition.

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.
  •   Asheville

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
  Asheville, NC (3702140) 83,393 83,540 84,697 85,833 87,085 87,882 4,342 5.20
  Hendersonville, NC (3730720) 13,137 13,131 13,206 13,276 13,452 13,650 519 4.00

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 425,462 100.0 428,387 100.0 431,983 100.0 437,267 100.0 441,782 100.0 446,840 100.0
  Buncombe County (37021) 238,776 56.1 241,345 56.3 244,243 56.5 247,618 56.6 250,297 56.7 253,178 56.7
  Haywood County (37087) 58,958 13.9 58,703 13.7 58,781 13.6 59,120 13.5 59,380 13.4 59,868 13.4
  Henderson County (37089) 106,951 25.1 107,514 25.1 108,081 25.0 109,404 25.0 110,939 25.1 112,655 25.2
  Madison County (37115) 20,777 4.9 20,825 4.9 20,878 4.8 21,125 4.8 21,166 4.8 21,139 4.7

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.
  Buncombe County, NC
  Henderson County, NC

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 437,657 442,316 4,659 1.06
  One race 426,571 433,461 6,890 1.62
    White 397,476 398,682 1,206 0.30
    Black/African American 397,476 398,682 1,206 0.30
    American Indian/Alaska Native 1,206 1,173 -33 -2.74
    Asian alone 3,560 4,721 1,161 32.61
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 207 1,050 843 407.25
    Some other race alone 4,494 4,973 479 10.66
  Two or more races 11,086 8,855 -2,231 -20.12
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 29,266 29,622 356 1.22
Population 25 years and over 317,825 321,725 3,900 1.22
  % high school graduate or higher 89.3 90.5 1.2 1.34
  % bachelor's degree or higher 32.7 32.6 -0.1 -0.31
Total Households 182,426 182,129 -297 -0.31
  Median household income ($) 43,916 46,917 3,001 6.83
  Mean household income ($) 58,571 61,044 2,473 4.22
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 437,657 442,316 4,659 1.06
  Male 212,237 214,584 2,347 4.22
  Female 225,420 227,732 2,312 4.22
  Under 5 years 22,005 21,353 -652 4.22
  5 to 9 years 25,172 23,617 -1,555 -6.18
  10 to 14 years 24,983 25,953 970 3.88
  15 to 19 years 22,374 23,580 1,206 5.39
  20 to 24 years 25,298 26,088 790 3.12
  25 to 34 years 55,267 51,757 -3,510 -6.35
  35 to 44 years 53,564 56,913 3,349 6.25
  45 to 54 years 59,248 59,817 569 0.96
  55 to 59 years 31,328 33,227 1,899 6.06
  55 to 59 years 31,328 33,227 1,899 6.06
  60 to 64 years 31,563 29,091 -2,472 -7.83
  65 to 74 years 48,867 51,386 2,519 5.15
  75 to 84 years 26,914 27,599 685 2.55
  85 years and over 11,074 11,935 861 7.77
  Median age 43.3 43.4 0.1 0.23
  18 years and over 351,137 357,282 6,145 1.75
  21 years and over 339,226 341,668 2,442 0.72
  62 years and over 106,612 109,061 2,449 2.30
  65 years and over 86,855 90,920 4,065 4.68

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 213,637 213,829 215,135 215,459 216,062 216,929 3,100 1.45

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 215,388 216,863 1,475 0.68
  1-unit, detached 141,091 142,186 1,095 0.78
  1-unit, attached 5,408 6,455 1,047 19.36
  2 units 6,149 5,037 -1,112 -18.08
  3 or 4 units 6,512 8,879 2,367 36.35
  5 to 9 units 5,997 8,888 2,891 48.21
  10 to 20 units 3,159 4,891 1,732 54.83
  20 or more units 7,526 7,323 -203 -2.70
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 215,388 216,863 1,475 0.68
  Occupied Housing Units 182,426 182,129 -297 -0.16
    Owner 122,104 122,265 161 0.13
    Renter 60,322 59,864 -458 -0.76
  Vacant Housing Units 32,962 34,734 1,772 5.38
  Homeowner vacancy rate 1.60 2.90 1.30...
  Rental vacancy rate 4.90 2.80 -2.10...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.39 2.49 0.10 4.18
Average household size; renter-occ 2.26 2.14 -0.12 -5.31
Median Value $ owner occupied 183,100 183,200 100 0.05
Median Rent $ renter occupied 797 807 10 1.25

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 197 151 172 129 137 131 130 180 168 160 280 164
  in 1 unit bldgs 112 117 130 89 93 101 96 149 148 138 173 139
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 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 85 34 42 40 44 30 34 31 20 22 107 25
  Bldgs with 5+ units 4 2 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 7 2
  Percent Coverage 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 91 91 91 91
Value ($000), Total Units 39,698 35,661 36,705 26,705 28,606 28,956 29,415 39,266 40,232 38,241 49,580 37,513
  1 unit structures 32,672 32,766 33,168 23,273 24,740 26,269 26,520 36,527 38,005 35,902 41,824 35,005
  2 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  5+ unit structures 7,026 2,895 3,537 3,432 3,866 2,687 2,895 2,739 2,227 2,339 7,756 2,508

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
    238.20 238.56 242.04 248.89 255.08
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  0.15 1.46 2.83 2.49 7.09
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 14,649,655 15,512,524 15,569,871 16,499,899 17,351,106 2,701,451 18.4
  Net earnings 1/ 7,788,436 8,229,454 8,261,349 8,829,273 9,400,545 1,612,109 20.7
  Personal current transfer receipts 3,718,734 3,826,496 3,895,988 4,033,718 4,222,676 503,942 13.6
    Income maintenance 2/ 321,652 326,509 340,071 327,175 323,676 2,024 0.6
    Unemployment insurance compensation 151,823 108,689 57,610 17,340 11,247 -140,576 -92.6
    Retirement and other 3,245,259 3,391,298 3,498,307 3,689,203 3,887,753 642,494 19.8
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 3,142,485 3,456,574 3,412,534 3,636,908 3,727,885 585,400 18.6
  Population 4/ 428,387 431,983 437,267 441,782 446,840 18,453 4.3
  Per capita personal income 34,197 35,910 35,607 37,349 38,831 4,634 13.6
  Per capita net earnings 18,181 19,050 18,893 19,986 21,038 2,857 15.7
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 8,681 8,858 8,910 9,131 9,450 769 8.9
    Per capita income maintenance 751 756 778 741 724 -27 -3.6
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 354 252 132 39 25 -329 -92.9
    Per capita retirement and other 7,576 7,851 8,000 8,351 8,701 1,125 14.8
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 7,336 8,002 7,804 8,232 8,343 1,007 13.7
  Earnings by place of work 8,922,225 9,398,157 9,604,944 10,262,055 10,915,236 1,993,011 22.3
    Wages and salaries 6,419,204 6,663,743 6,884,318 7,203,317 7,656,044 1,236,840 19.3
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,585,784 1,693,221 1,674,297 1,813,062 1,846,942 261,158 16.5
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 1,083,502 1,169,133 1,131,226 1,238,735 1,242,302 158,800 14.7
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 502,282 524,088 543,071 574,327 604,640 102,358 20.4
    Proprietors' income 917,237 1,041,193 1,046,329 1,245,676 1,412,250 495,013 54.0
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 47,565 26,648 21,690 27,985 24,898 -22,667 -47.7
      Farm proprietors' income 869,672 1,014,545 1,024,639 1,217,691 1,387,352 517,680 59.5
Total full-time and part-time employment 239,040 241,588 246,526 252,710 260,214 21,174 8.9
  Wage and salary jobs 177,542 179,674 183,585 186,892 192,381 14,839 8.4
  Number of proprietors 61,498 61,914 62,941 65,818 67,833 6,335 10.3
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 2,494 2,422 2,423 2,376 2,341 -153 -6.1
    Number of farm proprietors 59,004 59,492 60,518 63,442 65,492 6,488 11.0
Average earnings per job (dollars) 37,325 38,902 38,961 40,608 41,947 4,622 12.4
  Average wages and salaries 36,156 37,088 37,499 38,543 39,796 3,640 10.1
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 14,739 17,053 16,931 19,194 21,184 6,445 43.7
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 14,382 14,432 14,504 15,113 15,726 16,405 2,023 14.07
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 14,382 14,306 14,183 14,393 14,672 15,002 620 4.31

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 13,150 290,506 706 13,235 299,543 707
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 81 5,447 1,544 81 5,469 1,291
 Total, all industries - St Govt 70 8,675 751 70 8,868 736
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 203 27,268 727 203 26,878 739
 Total, all industries - Private 12,796 249,116 684 12,881 258,329 690
    Goods-producing 2,076 46,357 890 2,088 47,946 880
      Natural resources and mining 109 ...... 110 2,255 591
      Construction 1,397 ...... 1,405 12,780 771
      Manufacturing 570 32,248 984 573 32,911 942
    Service-providing 10,720 202,759 637 10,793 210,383 647
      Trade, transportation & utilities 2,649 55,614 574 2,664 56,978 584
      Information 213 3,050 1,014 215 3,008 930
      Financial activities 1,301 9,370 1,062 1,318 9,570 962
      Professional & business services 2,501 28,189 709 2,529 30,114 709
      Education and health services 1,503 56,463 822 1,491 56,991 872
      Leisure and hospitality 1,389 41,253 328 1,401 44,405 343
      Other services 1,164 8,820 493 1,175 9,316 505

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 4.5 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.9 4.4 4.4 4.2 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.8 3.9
Unemployment 5,821 5,266 5,322 5,302 5,102 5,821 5,898 5,580 4,925 4,739 5,189 5,019 5,136
Employment 124,822 125,748 126,169 126,471 126,455 125,201 127,459 128,430 129,019 129,174 128,037 128,170 127,297
Labor Force130,643131,014131,491131,773131,557131,022133,357134,010133,944133,913133,226133,189132,433

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
Asheville City SchoolsAsheville 37002701337021NC 4,195 40,739 4,414
Buncombe County SchoolsAsheville 37004502137021NC 25,824 207,173 31,277
Haywood County SchoolsWaynesville 37020402137087NC 7,633 59,183 8,356
Henderson County SchoolsHendersonville 37021002137089NC 13,564 109,540 16,324
Madison County SchoolsMarshall 37028204237115NC 2,601 21,022 3,052

Number of districts: 5 ... Total enrollment: 53,817
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
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Asheville, NC1978873 7,507 2,270 0 0
Blue Ridge Community College Flat Rock, NC1980393 2,215 737 0 0
Haywood Community College Clyde, NC1986683 2,069 571 0 0
Mars Hill University Mars Hill, NC1988997 1,418 1,335 17 17
Montreat College Montreat, NC1990327 735 444 198 175
South College-Asheville Asheville, NC1982425 283 229 0 0
University of North Carolina at Asheville Asheville, NC1991117 3,804 3,183 41 5
Warren Wilson College Swannanoa, NC1998657 822 815 68 68

  Number of institutions: 8 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 18,853
  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.

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