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Situation & Outlook Report

Great Falls, MT Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 24500)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa24500.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 Great Falls, MT MSA metro changed from 81,533 in 2010 to 82,268 in 2015, a change of 745 (0.9%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 438 in 2010 and 435 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was -87 (2011), -403 (2012), 179 (2013), -431 (2014), -431 (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 86,692. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 5,186 (6.4%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 13,064 (2010) to 17,791 (2020), a change of 4,727 (36.2%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 255 in 2008 and 278 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $36,728 in 2008 to $41,163 in 2014, a change of $4,435 (12.1%). 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 366 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $2,930 in 2009 to $3,317 in 2014 a change of $387 (13.21%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $2,930 in 2009 to $3,013 in 2014, a change of $83 (2.83%). 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 22 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 24500; 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.
  •   Great Falls

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
  Great Falls, MT (3032800) 58,505 58,756 58,971 58,943 59,278 59,152 396 0.70

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 81,533 100.0 81,772 100.0 81,767 100.0 82,367 100.0 82,268 100.0 82,278 100.0
  Cascade County, MT (30013) 81,533 100.0 81,772 100.0 81,767 100.0 82,367 100.0 82,268 100.0 82,278 100.0

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.
  Cascade County, MT

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 82,384 82,344 -40 -0.05
  One race 79,469 80,416 947 1.19
    White 72,705 73,653 948 1.30
    Black/African American 72,705 73,653 948 1.30
    American Indian/Alaska Native 3,548 4,498 950 26.78
    Asian alone 951 920 -31 -3.26
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 9 68 59 655.56
    Some other race alone 936 112 -824 -88.03
  Two or more races 2,915 1,928 -987 -33.86
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 3,243 3,386 143 4.41
Population 25 years and over 55,671 55,401 -270 4.41
  % high school graduate or higher 93.2 92.0 -1.2 -1.29
  % bachelor's degree or higher 29.4 27.7 -1.7 -5.78
Total Households 34,492 34,018 -474 -5.78
  Median household income ($) 43,947 42,170 -1,777 -4.04
  Mean household income ($) 60,627 56,345 -4,282 -7.06
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 82,384 82,344 -40 -0.05
  Male 41,107 41,274 167 -7.06
  Female 41,277 41,070 -207 -7.06
  Under 5 years 5,929 5,329 -600 -7.06
  5 to 9 years 5,904 5,666 -238 -4.03
  10 to 14 years 3,976 4,697 721 18.13
  15 to 19 years 4,393 4,559 166 3.78
  20 to 24 years 6,511 6,692 181 2.78
  25 to 34 years 12,693 11,647 -1,046 -8.24
  35 to 44 years 8,289 8,339 50 0.60
  45 to 54 years 10,445 10,724 279 2.67
  55 to 59 years 6,534 5,657 -877 -13.42
  55 to 59 years 6,534 5,657 -877 -13.42
  60 to 64 years 4,238 5,278 1,040 24.54
  65 to 74 years 7,307 7,613 306 4.19
  75 to 84 years 4,337 4,719 382 8.81
  85 years and over 1,828 1,424 -404 -22.10
  Median age 37.4 36.5 -0.9 -2.41
  18 years and over 64,036 63,647 -389 -0.61
  21 years and over 61,034 60,675 -359 -0.59
  62 years and over 15,913 17,164 1,251 7.86
  65 years and over 13,472 13,756 284 2.11

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 37,276 37,311 37,399 37,464 37,507 37,565 254 0.68

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 37,365 37,560 195 0.52
  1-unit, detached 24,950 24,876 -74 -0.30
  1-unit, attached 1,347 1,493 146 10.84
  2 units 990 1,113 123 12.42
  3 or 4 units 1,910 2,143 233 12.20
  5 to 9 units 1,245 1,254 9 0.72
  10 to 20 units 1,481 833 -648 -43.75
  20 or more units 2,032 1,568 -464 -22.83
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 37,365 37,560 195 0.52
  Occupied Housing Units 34,492 34,018 -474 -1.37
    Owner 22,116 21,699 -417 -1.89
    Renter 12,376 12,319 -57 -0.46
  Vacant Housing Units 2,873 3,542 669 23.29
  Homeowner vacancy rate 2.80 0.50 -2.30...
  Rental vacancy rate 2.30 4.70 2.40...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.35 2.38 0.03 1.28
Average household size; renter-occ 2.23 2.27 0.04 1.79
Median Value $ owner occupied 160,800 160,900 100 0.06
Median Rent $ renter occupied 639 610 -29 -4.54

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 16 37 12 12 10 16 11 20 18 13 19 14
  in 1 unit bldgs 16 23 12 12 10 4 11 17 18 13 19 14
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0
  in 5+ unit bldgs 0 12 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Bldgs with 5+ units 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Percent Coverage 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
Value ($000), Total Units 3,235 8,086 3,227 2,907 2,916 3,011 2,661 4,609 4,927 3,715 5,222 3,654
  1 unit structures 3,235 6,044 3,227 2,907 2,916 1,307 2,661 4,259 4,927 3,715 5,222 3,654
  2 unit structures 0 355 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 350 0 0 0 0
  5+ unit structures 0 1,687 0 0 0 1,704 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
    203.87 203.66 203.02 210.69 210.66
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  -0.10 -0.31 3.78 -0.01 3.33
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 3,193,939 3,259,393 3,223,823 3,346,485 3,460,063 266,124 8.3
  Net earnings 1/ 1,895,495 1,918,244 1,865,055 1,933,925 1,995,621 100,126 5.3
  Personal current transfer receipts 630,753 637,196 649,787 677,501 705,707 74,954 11.9
    Income maintenance 2/ 53,261 53,671 55,067 55,776 54,521 1,260 2.4
    Unemployment insurance compensation 17,577 15,505 11,970 7,918 8,563 -9,014 -51.3
    Retirement and other 559,915 568,020 582,750 613,807 642,623 82,708 14.8
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 667,691 703,953 708,981 735,059 758,735 91,044 13.6
  Population 4/ 81,772 81,767 82,367 82,268 82,278 506 0.6
  Per capita personal income 39,059 39,862 39,140 40,678 42,053 2,994 7.7
  Per capita net earnings 23,180 23,460 22,643 23,508 24,255 1,075 4.6
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 7,714 7,793 7,889 8,235 8,577 863 11.2
    Per capita income maintenance 651 656 669 678 663 12 1.8
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 215 190 145 96 104 -111 -51.6
    Per capita retirement and other 6,847 6,947 7,075 7,461 7,810 963 14.1
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 8,165 8,609 8,608 8,935 9,222 1,057 12.9
  Earnings by place of work 2,172,262 2,184,309 2,166,239 2,253,497 2,324,184 151,922 7.0
    Wages and salaries 1,461,923 1,488,442 1,491,699 1,565,556 1,620,686 158,763 10.9
    Supplements to wages and salaries 436,123 435,887 427,125 435,533 440,975 4,852 1.1
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 293,196 291,988 284,141 285,845 290,071 -3,125 -1.1
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 142,927 143,899 142,984 149,688 150,904 7,977 5.6
    Proprietors' income 274,216 259,980 247,415 252,408 262,523 -11,693 -4.3
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 15,960 12,221 15,175 11,668 12,213 -3,747 -23.5
      Farm proprietors' income 258,256 247,759 232,240 240,740 250,310 -7,946 -3.1
Total full-time and part-time employment 49,802 49,794 50,069 50,086 50,559 757 1.5
  Wage and salary jobs 40,181 40,275 40,632 40,569 40,817 636 1.6
  Number of proprietors 9,621 9,519 9,437 9,517 9,742 121 1.3
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 987 962 979 975 964 -23 -2.3
    Number of farm proprietors 8,634 8,557 8,458 8,542 8,778 144 1.7
Average earnings per job (dollars) 43,618 43,867 43,265 44,993 45,970 2,352 5.4
  Average wages and salaries 36,383 36,957 36,712 38,590 39,706 3,323 9.1
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 29,912 28,954 27,458 28,183 28,516 -1,396 -4.7
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 2,930 3,037 3,138 3,227 3,212 3,317 387 13.21
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 2,930 2,980 2,986 2,994 2,946 3,013 83 2.83

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 2,772 58,373 699 2,767 60,147 706
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 58 2,635 1,242 57 2,656 1,025
 Total, all industries - St Govt 15 1,733 725 15 1,750 811
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 53 5,157 733 53 5,243 951
 Total, all industries - Private 2,646 48,848 666 2,642 50,498 661
    Goods-producing 419 5,475 827 415 5,996 842
      Natural resources and mining 40 244 609 38 306 530
      Construction 304 3,320 773 301 3,564 852
      Manufacturing 75 1,911 949 76 2,126 868
    Service-providing 2,227 43,373 645 2,227 44,502 636
      Trade, transportation & utilities 611 12,398 633 606 12,484 632
      Information 34 952 768 33 947 731
      Financial activities 264 3,144 1,012 263 3,250 924
      Professional & business services 461 5,454 781 461 5,525 765
      Education and health services 305 11,522 759 305 11,991 761
      Leisure and hospitality 321 7,847 288 325 8,230 290
      Other services 228 2,034 469 230 2,043 486
      Unclassified 3 22 606 4 33 529

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 3.8 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.1 4.8 4.8 4.5 3.6 3.4 4.1 3.9 3.8
Unemployment 1,479 1,375 1,468 1,576 1,591 1,855 1,856 1,759 1,383 1,297 1,622 1,514 1,450
Employment 37,241 37,225 37,415 37,368 37,201 37,109 36,891 36,974 37,074 36,906 37,567 36,975 36,952
Labor Force38,72038,60038,88338,94438,79238,96438,74738,73338,45738,20339,18938,48938,402

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
Belt ElemBelt 30034204230013MT 238 2,133 221
Belt H SBelt 30034504230013MT 94 2,034 118
Cascade ElemCascade 30058804230013MT 188 1,977 186
Cascade H SCascade 30059104230013MT 102 2,828 180
Centerville ElemSand Coulee 30251304230013MT 196 1,399 148
Centerville H SSand Coulee 30251404230013MT 78 1,355 79
Deep Creek ElemGreat Falls 30086404230013MT... 115 17
Great Falls ElemGreat Falls 30130401330013MT 7,171 72,954 7,844
Great Falls H SGreat Falls 30130501330013MT 2,975 73,097 3,695
Simms H SSimms 30243304330013MT 99 3,069 170
Sun River Valley ElemSimms 30243004230013MT 174 2,148 246
Ulm ElemUlm 30268804230013MT 89 735 62
Vaughn ElemVaughn 30058504230013MT 113 922 104

Number of districts: 13 ... Total enrollment: 11,517
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
Great Falls College Montana State University Great Falls, MT1802493 1,772 832 0 0
The Salon Professional Academy-Great Falls Great Falls, MT4577494 87 83 0 0
University of Great Falls Great Falls, MT1802587 1,043 627 74 36

  Number of institutions: 3 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 2,902
  Levels: 3-Assoc degree, 4-at least 2, but < 4 years, 5-Bach degree, 6-Postbacc cert, 7 Masters degree, 8 Post-masters cert, 9 Doctors degree

8. GeoPolitics   go top
Updated periodically. Voting patterns, citizen voting age population, state legislative districts, congressional districts .. in this metro.
Available in subscription edition.

Notes
  • All data are for current vintage county and metro definition.
  • Developed by ProximityOne -- Metro Reports (888-364-7656)
  • Data sources: ProximityOne, Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Housing Finance Agency,
    National Center for Education Statistics.

Updates go top
The subscription edition updates frequently. Selected items are listed below. Register to receive update notifications.
  • Overview lead narrative; quarterly & annual/March.
  • Housing Price Index (section 5.4) quarterly.
  • Establishments, employment & earnings (section 6.6) quarterly.
  • Economic profile and personal income (section 6.1) annual/November.
  • Labor market situation (section 6.7) monthly.
  • Residential construction; units authorized & value (section 5.3.) monthly.
  • Population by county; annual series 2010-2016 (section 4.2.) annual/July.
  • Population by county; links for individual counties (section 4.2.) annual/July.
      -- includes annual data 2010-2016.
      -- includes components of change; race/origin; single year of age; age group summaries.
  • Total population and components of change; annual/March.
  • Census tracts overview section; annual/December.
  • General Demographics section updated/extended; annual/December.
  • Gross Domestic Product section; annual/September.
  • Higher education institutions; annual/February.
  • Metro & county demographic component detailed annual estimates; annual/March.
  • School districts in metro & K-12 enrollment; annual/August.
More about schedule and upcoming events ... Calendar ... Upcoming Events ... Find Event

Terms of Use go top
Situation & Outlook Reports are a proprietary resource developed by ProximityOne. There is no warranty of any type associated with any aspect of this report. The user of this document is solely responsible to any use, direct or indirect, that might be made of this document.

Related Resources go top
  • Metros main page
  • Current estimates and projections: states to 2030, counties & metros to 2020 by age, counties & states to 2060.
  • Making Custom Metropolitan Area Maps
  • Rental Market Conditions by Metropolitan Area
  • Metro Gross Domestic Product
  • Housing Price Index
  • Establishments, Employment & Earnings
  • Regional Economic Information System
  • ACS 2014 1-year General Demographics ... Social Characteristics ... Economic Characteristics ... Housing Characteristics

Using this Document go top
The Situation & Outlook Report, a component of the Situation & Outlook, is a core ProximityOne information resource providing insights into characteristics and trends of counties, metropolitan areas, states and the U.S. The Report also provides a gateway to drill-down demographic, economic and business data for smaller geographic areas.

Metropolitan areas include approximately 94 percent of the U.S. population -- 85 percent in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and 9 percent in micropolitan statistical areas (MISAs).

About Metropolitan Areas & Principal Cities -- scroll section go top
Metropolitan Areas are designated by OMB ("Standards for Delineating Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas") based mainly on Census Bureau-sourced data. Metropolitan areas are defined as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MISA). MSAs and MISAs are also referred to a Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs). Contiguous CBSAs are defined as Combined Statistical Areas (CSA).

By definition, metropolitan areas are comprised of one or more contiguous counties. Metropolitan areas are not single cities and typically include many cities. Metropolitan areas are comprised of urban and rural areas and often have large expanses of rural territory. A business and demographic-economic synergy exists within each metro; metros often interact with adjacent metros. The demographic-economic make-up of metros vary widely and change often. See more about metros.

Principal Cities. The largest city in each metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area is designated a "principal city." Principal cities are designated by OMB based on Census-sourced data. Additional cities qualify as principal cities if specified requirements are met concerning population size and employment. The title of each metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area consists of the names of up to three of its principal cities and the name of each state into which the metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area extends. Titles of metropolitan divisions also typically are based on principal city names but in certain cases consist of county names.

One or more principal cities are designated within each Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Micropolitan Statistical Area (MISA). The term "principal city" is defined in the OMB "Standards for Delineating Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas." A principal city is an OMB designation applied to one or more incorporated places and/or census designated places (CDPs). The OMB standards designate a Principal City (or Cities) of a Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) as determined by:
  a) The largest incorporated place with a 2010 Census population of at least 10,000 in the CBSA or,
        if no incorporated place of at least 10,000 population is present in the CBSA,
        the largest incorporated place or census designated place in the CBSA; and
  b) Additional places with 2010 Census population of at least 250,000 or in which 100,000 or more persons work; and
  c) Additional places with 2010 Census population of 50,000-250,000,
        and number of workers working in the place meets or exceeds the number of workers living in the place; and
  d) Additional places with 2010 Census population of 10,000-50,000, and at least one-third the population size of the largest place,
        and in which the number of workers working in the place meets or exceeds the number of workers living in the place.

ProximityOne User Group go top
Join the ProximityOne User Group to keep up-to-date with new developments relating to metros and component geography decision-making information resources. Receive updates and access to tools and resources available only to members. Use this form to join the User Group.

Support Using these Resources go top
Learn more about accessing and using demographic-economic data and related analytical tools. Join us in a Data Analytics Lab session. There is no fee for these one-hour Web sessions. Each informal session is focused on a specific topic. The open structure also provides for Q&A and discussion of application issues of interest to participants.

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ProximityOne develops geographic-demographic-economic data and analytical tools and helps organizations knit together and use diverse data in a decision-making and analytical framework. We develop custom demographic/economic estimates and projections, develop geographic and geocoded address files, and assist with impact and geospatial analyses. Wide-ranging organizations use our tools (software, data, methodologies) to analyze their own data integrated with other data. Follow ProximityOne on Twitter at www.twitter.com/proximityone. Contact us (888-364-7656) with questions about data covered in this section or to discuss custom estimates, projections or analyses for your areas of interest.

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