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Situation & Outlook Report

Beckley, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 13220)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa13220.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 Beckley, WV MSA metro changed from 124,897 in 2010 to 123,366 in 2015, a change of -2,390 (-1.9%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 324 in 2010 and 329 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 326 (2011), -57 (2012), -587 (2013), -611 (2014), -611 (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 130,198. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 5,296 (4.2%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 21,125 (2010) to 31,061 (2020), a change of 9,936 (47.0%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 659 in 2008 and 683 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $29,980 in 2008 to $34,034 in 2014, a change of $4,054 (13.5%). 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 317 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $3,851 in 2009 to $4,756 in 2014 a change of $905 (23.5%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $3,851 in 2009 to $4,316 in 2014, a change of $465 (12.07%). 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 29 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 13220; 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.
  •   Beckley

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
  Beckley, WV (5405332) 17,614 17,651 17,700 17,646 17,372 17,238 -413 -2.30

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 124,897 100.0 125,115 100.0 124,963 100.0 124,181 100.0 123,366 100.0 122,507 100.0
  Fayette County (54019) ** 45,997 36.8 45,960 36.7 45,904 36.7 45,596 36.7 45,211 36.6 44,997 36.7
  Raleigh County (54081) 78,900 63.2 79,155 63.3 79,059 63.3 78,585 63.3 78,155 63.4 77,510 63.3
  ** indicates this county added since Census 2010 vintage metro definition.

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.
  Raleigh County, WV

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 124,432 123,373 -1,059 -0.85
  One race 123,295 121,768 -1,527 -1.24
    White 111,857 111,256 -601 -0.54
    Black/African American 111,857 111,256 -601 -0.54
    American Indian/Alaska Native 120 229 109 90.83
    Asian alone 312 415 103 33.01
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 376 0 -376 -100.00
    Some other race alone 930 550 -380 -40.86
  Two or more races 1,137 1,605 468 41.16
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,404 1,634 230 16.38
Population 25 years and over 88,223 88,248 25 16.38
  % high school graduate or higher 81.6 84.0 2.4 2.94
  % bachelor's degree or higher 15.9 17.4 1.5 9.43
Total Households 47,633 49,335 1,702 9.43
  Median household income ($) 36,781 39,498 2,717 7.39
  Mean household income ($) 49,915 54,495 4,580 9.18
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 124,432 123,373 -1,059 -0.85
  Male 62,468 62,385 -83 9.18
  Female 61,964 60,988 -976 9.18
  Under 5 years 7,959 7,583 -376 9.18
  5 to 9 years 6,519 6,592 73 1.12
  10 to 14 years 7,743 7,623 -120 -1.55
  15 to 19 years 6,319 7,133 814 12.88
  20 to 24 years 7,669 6,194 -1,475 -19.23
  25 to 34 years 14,626 14,968 342 2.34
  35 to 44 years 16,625 15,946 -679 -4.08
  45 to 54 years 15,197 15,948 751 4.94
  55 to 59 years 10,558 9,989 -569 -5.39
  55 to 59 years 10,558 9,989 -569 -5.39
  60 to 64 years 8,868 8,905 37 0.42
  65 to 74 years 12,130 12,803 673 5.55
  75 to 84 years 6,787 6,690 -97 -1.43
  85 years and over 3,432 2,999 -433 -12.62
  Median age 42.1 42.1 0.0 0.00
  18 years and over 98,229 97,248 -981 -1.00
  21 years and over 94,200 93,005 -1,195 -1.27
  62 years and over 27,182 27,715 533 1.96
  65 years and over 22,349 22,492 143 0.64

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 57,549 57,582 57,571 57,570 57,546 57,535 -47 -0.08

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 57,239 57,532 293 0.51
  1-unit, detached 42,347 43,787 1,440 3.40
  1-unit, attached 645 589 -56 -8.68
  2 units 883 690 -193 -21.86
  3 or 4 units 1,307 813 -494 -37.80
  5 to 9 units 1,575 1,375 -200 -12.70
  10 to 20 units 565 650 85 15.04
  20 or more units 1,329 1,144 -185 -13.92
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 57,239 57,532 293 0.51
  Occupied Housing Units 47,633 49,335 1,702 3.57
    Owner 35,482 37,782 2,300 6.48
    Renter 12,151 11,553 -598 -4.92
  Vacant Housing Units 9,606 8,197 -1,409 -14.67
  Homeowner vacancy rate 2.50 0.80 -1.70...
  Rental vacancy rate 4.50 9.60 5.10...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.55 2.42 -0.13 -5.10
Average household size; renter-occ 2.32 2.33 0.01 0.43
Median Value $ owner occupied 87,200 93,600 6,400 7.34
Median Rent $ renter occupied 607 648 41 6.75

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 10 7 11 9 4 4 4 9 6 8 6 8
  in 1 unit bldgs 10 7 11 9 4 4 4 9 6 8 6 8
  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 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 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Value ($000), Total Units 2,004 738 1,465 1,626 443 580 717 1,407 1,048 1,659 575 1,008
  1 unit structures 2,004 738 1,465 1,626 443 580 717 1,407 1,048 1,659 575 1,008
  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 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
    195.35 199.25 197.26 200.49 182.10
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  2.00 -1.00 1.64 -9.17 -6.78
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 4,091,991 4,097,089 4,010,754 4,075,372 4,108,669 16,678 0.4
  Net earnings 1/ 2,292,720 2,186,971 2,155,642 2,136,339 2,106,993 -185,727 -8.1
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,279,673 1,314,048 1,322,462 1,395,708 1,442,696 163,023 12.7
    Income maintenance 2/ 124,471 124,671 123,071 124,697 126,523 2,052 1.6
    Unemployment insurance compensation 24,585 24,871 24,133 15,342 16,661 -7,924 -32.2
    Retirement and other 1,130,617 1,164,506 1,175,258 1,255,669 1,299,512 168,895 14.9
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 519,598 596,070 532,650 543,325 558,980 39,382 7.6
  Population 4/ 125,115 124,963 124,181 123,366 122,507 -2,608 -2.1
  Per capita personal income 32,706 32,786 32,298 33,035 33,538 832 2.5
  Per capita net earnings 18,325 17,501 17,359 17,317 17,199 -1,126 -6.1
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 10,228 10,515 10,649 11,314 11,776 1,548 15.1
    Per capita income maintenance 995 998 991 1,011 1,033 38 3.8
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 196 199 194 124 136 -60 -30.6
    Per capita retirement and other 9,037 9,319 9,464 10,178 10,608 1,571 17.4
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 4,153 4,770 4,289 4,404 4,563 410 9.9
  Earnings by place of work 2,582,708 2,489,392 2,496,119 2,469,099 2,426,239 -156,469 -6.1
    Wages and salaries 1,873,578 1,909,598 1,854,329 1,818,725 1,778,123 -95,455 -5.1
    Supplements to wages and salaries 480,621 511,711 497,273 466,652 465,518 -15,103 -3.1
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 331,630 359,718 351,204 321,257 323,106 -8,524 -2.6
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 148,991 151,993 146,069 145,395 142,412 -6,579 -4.4
    Proprietors' income 228,509 68,083 144,517 183,722 182,598 -45,911 -20.1
      Nonfarm proprietors' income -1,981 -1,954 -2,076 -2,446 -2,087 -106...
      Farm proprietors' income 230,490 70,037 146,593 186,168 184,685 -45,805 -19.9
Total full-time and part-time employment 58,094 58,278 56,964 56,242 55,553 -2,541 -4.4
  Wage and salary jobs 49,243 49,806 48,159 47,505 46,576 -2,667 -5.4
  Number of proprietors 8,851 8,472 8,805 8,737 8,977 126 1.4
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 533 515 517 512 503 -30 -5.6
    Number of farm proprietors 8,318 7,957 8,288 8,225 8,474 156 1.9
Average earnings per job (dollars) 44,457 42,716 43,819 43,901 43,674 -783 -1.8
  Average wages and salaries 38,048 38,341 38,504 38,285 38,177 129 0.3
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 27,710 8,802 17,687 22,634 21,794 -5,916 -21.3
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 3,851 4,307 4,669 4,484 4,597 4,756 905 23.50
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 3,851 4,167 4,351 4,132 4,209 4,316 465 12.07

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 3,206 71,706 716 3,227 72,687 740
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 102 3,266 1,427 103 3,305 1,183
 Total, all industries - St Govt 53 3,670 707 53 3,754 696
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 112 7,660 670 111 7,776 892
 Total, all industries - Private 2,939 57,110 682 2,960 57,853 698
    Goods-producing 441 8,402 1,156 434 8,498 1,169
      Natural resources and mining 72 4,204 1,489 71 4,243 1,518
      Construction 282 2,020 713 276 2,188 749
      Manufacturing 87 2,178 910 87 2,067 910
    Service-providing 2,498 48,709 599 2,526 49,355 617
      Trade, transportation & utilities 776 14,719 606 772 14,893 632
      Information 25 891 820 25 892 846
      Financial activities 251 1,941 824 249 1,925 796
      Professional & business services 352 5,941 741 360 5,865 738
      Education and health services 458 14,330 697 466 14,277 749
      Leisure and hospitality 289 8,677 277 296 9,099 281
      Other services 342 2,203 502 354 2,396 515
      Unclassified 5 7 1,001 4 7 881

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 8.0 7.1 7.0 7.8 8.3 9.7 10.6 9.9 8.4 7.4 7.8 6.9 6.8
Unemployment 1,340 1,161 1,129 1,255 1,328 1,563 1,707 1,569 1,331 1,186 1,283 1,138 1,114
Employment 15,328 15,112 15,045 14,747 14,686 14,510 14,386 14,300 14,572 14,930 15,242 15,271 15,216
Labor Force16,66816,27316,17416,00216,01416,07316,09315,86915,90316,11616,52516,40916,330

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
Fayette County SchoolsFayetteville 54003002354019WV 6,867 45,599 6,751
Raleigh County SchoolsBeckley 54012304154081WV 12,580 78,833 11,805

Number of districts: 2 ... Total enrollment: 19,447
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
Appalachian Bible College Mount Hope, WV2371367 295 210 7 1
New River Community and Technical College Beaver, WV4475823 1,957 1,387 0 0
Valley College-Beckley Beckley, WV3776523 331 331 0 0
West Virginia University Institute of Technology Montgomery, WV2379505 1,261 978 0 0

  Number of institutions: 4 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 3,844
  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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