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Metro in Regional Context




Situation & Outlook Report

Elkhart-Goshen, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 21140)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa21140.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 Elkhart-Goshen, IN MSA metro changed from 197,471 in 2010 to 201,739 in 2015, a change of 6,003 (3%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 217 in 2010 and 218 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was -488 (2011), -610 (2012), -129 (2013), -21 (2014), -21 (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 216,894. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 19,453 (9.9%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 24,652 (2010) to 35,859 (2020), a change of 11,207 (45.5%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 575 in 2008 and 467 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $30,986 in 2008 to $37,344 in 2014, a change of $6,358 (20.5%). 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 169 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $7,945 in 2009 to $12,987 in 2014 a change of $5,042 (63.46%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $7,945 in 2009 to $12,267 in 2014, a change of $4,322 (54.4%). 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 36 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 21140; see table usage details below the table.

Fortune 1000 Companies with headquarters in this metro.
  • Thor Industries, Inc.

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.
  •   Elkhart
  •   Goshen

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
  Elkhart, IN (1820728) 50,949 50,844 50,969 51,058 51,259 51,421 577 1.10
  Goshen, IN (1828386) 31,719 31,580 31,797 31,875 32,066 32,267 687 2.20

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 197,471 100.0 198,509 100.0 199,229 100.0 200,476 100.0 201,739 100.0 203,474 100.0
  Elkhart County, IN (18039) 197,471 100.0 198,509 100.0 199,229 100.0 200,476 100.0 201,739 100.0 203,474 100.0

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.
  Elkhart County, IN

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 200,563 201,971 1,408 0.70
  One race 192,044 194,098 2,054 1.07
    White 174,310 173,189 -1,121 -0.64
    Black/African American 174,310 173,189 -1,121 -0.64
    American Indian/Alaska Native 652 159 -493 -75.61
    Asian alone 1,484 2,280 796 53.64
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 192 130 -62 -32.29
    Some other race alone 6,630 8,117 1,487 22.43
  Two or more races 8,519 7,873 -646 -7.58
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 29,806 30,475 669 2.24
Population 25 years and over 126,986 127,813 827 2.24
  % high school graduate or higher 80.6 84.0 3.4 4.22
  % bachelor's degree or higher 17.8 18.1 0.3 1.69
Total Households 71,056 70,636 -420 1.69
  Median household income ($) 45,387 49,937 4,550 10.02
  Mean household income ($) 55,697 60,416 4,719 8.47
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 200,563 201,971 1,408 0.70
  Male 98,708 98,694 -14 8.47
  Female 101,855 103,277 1,422 8.47
  Under 5 years 15,065 15,072 7 8.47
  5 to 9 years 15,964 15,624 -340 -2.13
  10 to 14 years 16,143 16,880 737 4.57
  15 to 19 years 13,479 14,420 941 6.98
  20 to 24 years 12,926 12,162 -764 -5.91
  25 to 34 years 26,141 25,939 -202 -0.77
  35 to 44 years 25,333 26,163 830 3.28
  45 to 54 years 26,024 26,297 273 1.05
  55 to 59 years 12,516 12,181 -335 -2.68
  55 to 59 years 12,516 12,181 -335 -2.68
  60 to 64 years 10,624 11,085 461 4.34
  65 to 74 years 14,557 13,965 -592 -4.07
  75 to 84 years 7,478 8,231 753 10.07
  85 years and over 4,313 3,952 -361 -8.37
  Median age 35.2 35.3 0.1 0.28
  18 years and over 144,496 145,467 971 0.67
  21 years and over 137,957 137,490 -467 -0.34
  62 years and over 31,774 32,043 269 0.85
  65 years and over 26,348 26,148 -200 -0.76

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 77,767 77,763 77,797 77,756 77,805 77,933 170 0.22

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 77,550 77,937 387 0.50
  1-unit, detached 55,866 56,302 436 0.78
  1-unit, attached 1,790 1,756 -34 -1.90
  2 units 2,114 2,183 69 3.26
  3 or 4 units 3,440 2,904 -536 -15.58
  5 to 9 units 3,234 2,942 -292 -9.03
  10 to 20 units 2,321 2,833 512 22.06
  20 or more units 4,412 3,894 -518 -11.74
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 77,550 77,937 387 0.50
  Occupied Housing Units 71,056 70,636 -420 -0.59
    Owner 49,236 48,434 -802 -1.63
    Renter 21,820 22,202 382 1.75
  Vacant Housing Units 6,494 7,301 807 12.43
  Homeowner vacancy rate 4.50 0.60 -3.90...
  Rental vacancy rate 6.50 8.30 1.80...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.96 2.87 -0.09 -3.04
Average household size; renter-occ 2.35 2.67 0.32 13.62
Median Value $ owner occupied 119,300 125,900 6,600 5.53
Median Rent $ renter occupied 696 714 18 2.59

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 30 23 20 19 16 17 26 16 26 36 29 29
  in 1 unit bldgs 30 23 20 19 16 17 24 16 26 34 29 29
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 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 79 79 79 79 79 79 79 79 80 80 80 80
Value ($000), Total Units 7,096 4,005 5,205 4,503 4,169 3,922 4,985 3,615 5,188 9,352 6,533 7,919
  1 unit structures 7,096 4,005 5,205 4,503 4,169 3,922 4,610 3,615 5,188 9,227 6,533 7,919
  2 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 375 0 0 125 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
    153.43 155.70 158.05 158.52 164.38
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  1.48 1.51 0.30 3.70 7.14
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 6,396,334 6,881,433 7,125,872 7,705,858 8,114,853 1,718,519 26.9
  Net earnings 1/ 4,034,286 4,510,946 4,680,327 5,125,768 5,424,933 1,390,647 34.5
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,310,757 1,341,636 1,343,594 1,405,143 1,478,885 168,128 12.8
    Income maintenance 2/ 173,616 172,687 173,597 161,316 158,098 -15,518 -8.9
    Unemployment insurance compensation 70,811 47,390 26,116 11,812 9,187 -61,624 -87.0
    Retirement and other 1,066,330 1,121,559 1,143,881 1,232,015 1,311,600 245,270 23.0
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 1,051,291 1,028,851 1,101,951 1,174,947 1,211,035 159,744 15.2
  Population 4/ 198,509 199,229 200,476 201,739 203,474 4,965 2.5
  Per capita personal income 32,222 34,540 35,545 38,197 39,882 7,660 23.8
  Per capita net earnings 20,323 22,642 23,346 25,408 26,662 6,339 31.2
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 6,603 6,734 6,702 6,965 7,268 665 10.1
    Per capita income maintenance 875 867 866 800 777 -98 -11.2
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 357 238 130 59 45 -312 -87.4
    Per capita retirement and other 5,372 5,629 5,706 6,107 6,446 1,074 20.0
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 5,296 5,164 5,497 5,824 5,952 656 12.4
  Earnings by place of work 5,750,386 6,473,022 6,920,510 7,603,994 8,044,588 2,294,202 39.9
    Wages and salaries 4,272,638 4,715,902 5,024,838 5,488,333 5,849,959 1,577,321 36.9
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,067,199 1,199,709 1,236,824 1,377,799 1,395,041 327,842 30.7
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 715,954 818,474 829,148 943,180 934,389 218,435 30.5
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 351,245 381,235 407,676 434,619 460,652 109,407 31.1
    Proprietors' income 410,549 557,411 658,848 737,862 799,588 389,039 94.8
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 53,676 57,394 87,402 96,319 69,310 15,634 29.1
      Farm proprietors' income 356,873 500,017 571,446 641,543 730,278 373,405 104.6
Total full-time and part-time employment 130,803 136,407 142,299 147,872 152,475 21,672 16.6
  Wage and salary jobs 109,769 115,825 121,321 126,340 130,234 20,465 18.6
  Number of proprietors 21,034 20,582 20,978 21,532 22,241 1,207 5.7
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 1,568 1,525 1,539 1,525 1,512 -56 -3.6
    Number of farm proprietors 19,466 19,057 19,439 20,007 20,729 1,263 6.5
Average earnings per job (dollars) 43,962 47,454 48,634 51,423 52,760 8,798 20.0
  Average wages and salaries 38,924 40,716 41,418 43,441 44,919 5,995 15.4
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 18,333 26,238 29,397 32,066 35,230 16,897 92.2
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 7,945 10,143 10,236 11,347 12,166 12,987 5,042 63.46
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 7,945 10,260 10,394 11,145 11,734 12,267 4,322 54.40

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 4,698 200,879 834 4,685 207,070 816
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 15 425 1,328 14 426 1,063
 Total, all industries - St Govt 17 377 679 17 388 718
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 54 14,021 683 54 14,057 714
 Total, all industries - Private 4,612 186,056 845 4,600 192,198 823
    Goods-producing 1,222 103,195 881 1,220 106,138 930
      Natural resources and mining 26 376 570 25 417 616
      Construction 440 4,342 821 443 5,042 908
      Manufacturing 756 98,477 885 752 100,679 933
    Service-providing 3,390 82,861 800 3,380 86,060 691
      Trade, transportation & utilities 1,270 29,671 716 1,265 30,252 705
      Information 36 839 816 36 829 765
      Financial activities 387 4,350 924 387 4,401 828
      Professional & business services 566 15,113 1,379 557 15,934 903
      Education and health services 329 17,693 809 331 18,154 756
      Leisure and hospitality 396 11,259 249 394 12,485 266
      Other services 406 3,937 595 409 4,006 630

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 3.6 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.9 4.2 4.3 3.9 3.5 3.9 3.7 4.0
Unemployment 3,810 3,579 3,700 3,923 3,769 4,082 4,308 4,444 4,099 3,739 4,203 3,970 4,230
Employment 101,429 100,979 102,384 100,920 100,257 100,858 99,469 99,318 100,691 102,202 102,619 102,517 102,015
Labor Force105,239104,558106,084104,843104,026104,940103,777103,762104,790105,941106,822106,487106,245

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
Baugo Community SchoolsElkhart 18004202218039IN 1,952 9,574 2,016
Concord Community SchoolsElkhart 18024002218039IN 4,975 25,113 5,091
Elkhart Community SchoolsElkhart 18032701318039IN 13,108 76,716 14,759
Fairfield Community SchoolsGoshen 18034804118039IN 2,063 12,055 3,015
Goshen Community SchoolsGoshen 18039301318039IN 6,524 37,041 7,017
Middlebury Community SchoolsMiddlebury 18066004118039IN 4,367 22,247 5,348
Wa-Nee Community SchoolsNappanee 18122403118039IN 3,084 20,948 4,553

Number of districts: 7 ... Total enrollment: 36,073
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
Goshen College Goshen, IN1506687 774 702 69 7

  Number of institutions: 1 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 774
  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
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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.

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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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