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Situation & Outlook Report

Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 14500)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa14500.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 Boulder, CO MSA metro changed from 295,986 in 2010 to 313,864 in 2015, a change of 23,386 (7.9%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 162 in 2010 and 156 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 3,153 (2011), 3,483 (2012), 3,882 (2013), 1,994 (2014), 1,994 (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 324,870. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 28,903 (9.8%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 30,667 (2010) to 55,218 (2020), a change of 24,551 (80.1%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 28 in 2008 and 24 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $50,578 in 2008 to $58,627 in 2014, a change of $8,049 (15.9%). 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 108 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $18,048 in 2009 to $22,354 in 2014 a change of $4,306 (23.86%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $18,048 in 2009 to $20,970 in 2014, a change of $2,922 (16.19%). 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 68 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 14500; 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.
  •   Boulder

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
  Boulder, CO (0807850) 97,385 98,542 100,852 101,986 103,470 105,112 6,570 6.70
  Lafayette, CO (0841835) 24,453 24,534 24,831 25,728 26,802 27,081 2,547 10.40
  Longmont, CO (0845970) 86,270 86,405 87,427 88,685 89,938 90,237 3,832 4.40
  Louisville, CO (0846355) 18,376 18,431 18,631 19,076 19,592 20,112 1,681 9.10
  Superior, CO (0875640) 12,483 12,498 12,623 12,780 12,857 12,855 357 2.90

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 295,986 100.0 300,671 100.0 305,548 100.0 310,706 100.0 313,864 100.0 319,372 100.0
  Boulder County (08013) 295,986 100.0 300,671 100.0 305,548 100.0 310,706 100.0 313,864 100.0 319,372 100.0

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.
  Boulder County, CO

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 310,048 313,333 3,285 1.06
  One race 301,562 304,459 2,897 0.96
    White 269,689 276,324 6,635 2.46
    Black/African American 269,689 276,324 6,635 2.46
    American Indian/Alaska Native 2,566 2,480 -86 -3.35
    Asian alone 12,770 14,136 1,366 10.70
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 585 236 -349 -59.66
    Some other race alone 12,570 8,030 -4,540 -36.12
  Two or more races 8,486 8,874 388 4.57
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 42,472 43,289 817 1.92
Population 25 years and over 200,114 202,844 2,730 1.92
  % high school graduate or higher 93.0 94.3 1.3 1.40
  % bachelor's degree or higher 58.5 58.0 -0.5 -0.85
Total Households 123,498 123,690 192 -0.85
  Median household income ($) 71,604 71,540 -64 -0.09
  Mean household income ($) 94,913 95,996 1,083 1.14
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 310,048 313,333 3,285 1.06
  Male 154,644 157,429 2,785 1.14
  Female 155,404 155,904 500 1.14
  Under 5 years 16,008 15,606 -402 1.14
  5 to 9 years 18,874 17,705 -1,169 -6.19
  10 to 14 years 18,003 19,071 1,068 5.93
  15 to 19 years 24,675 23,903 -772 -3.13
  20 to 24 years 32,374 34,204 1,830 5.65
  25 to 34 years 40,546 40,936 390 0.96
  35 to 44 years 41,077 41,944 867 2.11
  45 to 54 years 42,889 42,184 -705 -1.64
  55 to 59 years 22,143 19,508 -2,635 -11.90
  55 to 59 years 22,143 19,508 -2,635 -11.90
  60 to 64 years 17,126 20,341 3,215 18.77
  65 to 74 years 21,528 22,804 1,276 5.93
  75 to 84 years 10,492 10,489 -3 -0.03
  85 years and over 4,313 4,638 325 7.54
  Median age 36.3 36.4 0.1 0.28
  18 years and over 246,358 249,808 3,450 1.40
  21 years and over 223,509 230,712 7,203 3.22
  62 years and over 46,186 49,935 3,749 8.12
  65 years and over 36,333 37,931 1,598 4.40

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 127,071 127,118 127,620 128,139 129,414 130,938 3,820 3.01

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 129,230 130,924 1,694 1.31
  1-unit, detached 81,050 77,541 -3,509 -4.33
  1-unit, attached 11,055 8,949 -2,106 -19.05
  2 units 2,029 2,026 -3 -0.15
  3 or 4 units 5,184 5,900 716 13.81
  5 to 9 units 7,819 8,962 1,143 14.62
  10 to 20 units 6,365 8,700 2,335 36.68
  20 or more units 12,704 14,476 1,772 13.95
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 129,230 130,924 1,694 1.31
  Occupied Housing Units 123,498 123,690 192 0.16
    Owner 78,168 75,661 -2,507 -3.21
    Renter 45,330 48,029 2,699 5.95
  Vacant Housing Units 5,732 7,234 1,502 26.20
  Homeowner vacancy rate 0.70 1.10 0.40...
  Rental vacancy rate 2.80 3.30 0.50...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.54 2.54 0.00 0.00
Average household size; renter-occ 2.24 2.31 0.07 3.12
Median Value $ owner occupied 349,100 383,100 34,000 9.74
Median Rent $ renter occupied 1,168 1,204 36 3.08

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 77 81 81 93 108 79 157 84 66 89 216 79
  in 1 unit bldgs 50 46 56 56 95 66 56 69 51 61 67 68
  in 2 unit bldgs 4 4 6 4 4 4 4 6 4 6 4 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 7 0 7 4 4 3 4 0 4 0 0
  in 5+ unit bldgs 23 24 19 26 5 5 94 5 11 18 145 11
  Bldgs with 5+ units 2 2 2 2 1 1 4 1 2 2 6 2
  Percent Coverage 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 98 93 93 93 93
Value ($000), Total Units 21,476 16,601 26,778 22,702 31,107 24,342 49,785 27,726 20,625 24,112 45,536 24,578
  1 unit structures 18,442 12,424 23,778 17,686 29,292 22,475 21,693 25,530 18,398 20,108 23,447 22,149
  2 unit structures 657 657 986 657 657 657 657 986 657 986 657 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 1,052 0 1,652 417 469 352 469 0 469 0 0
  5+ unit structures 2,377 2,468 2,014 2,707 741 741 27,083 741 1,570 2,549 21,432 2,429

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
    263.70 267.82 273.43 285.87 291.54
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  1.56 2.09 4.55 1.98 10.56
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 15,563,998 16,603,732 17,307,822 18,491,824 19,232,516 3,668,518 23.6
  Net earnings 1/ 10,090,853 10,721,028 11,006,497 11,727,083 12,213,455 2,122,602 21.0
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,465,169 1,469,070 1,542,594 1,643,504 1,777,778 312,609 21.3
    Income maintenance 2/ 97,277 98,064 100,863 97,684 98,077 800 0.8
    Unemployment insurance compensation 87,914 63,040 47,532 26,990 26,567 -61,347 -69.8
    Retirement and other 1,279,978 1,307,966 1,394,199 1,518,830 1,653,134 373,156 29.2
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 4,007,976 4,413,634 4,758,731 5,121,237 5,241,283 1,233,307 30.8
  Population 4/ 300,671 305,548 310,706 313,864 319,372 18,701 6.2
  Per capita personal income 51,764 54,341 55,705 58,917 60,220 8,456 16.3
  Per capita net earnings 33,561 35,088 35,424 37,364 38,242 4,681 13.9
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 4,873 4,808 4,965 5,236 5,566 693 14.2
    Per capita income maintenance 324 321 325 311 307 -17 -5.2
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 292 206 153 86 83 -209 -71.6
    Per capita retirement and other 4,257 4,281 4,487 4,839 5,176 919 21.6
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 13,330 14,445 15,316 16,317 16,411 3,081 23.1
  Earnings by place of work 12,214,769 12,934,855 13,534,221 14,386,348 14,919,519 2,704,750 22.1
    Wages and salaries 9,334,898 9,837,772 10,262,861 10,858,602 11,430,706 2,095,808 22.5
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,849,969 1,943,238 2,031,669 2,160,840 2,085,646 235,677 12.7
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 1,188,941 1,251,383 1,325,373 1,403,291 1,298,935 109,994 9.3
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 661,028 691,855 706,296 757,549 786,711 125,683 19.0
    Proprietors' income 1,029,902 1,153,845 1,239,691 1,366,906 1,403,167 373,265 36.2
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 5,139 -2,095 -1,766 -1,927 -528 -5,667 -110.3
      Farm proprietors' income 1,024,763 1,155,940 1,241,457 1,368,833 1,403,695 378,932 37.0
Total full-time and part-time employment 234,634 239,606 245,058 252,498 257,993 23,359 10.0
  Wage and salary jobs 170,057 174,487 178,390 183,452 186,884 16,827 9.9
  Number of proprietors 64,577 65,119 66,668 69,046 71,109 6,532 10.1
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 725 726 725 720 704 -21 -2.9
    Number of farm proprietors 63,852 64,393 65,943 68,326 70,405 6,553 10.3
Average earnings per job (dollars) 52,059 53,984 55,229 56,976 57,829 5,770 11.1
  Average wages and salaries 54,893 56,381 57,530 59,190 61,165 6,272 11.4
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 16,049 17,951 18,826 20,034 19,937 3,888 24.2
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 18,048 18,671 19,280 20,064 21,052 22,354 4,306 23.86
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 18,048 18,580 18,989 19,420 20,041 20,970 2,922 16.19

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 14,002 282,626 1,196 14,184 286,900 1,137
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 39 3,268 2,114 39 3,283 1,764
 Total, all industries - St Govt 17 ...... 18 ......
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 50 ...... 50 ......
 Total, all industries - Private 13,896 236,510 1,224 14,077 239,717 1,156
    Goods-producing 1,506 37,380 1,532 1,524 38,872 1,381
      Natural resources and mining 86 947 1,089 90 1,310 936
      Construction 799 7,752 861 808 8,226 921
      Manufacturing 621 28,681 1,729 626 29,336 1,530
    Service-providing 12,390 199,131 1,166 12,553 200,845 1,112
      Trade, transportation & utilities 2,173 39,596 901 2,201 40,052 915
      Information 363 13,727 2,224 375 13,305 2,020
      Financial activities 1,390 12,050 1,711 1,393 11,015 1,457
      Professional & business services 4,615 56,052 1,689 4,712 56,431 1,607
      Education and health services 1,618 37,881 875 1,645 38,636 902
      Leisure and hospitality 1,109 31,546 372 1,110 33,116 383
      Other services 1,103 8,233 699 1,106 8,264 717
      Unclassified 19 46 850 11 26 752

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 3.0 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.4 3.0 2.9
Unemployment 5,193 4,502 4,679 4,722 4,609 4,460 4,830 5,105 5,157 5,228 6,198 5,429 5,159
Employment 170,613 173,191 174,364 172,569 170,442 171,776 173,592 173,641 174,413 176,117 175,196 175,234 175,145
Labor Force175,806177,693179,043177,291175,051176,236178,422178,746179,570181,345181,394180,663180,304

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
Boulder Valley School District No. Re2Boulder 08024901308013CO 30,041 223,531 31,333
St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1jLongmont 08053702308013CO 29,382 160,597 30,765

Number of districts: 2 ... Total enrollment: 59,423
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
Longs Peak Academy Longmont, CO4799834 52 40 0 0
Montessori Education Center of the Rockies Boulder, CO1279546 14 14 57 57
Naropa University Boulder, CO1276537 437 409 559 395
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO1266149 26,557 24,344 5,875 2,331

  Number of institutions: 4 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 27,060
  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.

Additional Information go top
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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