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Metro in Regional Context




Situation & Outlook Report

Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 22520)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa22520.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 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL MSA metro changed from 147,261 in 2010 to 147,543 in 2015, a change of -311 (-0.2%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 279 in 2010 and 289 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 83 (2011), 269 (2012), 344 (2013), 658 (2014), 658 (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 152,104. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 4,873 (3.3%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 25,680 (2010) to 34,572 (2020), a change of 8,892 (34.6%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 650 in 2008 and 672 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $30,093 in 2008 to $34,185 in 2014, a change of $4,092 (13.6%). 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 312 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $3,928 in 2009 to $4,813 in 2014 a change of $885 (22.53%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $3,928 in 2009 to $4,339 in 2014, a change of $411 (10.46%). 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 22520; 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.
  •   Florence
  •   Muscle Shoals

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
  Florence, AL (0126896) 39,319 39,356 39,414 39,665 39,956 40,215 859 2.20
  Muscle Shoals, AL (0153016) 13,146 13,197 13,286 13,378 13,477 13,614 417 3.20

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 147,261 100.0 147,061 100.0 147,152 100.0 147,200 100.0 147,543 100.0 146,950 100.0
  Colbert County, AL (01033) 54,514 37.0 54,443 37.0 54,472 37.0 54,471 37.0 54,480 36.9 54,354 37.0
  Lauderdale County, AL (01077) 92,747 63.0 92,618 63.0 92,680 63.0 92,729 63.0 93,063 63.1 92,596 63.0

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.
  Lauderdale County, AL

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 147,317 147,639 322 0.22
  One race 145,261 143,353 -1,908 -1.31
    White 123,454 124,310 856 0.69
    Black/African American 123,454 124,310 856 0.69
    American Indian/Alaska Native 609 622 13 2.13
    Asian alone 1,113 942 -171 -15.36
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 46 70 24 52.17
    Some other race alone 652 855 203 31.13
  Two or more races 2,056 4,286 2,230 108.46
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 2,899 3,646 747 25.77
Population 25 years and over 100,438 101,837 1,399 25.77
  % high school graduate or higher 83.4 84.3 0.9 1.08
  % bachelor's degree or higher 17.0 21.7 4.7 27.65
Total Households 61,383 61,239 -144 27.65
  Median household income ($) 42,898 41,597 -1,301 -3.03
  Mean household income ($) 53,672 54,674 1,002 1.87
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 147,317 147,639 322 0.22
  Male 71,093 70,588 -505 1.87
  Female 76,224 77,051 827 1.87
  Under 5 years 7,432 7,871 439 1.87
  5 to 9 years 7,949 10,755 2,806 35.30
  10 to 14 years 9,580 7,650 -1,930 -20.15
  15 to 19 years 9,780 7,764 -2,016 -20.61
  20 to 24 years 12,138 11,762 -376 -3.10
  25 to 34 years 16,742 17,743 1,001 5.98
  35 to 44 years 16,656 16,981 325 1.95
  45 to 54 years 20,180 19,849 -331 -1.64
  55 to 59 years 12,269 10,458 -1,811 -14.76
  55 to 59 years 12,269 10,458 -1,811 -14.76
  60 to 64 years 8,033 9,354 1,321 16.44
  65 to 74 years 15,009 15,703 694 4.62
  75 to 84 years 8,385 8,569 184 2.19
  85 years and over 3,164 3,180 16 0.51
  Median age 41.7 41.7 0.0 0.00
  18 years and over 116,816 116,328 -488 -0.42
  21 years and over 109,833 110,593 760 0.69
  62 years and over 31,511 32,720 1,209 3.84
  65 years and over 26,558 27,452 894 3.37

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 69,549 69,577 69,728 69,904 70,280 70,545 968 1.39

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 70,023 70,551 528 0.75
  1-unit, detached 51,494 52,948 1,454 2.82
  1-unit, attached 520 623 103 19.81
  2 units 1,359 2,528 1,169 86.02
  3 or 4 units 3,538 3,490 -48 -1.36
  5 to 9 units 2,742 2,034 -708 -25.82
  10 to 20 units 1,160 1,709 549 47.33
  20 or more units 1,752 1,479 -273 -15.58
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 70,023 70,551 528 0.75
  Occupied Housing Units 61,383 61,239 -144 -0.23
    Owner 42,154 41,912 -242 -0.57
    Renter 19,229 19,327 98 0.51
  Vacant Housing Units 8,640 9,312 672 7.78
  Homeowner vacancy rate 2.50 1.00 -1.50...
  Rental vacancy rate 3.50 7.10 3.60...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.44 2.39 -0.05 -2.05
Average household size; renter-occ 2.18 2.33 0.15 6.88
Median Value $ owner occupied 111,000 110,700 -300 -0.27
Median Rent $ renter occupied 566 637 71 12.54

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 14 31 14 10 11 13 16 15 16 21 75 18
  in 1 unit bldgs 14 19 12 10 11 13 16 15 16 21 19 18
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 12 2 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 56 0
  Bldgs with 5+ units 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
  Percent Coverage 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 89 77 77 77 77
Value ($000), Total Units 1,543 2,969 1,579 1,165 1,230 1,362 1,857 2,034 1,731 2,678 6,194 2,806
  1 unit structures 1,543 2,249 1,429 1,165 1,230 1,362 1,857 2,034 1,731 2,678 2,350 2,806
  2 unit structures 0 720 150 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 3,844 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
    160.57 158.65 166.28 161.83 168.08
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  -1.20 4.81 -2.68 3.86 4.68
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 4,761,563 4,822,907 4,873,375 5,100,372 5,205,964 444,401 9.3
  Net earnings 1/ 2,678,713 2,716,977 2,757,341 2,846,241 2,883,764 205,051 7.7
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,271,779 1,279,353 1,295,626 1,340,765 1,384,208 112,429 8.8
    Income maintenance 2/ 123,662 119,612 116,739 115,068 113,863 -9,799 -7.9
    Unemployment insurance compensation 32,694 26,671 18,015 10,707 9,797 -22,897 -70.0
    Retirement and other 1,115,423 1,133,070 1,160,872 1,214,990 1,260,548 145,125 13.0
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 811,071 826,577 820,408 913,366 937,992 126,921 15.6
  Population 4/ 147,061 147,152 147,200 147,543 146,950 -111 -0.1
  Per capita personal income 32,378 32,775 33,107 34,569 35,427 3,049 9.4
  Per capita net earnings 18,215 18,464 18,732 19,291 19,624 1,409 7.7
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 8,648 8,694 8,802 9,087 9,420 772 8.9
    Per capita income maintenance 841 813 793 780 775 -66 -7.8
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 222 181 122 73 67 -155 -69.8
    Per capita retirement and other 7,585 7,700 7,886 8,235 8,578 993 13.1
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 5,515 5,617 5,573 6,191 6,383 868 15.7
  Earnings by place of work 2,727,604 2,750,589 2,848,676 2,948,241 3,017,224 289,620 10.6
    Wages and salaries 1,923,771 1,946,051 1,990,040 2,087,062 2,159,905 236,134 12.3
    Supplements to wages and salaries 521,108 492,386 497,013 528,952 530,122 9,014 1.7
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 365,887 338,676 341,198 369,264 368,629 2,742 0.7
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 155,221 153,710 155,815 159,688 161,493 6,272 4.0
    Proprietors' income 282,725 312,152 361,623 332,227 327,197 44,472 15.7
      Nonfarm proprietors' income -3,099 566 49,939 29,013 15,132 18,231...
      Farm proprietors' income 285,824 311,586 311,684 303,214 312,065 26,241 9.2
Total full-time and part-time employment 73,902 73,563 73,886 74,855 75,222 1,320 1.8
  Wage and salary jobs 56,507 56,402 56,575 57,618 57,539 1,032 1.8
  Number of proprietors 17,395 17,161 17,311 17,237 17,683 288 1.7
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 2,026 1,936 1,960 1,943 1,911 -115 -5.7
    Number of farm proprietors 15,369 15,225 15,351 15,294 15,772 403 2.6
Average earnings per job (dollars) 36,908 37,391 38,555 39,386 40,111 3,203 8.7
  Average wages and salaries 34,045 34,503 35,175 36,222 37,538 3,493 10.3
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 18,597 20,465 20,304 19,826 19,786 1,189 6.4
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 3,928 4,139 4,250 4,382 4,601 4,813 885 22.53
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 3,928 4,052 4,040 4,083 4,225 4,339 411 10.46

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 3,320 86,182 692 3,328 87,984 688
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 32 1,604 1,496 32 1,608 1,645
 Total, all industries - St Govt 38 2,951 790 35 3,108 849
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 94 10,962 693 94 11,156 710
 Total, all industries - Private 3,156 70,665 670 3,167 72,112 656
    Goods-producing 493 20,077 866 496 20,805 871
      Natural resources and mining 44 526 752 45 545 860
      Construction 249 4,132 773 250 4,450 857
      Manufacturing 200 15,419 895 201 15,810 875
    Service-providing 2,663 50,588 592 2,671 51,307 569
      Trade, transportation & utilities 874 17,572 643 885 17,764 563
      Information 30 672 746 31 686 694
      Financial activities 402 3,743 856 402 3,819 819
      Professional & business services 412 5,901 579 409 5,856 617
      Education and health services 411 10,897 746 405 10,866 758
      Leisure and hospitality 300 9,946 246 306 10,380 257
      Other services 234 1,857 512 233 1,936 561

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 8.2 7.4 7.2 7.2 7.2 7.8 7.8 7.1 6.5 6.8 7.6 6.8 6.5
Unemployment 1,930 1,747 1,706 1,692 1,698 1,825 1,832 1,688 1,547 1,613 1,818 1,608 1,539
Employment 21,657 21,709 21,901 21,946 21,894 21,490 21,732 21,931 22,142 22,200 22,086 22,184 22,125
Labor Force23,58723,45623,60723,63823,59223,31523,56423,61923,68923,81323,90423,79223,664

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
Colbert CountyTuscumbia 01008404101033AL 2,769 23,763 3,740
Florence CityFlorence 01015301301077AL 4,369 39,376 5,393
Lauderdale CountyFlorence 01020104201077AL 8,760 53,421 8,880
Muscle Shoals CityMuscle Shoals 01025201301033AL 2,856 13,113 2,294
Sheffield CitySheffield 01030002301033AL 1,108 9,054 1,377
Tuscumbia CityTuscumbia 01034202301033AL 1,483 8,590 1,315

Number of districts: 6 ... Total enrollment: 21,345
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
Heritage Christian University Florence, AL1014537 62 35 31 6
Northwest-Shoals Community College Muscle Shoals, AL1017363 3,891 1,877 0 0
University of North Alabama Florence, AL1018798 5,885 4,648 956 279

  Number of institutions: 3 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 9,838
  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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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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