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Metro in Regional Context




Situation & Outlook Report

Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 25940)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa25940.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 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Beaufort, SC MSA metro changed from 187,832 in 2010 to 202,137 in 2015, a change of 19,581 (10.4%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 223 in 2010 and 212 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 443 (2011), 3,100 (2012), 3,594 (2013), 3,393 (2014), 3,393 (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 220,009. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 32,111 (17.1%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 36,928 (2010) to 50,135 (2020), a change of 13,207 (35.8%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 91 in 2008 and 201 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $42,676 in 2008 to $43,215 in 2014, a change of $539 (1.3%). 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 219 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $7,507 in 2009 to $7,944 in 2014 a change of $437 (5.82%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $7,507 in 2009 to $7,302 in 2014, a change of ($205) (-2.73%). 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 46 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 25940; 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.
  •   Beaufort
  •   Bluffton
  •   Hilton Head Island

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
  Beaufort, SC (4504690) 12,361 12,491 12,346 12,610 12,887 13,130 639 5.10
  Bluffton, SC (4507210) 12,530 13,408 13,485 13,774 14,063 15,199 1,791 13.40
  Hilton Head Island, SC (4534045) 37,099 37,255 37,569 38,386 39,224 40,039 2,784 7.50
  Port Royal, SC (4558030) 10,678 10,752 10,945 11,252 11,532 11,870 1,118 10.40

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 187,832 100.0 189,363 100.0 193,362 100.0 197,571 100.0 202,137 100.0 207,413 100.0
  Beaufort County, SC (45013) 162,912 86.7 163,957 86.6 167,444 86.6 170,991 86.5 175,118 86.6 179,589 86.6
  Jasper County, SC (45053) 24,920 13.3 25,406 13.4 25,918 13.4 26,580 13.5 27,019 13.4 27,824 13.4

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.
  Beaufort County, SC

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 198,467 203,022 4,555 2.30
  One race 194,423 198,080 3,657 1.88
    White 136,994 146,842 9,848 7.19
    Black/African American 136,994 146,842 9,848 7.19
    American Indian/Alaska Native 687 103 -584 -85.01
    Asian alone 1,641 2,871 1,230 74.95
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 75 166 91 121.33
    Some other race alone 10,345 4,112 -6,233 -60.25
  Two or more races 4,044 4,942 898 22.21
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 23,860 24,324 464 1.94
Population 25 years and over 136,247 143,098 6,851 1.94
  % high school graduate or higher 89.7 91.7 2.0 2.23
  % bachelor's degree or higher 36.7 35.0 -1.7 -4.63
Total Households 74,931 74,717 -214 -4.63
  Median household income ($) 52,269 52,691 422 0.81
  Mean household income ($) 74,154 74,055 -99 -0.13
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 198,467 203,022 4,555 2.30
  Male 98,105 100,741 2,636 -0.13
  Female 100,362 102,281 1,919 -0.13
  Under 5 years 12,752 11,552 -1,200 -0.13
  5 to 9 years 12,185 12,872 687 5.64
  10 to 14 years 10,503 11,002 499 4.75
  15 to 19 years 13,031 12,666 -365 -2.80
  20 to 24 years 13,749 11,832 -1,917 -13.94
  25 to 34 years 23,200 25,227 2,027 8.74
  35 to 44 years 20,058 21,216 1,158 5.77
  45 to 54 years 23,257 22,588 -669 -2.88
  55 to 59 years 12,877 13,350 473 3.67
  55 to 59 years 12,877 13,350 473 3.67
  60 to 64 years 13,605 13,352 -253 -1.86
  65 to 74 years 27,303 30,006 2,703 9.90
  75 to 84 years 12,209 12,252 43 0.35
  85 years and over 3,738 5,107 1,369 36.62
  Median age 40.9 43.4 2.5 6.11
  18 years and over 156,852 161,534 4,682 2.98
  21 years and over 148,581 152,137 3,556 2.39
  62 years and over 52,126 55,285 3,159 6.06
  65 years and over 43,250 47,365 4,115 9.51

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 103,322 103,366 103,496 103,866 104,218 105,177 1,811 1.75

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 104,259 104,719 460 0.44
  1-unit, detached 61,527 64,013 2,486 4.04
  1-unit, attached 5,199 5,241 42 0.81
  2 units 1,109 1,225 116 10.46
  3 or 4 units 4,102 3,833 -269 -6.56
  5 to 9 units 6,303 6,291 -12 -0.19
  10 to 20 units 4,936 5,202 266 5.39
  20 or more units 7,901 8,277 376 4.76
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 104,259 104,719 460 0.44
  Occupied Housing Units 74,931 74,717 -214 -0.29
    Owner 52,143 51,856 -287 -0.55
    Renter 22,788 22,861 73 0.32
  Vacant Housing Units 29,328 30,002 674 2.30
  Homeowner vacancy rate 2.40 2.40 0.00...
  Rental vacancy rate 7.50 12.40 4.90...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.36 2.44 0.08 3.39
Average household size; renter-occ 3.04 3.08 0.04 1.32
Median Value $ owner occupied 247,100 257,000 9,900 4.01
Median Rent $ renter occupied 976 1,016 40 4.10

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 47 76 61 41 65 81 44 59 53 63 49 66
  in 1 unit bldgs 47 76 61 41 65 48 44 59 53 63 49 37
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 0 0 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 33 0 0 0 0 0 29
  Bldgs with 5+ units 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
  Percent Coverage 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 36 36 36 36
Value ($000), Total Units 17,702 27,702 24,247 13,726 23,099 19,516 15,739 16,678 18,595 21,035 15,151 17,387
  1 unit structures 17,702 27,702 24,247 13,726 23,099 15,116 15,739 16,678 18,595 21,035 15,151 13,844
  2 unit structures 0 0 0 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 4,400 0 0 0 0 0 3,543

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
    211.34 210.84 210.90 210.14 215.36
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  -0.24 0.03 -0.36 2.48 1.90
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 7,636,059 8,060,080 8,304,373 8,916,486 9,366,401 1,730,342 22.7
  Net earnings 1/ 3,664,895 3,866,307 3,975,206 4,223,171 4,477,950 813,055 22.2
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,529,358 1,571,206 1,664,033 1,777,162 1,916,432 387,074 25.3
    Income maintenance 2/ 131,720 127,308 130,699 126,555 128,345 -3,375 -2.6
    Unemployment insurance compensation 35,358 25,607 15,344 7,076 6,371 -28,987 -82.0
    Retirement and other 1,362,280 1,418,291 1,517,990 1,643,531 1,781,716 419,436 30.8
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 2,441,806 2,622,567 2,665,134 2,916,153 2,972,019 530,213 21.7
  Population 4/ 189,363 193,362 197,571 202,137 207,413 18,050 9.5
  Per capita personal income 40,325 41,684 42,032 44,111 45,158 4,833 12.0
  Per capita net earnings 19,354 19,995 20,120 20,893 21,590 2,236 11.6
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 8,076 8,126 8,422 8,792 9,240 1,164 14.4
    Per capita income maintenance 696 658 662 626 619 -77 -11.1
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 187 132 78 35 31 -156 -83.4
    Per capita retirement and other 7,194 7,335 7,683 8,131 8,590 1,396 19.4
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 12,895 13,563 13,489 14,427 14,329 1,434 11.1
  Earnings by place of work 4,049,645 4,270,064 4,450,337 4,723,982 5,025,215 975,570 24.1
    Wages and salaries 2,898,278 3,029,157 3,114,030 3,246,306 3,462,684 564,406 19.5
    Supplements to wages and salaries 825,140 830,096 842,487 871,167 903,148 78,008 9.5
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 578,065 572,759 582,970 600,125 617,830 39,765 6.9
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 247,075 257,337 259,517 271,042 285,318 38,243 15.5
    Proprietors' income 326,227 410,811 493,820 606,509 659,383 333,156 102.1
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 10,387 786 3,616 1,560 1,186 -9,201 -88.6
      Farm proprietors' income 315,840 410,025 490,204 604,949 658,197 342,357 108.4
Total full-time and part-time employment 104,465 106,122 108,073 111,464 115,478 11,013 10.5
  Wage and salary jobs 78,486 80,129 81,138 82,998 86,157 7,671 9.8
  Number of proprietors 25,979 25,993 26,935 28,466 29,321 3,342 12.9
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 199 201 199 199 199 0 0.0
    Number of farm proprietors 25,780 25,792 26,736 28,267 29,122 3,342 13.0
Average earnings per job (dollars) 38,766 40,237 41,179 42,381 43,517 4,751 12.3
  Average wages and salaries 36,927 37,804 38,379 39,113 40,190 3,263 8.8
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 12,251 15,897 18,335 21,401 22,601 10,350 84.5
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 7,507 7,420 7,305 7,354 7,634 7,944 437 5.82
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 7,507 7,360 7,139 7,041 7,172 7,302 -205 -2.73

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 5,656 111,171 684 5,745 118,068 692
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 43 3,770 1,064 43 3,752 880
 Total, all industries - St Govt 40 1,957 695 40 2,210 672
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 30 12,610 848 30 12,513 1,023
 Total, all industries - Private 5,543 92,834 647 5,632 99,593 644
    Goods-producing 889 9,117 819 912 10,041 799
      Natural resources and mining 34 720 695 36 1,196 533
      Construction 735 6,825 840 754 7,193 841
      Manufacturing 120 1,572 788 122 1,652 850
    Service-providing 4,654 83,717 628 4,720 89,552 626
      Trade, transportation & utilities 1,117 22,569 558 1,120 22,959 560
      Information 65 ...... 68 ......
      Financial activities 640 5,955 1,135 649 6,307 998
      Professional & business services 1,112 11,724 789 1,149 13,050 805
      Education and health services 552 14,012 821 552 14,251 828
      Leisure and hospitality 661 22,973 374 670 26,323 402
      Other services 507 ...... 512 ......

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 5.5 5.3 5.0 4.7 4.8 5.2 5.1 5.3 5.1 4.4 5.2 4.9 5.1
Unemployment 3,998 3,761 3,561 3,328 3,368 3,666 3,667 3,836 3,755 3,228 3,949 3,781 3,835
Employment 69,260 67,816 67,853 67,343 66,809 66,858 67,739 69,020 69,938 70,770 72,218 72,898 71,712
Labor Force73,25871,57771,41470,67170,17770,52471,40672,85673,69373,99876,16776,67975,547

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
Beaufort 01Beaufort 45011101345013SC 20,443 171,838 24,336
Jasper 01Ridgeland 45025204145053SC 2,908 26,629 4,273

Number of districts: 2 ... Total enrollment: 23,351
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
Technical College of the Lowcountry Beaufort, SC2177123 2,529 734 0 0
University of South Carolina-Beaufort Bluffton, SC2186545 1,794 1,435 0 0

  Number of institutions: 2 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 4,323
  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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