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Situation & Outlook Report

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 15180)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa15180.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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA metro changed from 407,626 in 2010 to 420,400 in 2015, a change of 14,530 (3.6%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 128 in 2010 and 126 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 235 (2011), -2,200 (2012), -3,041 (2013), -2,530 (2014), -2,530 (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 459,367. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 51,695 (12.7%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 46,330 (2010) to 64,514 (2020), a change of 18,184 (39.2%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 910 in 2008 and 910 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $21,563 in 2008 to $25,211 in 2014, a change of $3,648 (16.9%). 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 204 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $7,795 in 2009 to $9,285 in 2014 a change of $1,490 (19.11%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $7,795 in 2009 to $8,428 in 2014, a change of $633 (8.12%). 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 87 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 15180; 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.
  •   Brownsville
  •   Harlingen

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
  Brownsville, TX (4810768) 175,023 175,662 178,551 180,287 181,713 183,046 7,384 4.20
  Harlingen, TX (4832372) 64,849 65,092 65,666 65,853 65,898 65,914 822 1.30
  San Benito, TX (4865036) 24,250 24,305 24,496 24,475 24,491 24,506 201 0.80

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 407,626 100.0 413,130 100.0 415,977 100.0 418,071 100.0 420,400 100.0 422,156 100.0
  Cameron County (48061) 407,626 100.0 413,130 100.0 415,977 100.0 418,071 100.0 420,400 100.0 422,156 100.0

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.
  Cameron County, TX

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 417,276 420,392 3,116 0.75
  One race 413,673 416,197 2,524 0.61
    White 388,956 397,731 8,775 2.26
    Black/African American 388,956 397,731 8,775 2.26
    American Indian/Alaska Native 1,150 1,262 112 9.74
    Asian alone 3,778 3,074 -704 -18.63
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 39 0 -39 -100.00
    Some other race alone 18,805 11,787 -7,018 -37.32
  Two or more races 3,603 4,195 592 16.43
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 369,397 372,827 3,430 0.93
Population 25 years and over 239,079 242,912 3,833 0.93
  % high school graduate or higher 64.0 64.6 0.6 0.94
  % bachelor's degree or higher 17.1 17.4 0.3 1.75
Total Households 118,546 121,009 2,463 1.75
  Median household income ($) 34,374 32,093 -2,281 -6.64
  Mean household income ($) 50,443 47,427 -3,016 -5.98
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 417,276 420,392 3,116 0.75
  Male 202,161 203,158 997 -5.98
  Female 215,115 217,234 2,119 -5.98
  Under 5 years 36,118 37,071 953 -5.98
  5 to 9 years 35,218 36,101 883 2.51
  10 to 14 years 39,763 38,140 -1,623 -4.08
  15 to 19 years 36,398 34,947 -1,451 -3.99
  20 to 24 years 30,700 31,221 521 1.70
  25 to 34 years 49,856 51,290 1,434 2.88
  35 to 44 years 53,207 53,614 407 0.76
  45 to 54 years 46,890 45,803 -1,087 -2.32
  55 to 59 years 20,937 21,584 647 3.09
  55 to 59 years 20,937 21,584 647 3.09
  60 to 64 years 18,326 18,573 247 1.35
  65 to 74 years 27,521 28,960 1,439 5.23
  75 to 84 years 16,347 16,056 -291 -1.78
  85 years and over 5,995 7,032 1,037 17.30
  Median age 31.3 31.3 0.0 0.00
  18 years and over 283,683 287,570 3,887 1.37
  21 years and over 262,496 266,551 4,055 1.54
  62 years and over 60,707 63,350 2,643 4.35
  65 years and over 49,863 52,048 2,185 4.38

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 141,924 142,143 143,131 144,062 145,044 146,182 4,039 2.84

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 144,522 146,207 1,685 1.17
  1-unit, detached 92,955 92,484 -471 -0.51
  1-unit, attached 4,308 3,007 -1,301 -30.20
  2 units 5,415 6,236 821 15.16
  3 or 4 units 6,118 7,362 1,244 20.33
  5 to 9 units 7,570 6,000 -1,570 -20.74
  10 to 20 units 4,216 3,715 -501 -11.88
  20 or more units 7,014 8,535 1,521 21.69
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 144,522 146,207 1,685 1.17
  Occupied Housing Units 118,546 121,009 2,463 2.08
    Owner 81,426 81,004 -422 -0.52
    Renter 37,120 40,005 2,885 7.77
  Vacant Housing Units 25,976 25,198 -778 -3.00
  Homeowner vacancy rate 1.90 1.20 -0.70...
  Rental vacancy rate 14.10 12.30 -1.80...
Average household size; owner-occ 3.49 3.46 -0.03 -0.86
Average household size; renter-occ 3.49 3.40 -0.09 -2.58
Median Value $ owner occupied 82,300 76,200 -6,100 -7.41
Median Rent $ renter occupied 612 653 41 6.70

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 80 69 88 49 62 55 84 101 51 77 98 132
  in 1 unit bldgs 66 61 78 49 62 43 72 83 51 63 86 77
  in 2 unit bldgs 14 4 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 4 4 0 0 0 12 18 0 14 10 19
  in 5+ unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 36
  Bldgs with 5+ units 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
  Percent Coverage 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 66 66 66 66
Value ($000), Total Units 9,236 6,996 8,579 3,901 10,327 4,670 5,500 10,283 4,816 6,582 8,701 10,083
  1 unit structures 8,095 6,672 8,129 3,901 10,327 4,093 5,125 9,144 4,816 5,925 8,110 7,547
  2 unit structures 1,141 159 275 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 115 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 165 175 0 0 0 375 1,139 0 657 476 992
  5+ unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 577 0 0 0 0 0 1,544

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
    161.63 160.39 163.08 157.72 164.64
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  -0.77 1.68 -3.29 4.39 1.86
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 9,881,042 10,167,175 10,357,300 10,768,613 11,324,899 1,443,857 14.6
  Net earnings 1/ 5,548,647 5,766,026 5,822,468 6,046,772 6,358,055 809,408 14.6
  Personal current transfer receipts 3,226,180 3,178,363 3,270,914 3,393,787 3,586,868 360,688 11.2
    Income maintenance 2/ 671,028 678,396 682,169 685,283 677,437 6,409 1.0
    Unemployment insurance compensation 107,927 93,111 73,303 47,396 55,503 -52,424 -48.6
    Retirement and other 2,447,225 2,406,856 2,515,442 2,661,108 2,853,928 406,703 16.6
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 1,106,215 1,222,786 1,263,918 1,328,054 1,379,976 273,761 24.7
  Population 4/ 413,130 415,977 418,071 420,400 422,156 9,026 2.2
  Per capita personal income 23,918 24,442 24,774 25,615 26,826 2,908 12.2
  Per capita net earnings 13,431 13,861 13,927 14,383 15,061 1,630 12.1
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 7,809 7,641 7,824 8,073 8,497 688 8.8
    Per capita income maintenance 1,624 1,631 1,632 1,630 1,605 -19 -1.2
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 261 224 175 113 131 -130 -49.8
    Per capita retirement and other 5,924 5,786 6,017 6,330 6,760 836 14.1
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 2,678 2,940 3,023 3,159 3,269 591 22.1
  Earnings by place of work 6,114,237 6,347,900 6,476,619 6,723,469 7,067,735 953,498 15.6
    Wages and salaries 4,052,583 4,209,726 4,294,898 4,479,773 4,641,981 589,398 14.5
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,098,509 1,156,451 1,196,343 1,238,359 1,283,192 184,683 16.8
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 808,345 852,466 885,219 914,588 951,269 142,924 17.7
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 290,164 303,985 311,124 323,771 331,923 41,759 14.4
    Proprietors' income 963,145 981,723 985,378 1,005,337 1,142,562 179,417 18.6
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 22,470 29,484 40,158 15,981 11,585 -10,885 -48.4
      Farm proprietors' income 940,675 952,239 945,220 989,356 1,130,977 190,302 20.2
Total full-time and part-time employment 178,898 181,398 185,652 189,015 192,539 13,641 7.6
  Wage and salary jobs 136,616 139,881 142,457 144,858 147,044 10,428 7.6
  Number of proprietors 42,282 41,517 43,195 44,157 45,495 3,213 7.6
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 1,143 1,149 1,158 1,151 1,133 -10 -0.9
    Number of farm proprietors 41,139 40,368 42,037 43,006 44,362 3,223 7.8
Average earnings per job (dollars) 34,177 34,994 34,886 35,571 36,708 2,531 7.4
  Average wages and salaries 29,664 30,095 30,149 30,925 31,569 1,905 6.4
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 22,866 23,589 22,485 23,005 25,494 2,628 11.5
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 7,795 8,059 8,221 8,667 9,020 9,285 1,490 19.11
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 7,795 7,939 7,938 8,178 8,344 8,428 633 8.12

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 6,405 223,453 593 6,396 226,963 586
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 58 5,403 1,758 58 5,410 1,497
 Total, all industries - St Govt 31 5,702 782 31 5,848 827
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 115 39,629 722 113 39,975 709
 Total, all industries - Private 6,201 172,718 520 6,194 175,730 522
    Goods-producing 734 15,682 748 733 15,860 788
      Natural resources and mining 167 1,087 517 166 1,135 542
      Construction 345 4,810 651 345 4,982 765
      Manufacturing 222 9,785 821 222 9,744 828
    Service-providing 5,467 157,036 498 5,461 159,870 496
      Trade, transportation & utilities 1,667 43,435 537 1,674 43,149 547
      Information 42 1,971 860 43 2,035 749
      Financial activities 737 8,268 666 720 8,373 632
      Professional & business services 739 18,161 538 733 18,002 542
      Education and health services 1,032 58,399 508 1,026 59,385 509
      Leisure and hospitality 721 22,870 288 736 24,949 291
      Other services 502 3,849 427 503 3,866 421
      Unclassified 27 83 302 26 109 387

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 7.1 6.8 6.7 6.9 6.8 7.1 6.8 6.9 6.7 6.6 7.5 7.7 7.6
Unemployment 11,672 11,045 10,907 11,363 11,189 11,673 11,348 11,654 11,201 11,025 12,816 13,103 12,904
Employment 152,068 151,876 152,051 152,342 152,778 152,977 154,696 156,421 156,630 157,106 157,134 156,682 156,329
Labor Force163,740162,921162,958163,705163,967164,650166,044168,075167,831168,131169,950169,785169,233

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
Brownsville ISDBrownsville 48116801248061TX 49,190 194,913 47,291
Harlingen CisdHarlingen 48225301348061TX 18,509 85,956 18,044
La Feria ISDLa Feria 48260402248061TX 3,712 15,553 3,487
Los Fresnos CisdLos Fresnos 48282902248061TX 10,424 42,465 10,362
Point Isabel ISDPort Isabel 48352503248061TX 2,642 16,213 2,644
Rio Hondo ISDRio Hondo 48371703148061TX 2,213 10,072 2,367
San Benito CisdSan Benito 48387902248061TX 11,171 44,000 10,900
Santa Maria ISDSanta Maria 48393304148061TX 729 2,611 696
Santa Rosa ISDSanta Rosa 48393602248061TX 1,176 5,367 1,265

Number of districts: 9 ... Total enrollment: 99,766
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
Kaplan College-Brownsville Brownsville, TX4438273 345 345 0 0
Texas State Technical College-Harlingen Harlingen, TX2293193 5,225 2,128 0 0
The University of Texas at Brownsville Brownsville, TX2273779 10,938 5,633 1,005 205

  Number of institutions: 3 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 16,508
  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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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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