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Situation & Outlook Report

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 34820)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa34820.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 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC MSA metro changed from 378,697 in 2010 to 417,177 in 2015, a change of 53,267 (14.1%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 136 in 2010 and 123 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 6,187 (2011), 8,173 (2012), 10,859 (2013), 11,367 (2014), 11,367 (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 442,645. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 64,001 (16.9%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 71,579 (2010) to 109,013 (2020), a change of 37,434 (52.3%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 580 in 2008 and 750 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $30,940 in 2008 to $32,913 in 2014, a change of $1,973 (6.4%). 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 144 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $13,458 in 2009 to $15,569 in 2014 a change of $2,111 (15.69%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $13,458 in 2009 to $14,326 in 2014, a change of $868 (6.45%). 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 105 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 34820; 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.
  •   Conway
  •   Myrtle Beach
  •   North Myrtle Beach

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
  Conway, SC (4516405) 17,103 17,395 17,751 18,639 19,255 20,175 2,780 16.00
  Leland, NC (3737680) 13,527 13,962 14,530 15,107 16,031 17,015 3,053 21.90
  Myrtle Beach, SC (4549075) 27,109 27,212 27,651 28,279 29,089 29,992 2,780 10.20
  North Myrtle Beach, SC (4551280) 13,752 13,872 14,134 14,441 14,786 15,174 1,302 9.40

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 378,697 100.0 385,691 100.0 394,006 100.0 404,441 100.0 417,177 100.0 431,964 100.0
  Brunswick County, NC (37019) ** 108,181 28.6 110,301 28.6 112,255 28.5 115,391 28.5 118,919 28.5 122,765 28.4
  Horry County, SC (45051) 270,516 71.4 275,390 71.4 281,751 71.5 289,050 71.5 298,258 71.5 309,199 71.6
  ** indicates this county added since Census 2010 vintage metro definition.

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.
  Brunswick County, NC
  Horry 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 404,951 417,668 12,717 3.14
  One race 398,100 411,512 13,412 3.37
    White 334,635 337,472 2,837 0.85
    Black/African American 334,635 337,472 2,837 0.85
    American Indian/Alaska Native 1,773 2,213 440 24.82
    Asian alone 4,229 4,201 -28 -0.66
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 1,634 159 -1,475 -90.27
    Some other race alone 4,414 11,694 7,280 164.93
  Two or more races 6,851 6,156 -695 -10.14
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 23,209 23,971 762 3.28
Population 25 years and over 295,817 307,357 11,540 3.28
  % high school graduate or higher 87.1 88.3 1.2 1.38
  % bachelor's degree or higher 22.7 24.2 1.5 6.61
Total Households 162,547 174,999 12,452 6.61
  Median household income ($) 43,540 43,993 453 1.04
  Mean household income ($) 57,058 57,483 425 0.74
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 404,951 417,668 12,717 3.14
  Male 197,183 204,812 7,629 0.74
  Female 207,768 212,856 5,088 0.74
  Under 5 years 21,051 20,487 -564 0.74
  5 to 9 years 24,754 20,893 -3,861 -15.60
  10 to 14 years 19,406 23,877 4,471 23.04
  15 to 19 years 21,326 22,094 768 3.60
  20 to 24 years 22,597 22,960 363 1.61
  25 to 34 years 47,812 49,128 1,316 2.75
  35 to 44 years 47,358 46,993 -365 -0.77
  45 to 54 years 52,119 53,108 989 1.90
  55 to 59 years 29,692 31,417 1,725 5.81
  55 to 59 years 29,692 31,417 1,725 5.81
  60 to 64 years 32,822 33,606 784 2.39
  65 to 74 years 56,571 61,311 4,740 8.38
  75 to 84 years 22,900 24,604 1,704 7.44
  85 years and over 6,543 7,190 647 9.89
  Median age 44.7 45.6 0.9 2.01
  18 years and over 327,781 339,393 11,612 3.54
  21 years and over 314,909 325,837 10,928 3.47
  62 years and over 106,435 113,165 6,730 6.32
  65 years and over 86,014 93,105 7,091 8.24

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 263,474 263,997 265,699 267,566 270,338 274,506 10,509 3.98

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 268,903 274,528 5,625 2.09
  1-unit, detached 135,156 142,664 7,508 5.56
  1-unit, attached 10,009 10,218 209 2.09
  2 units 4,307 4,799 492 11.42
  3 or 4 units 7,810 7,211 -599 -7.67
  5 to 9 units 16,589 16,814 225 1.36
  10 to 20 units 17,117 17,602 485 2.83
  20 or more units 30,050 30,408 358 1.19
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 268,903 274,528 5,625 2.09
  Occupied Housing Units 162,547 174,999 12,452 7.66
    Owner 115,238 123,608 8,370 7.26
    Renter 47,309 51,391 4,082 8.63
  Vacant Housing Units 106,356 99,529 -6,827 -6.42
  Homeowner vacancy rate 2.70 2.90 0.20...
  Rental vacancy rate 37.10 28.90 -8.20...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.34 2.31 -0.03 -1.28
Average household size; renter-occ 2.78 2.49 -0.29 -10.43
Median Value $ owner occupied 160,300 162,000 1,700 1.06
Median Rent $ renter occupied 811 821 10 1.23

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 413 351 431 364 436 395 401 481 569 507 618 394
  in 1 unit bldgs 393 343 389 336 398 361 369 443 497 486 548 386
  in 2 unit bldgs 8 0 6 4 16 22 6 6 16 12 34 4
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 3 0 0 0 4 0 8 3 4 4 4
  in 5+ unit bldgs 12 5 36 24 22 8 26 24 53 5 32 0
  Bldgs with 5+ units 1 1 4 1 2 1 2 2 6 1 4 0
  Percent Coverage 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85 85
Value ($000), Total Units 71,951 68,879 71,519 63,027 73,074 71,162 67,547 85,547 97,243 94,153 102,631 320,730
  1 unit structures 71,205 67,567 68,209 61,239 71,209 69,011 64,632 80,639 91,770 92,551 98,057 320,324
  2 unit structures 386 0 668 250 805 1,096 589 376 810 586 1,643 211
  3-4 unit structures 0 585 0 0 0 480 0 1,923 578 420 777 195
  5+ unit structures 360 727 2,642 1,538 1,060 575 2,326 2,609 4,085 596 2,154 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
    189.38 193.66 193.18 195.65 198.62
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  2.26 -0.25 1.28 1.52 4.88
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 11,716,508 12,252,512 12,852,170 13,745,873 14,608,206 2,891,698 24.7
  Net earnings 1/ 5,923,268 6,201,148 6,518,049 6,897,941 7,297,046 1,373,778 23.2
  Personal current transfer receipts 3,466,159 3,599,489 3,823,077 4,135,161 4,500,028 1,033,869 29.8
    Income maintenance 2/ 322,939 317,249 324,318 317,938 325,832 2,893 0.9
    Unemployment insurance compensation 153,315 89,346 51,486 21,503 17,744 -135,571 -88.4
    Retirement and other 2,989,905 3,192,894 3,447,273 3,795,720 4,156,452 1,166,547 39.0
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 2,327,081 2,451,875 2,511,044 2,712,771 2,811,132 484,051 20.8
  Population 4/ 385,691 394,006 404,441 417,177 431,964 46,273 12.0
  Per capita personal income 30,378 31,097 31,778 32,950 33,818 3,440 11.3
  Per capita net earnings 15,358 15,739 16,116 16,535 16,893 1,535 10.0
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 8,987 9,136 9,453 9,912 10,418 1,431 15.9
    Per capita income maintenance 837 805 802 762 754 -83 -9.9
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 398 227 127 52 41 -357 -89.7
    Per capita retirement and other 7,752 8,104 8,524 9,099 9,622 1,870 24.1
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 6,034 6,223 6,209 6,503 6,508 474 7.9
  Earnings by place of work 6,345,538 6,671,067 7,101,448 7,542,972 7,951,816 1,606,278 25.3
    Wages and salaries 4,685,504 4,864,386 5,046,256 5,270,069 5,601,627 916,123 19.6
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,190,212 1,185,413 1,227,889 1,312,262 1,346,045 155,833 13.1
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 797,893 784,236 812,929 877,422 894,688 96,795 12.1
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 392,319 401,177 414,960 434,840 451,357 59,038 15.0
    Proprietors' income 469,822 621,268 827,303 960,641 1,004,144 534,322 113.7
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 23,982 34,740 57,455 54,938 20,829 -3,153 -13.1
      Farm proprietors' income 445,840 586,528 769,848 905,703 983,315 537,475 120.6
Total full-time and part-time employment 197,393 200,227 206,053 211,047 216,724 19,331 9.8
  Wage and salary jobs 146,789 149,875 153,558 157,089 161,058 14,269 9.7
  Number of proprietors 50,604 50,352 52,495 53,958 55,666 5,062 10.0
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 1,024 1,010 1,002 987 984 -40 -3.9
    Number of farm proprietors 49,580 49,342 51,493 52,971 54,682 5,102 10.3
Average earnings per job (dollars) 32,147 33,318 34,464 35,741 36,691 4,544 14.1
  Average wages and salaries 31,920 32,456 32,862 33,548 34,780 2,860 9.0
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 8,992 11,887 14,951 17,098 17,982 8,990 100.0
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 13,458 13,639 14,122 14,480 15,100 15,569 2,111 15.69
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 13,458 13,607 13,921 13,975 14,249 14,326 868 6.45

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 10,765 226,392 612 11,019 253,573 590
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 47 1,661 1,241 46 1,671 1,143
 Total, all industries - St Govt 48 6,664 830 48 6,827 869
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 76 26,153 759 76 26,069 764
 Total, all industries - Private 10,594 191,913 580 10,849 219,007 557
    Goods-producing 1,512 19,728 729 1,556 20,940 754
      Natural resources and mining 68 631 697 69 852 674
      Construction 1,184 11,957 698 1,222 12,812 740
      Manufacturing 260 7,140 783 265 7,276 790
    Service-providing 9,082 172,185 563 9,293 198,066 536
      Trade, transportation & utilities 2,527 52,491 587 2,583 55,954 558
      Information 108 3,825 814 124 3,846 917
      Financial activities 1,173 12,766 773 1,194 14,721 689
      Professional & business services 1,777 19,465 732 1,820 21,414 688
      Education and health services 930 24,710 791 931 25,080 809
      Leisure and hospitality 1,771 53,671 317 1,823 71,372 330
      Other services 796 5,257 519 818 5,679 533

Notes: cell value of '...' indicates value suppressed to maintain confidentiality.

Use the following links to access detailed establishment and employment data by type of business (CSV files).
  .. see notes on using these files.
  2013Q1 .. 2013Q2 .. 2013Q3 .. 2013Q4 .|. 2014Q1 .. 2014Q2 .. 2014Q3 .. 2014Q4 .|. 2015Q1 .. 2015Q2 .. 2015Q3 .. 2015Q4 .. 2016Q1 .. 2016Q2
 
6.7. Labor Market Characteristics & Trends go top
Updated monthly. Available in subscription edition.
For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
Table shows 13 most recent months.
  ItemAug15Sep15Oct15Nov15Dec15Jan16Feb16Mar16Apr16May16Jun16Jul16Aug16
Unemplymnt Rate 7.0 6.7 6.7 7.2 7.2 8.0 7.8 6.7 6.0 5.5 5.8 5.6 5.7
Unemployment 3,516 3,283 3,228 3,410 3,350 3,747 3,695 3,305 2,988 2,777 2,981 2,933 2,909
Employment 46,806 45,611 44,626 44,172 43,343 42,930 43,974 45,747 46,999 47,743 48,799 49,802 48,088
Labor Force50,32248,89447,85447,58246,69346,67747,66949,05249,98750,52051,78052,73550,997

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
Brunswick County SchoolsBolivia 37004204137019NC 12,436 115,301 14,973
Horry 01Conway 45024902245051SC 39,998 289,650 41,332

Number of districts: 2 ... Total enrollment: 52,434
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
Brunswick Community College Bolivia, NC1980843 1,814 930 0 0
Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC2187249 9,364 8,502 612 182
Golf Academy of America-Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, SC4346903 251 235 0 0
Horry-Georgetown Technical College Conway, SC2181403 7,335 2,973 0 0
ITT Technical Institute-Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, SC4709045 152 125 0 0
Miller-Motte Technical College-Conway Conway, SC4608353 622 480 0 0

  Number of institutions: 6 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 19,538
  Levels: 3-Assoc degree, 4-at least 2, but < 4 years, 5-Bach degree, 6-Postbacc cert, 7 Masters degree, 8 Post-masters cert, 9 Doctors degree

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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