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Situation & Outlook Report

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 42100)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa42100.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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA MSA metro changed from 263,266 in 2010 to 271,401 in 2015, a change of 10,880 (4.1%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 171 in 2010 and 174 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 255 (2011), 173 (2012), 1,313 (2013), 1,110 (2014), 1,110 (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 281,912. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 18,699 (7.1%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 30,277 (2010) to 53,696 (2020), a change of 23,419 (77.3%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 46 in 2008 and 46 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $46,549 in 2008 to $52,280 in 2014, a change of $5,731 (12.3%). 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 183 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $9,476 in 2009 to $11,245 in 2014 a change of $1,769 (18.67%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $9,476 in 2009 to $10,105 in 2014, a change of $629 (6.64%). 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 53 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 42100; see table usage details below the table.

Fortune 1000 Companies with headquarters in this metro.
  • Granite Construction Incorporated

Number in this metro: 1. Extended data & analysis in subscription edition.

3. Lay of the Land & Neighborhood Patterns of Economic Prosperity   go top

3.1. Lay of the Land go top
Lay of the Land. The following map shows the metro with bold boundary.
Counties are labeled with county name and state-county FIPS code.

 
  View developed with CV XE GIS software.   See this section to learn about making custom metro maps.

3.2. Patterns of Economic Prosperity by Neighborhood go top

Median household income by census tract (see color/data legend at left of map).

 
  View developed with CV XE GIS software.   See this section to learn about making custom metro maps.

4. Population Characteristics & Trends go top
Updated monthly, quarterly, annually. Housing market conditions and extended detail Available in subscription edition.

4.1. Component City Characteristics go top
Principal Cities (about principal cities); Click link to view city profile.
  •   Santa Cruz
  •   Watsonville

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
  Santa Cruz, CA (0669112) 59,946 60,595 61,449 62,009 62,857 63,364 2,769 4.60
  Scotts Valley, CA (0670588) 11,580 11,591 11,631 11,676 11,770 11,858 267 2.30
  Watsonville, CA (0683668) 51,199 51,274 51,582 51,915 52,504 53,111 1,837 3.60

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 263,266 100.0 264,971 100.0 266,597 100.0 269,277 100.0 271,401 100.0 274,146 100.0
  Santa Cruz County, CA (06087) 263,266 100.0 264,971 100.0 266,597 100.0 269,277 100.0 271,401 100.0 274,146 100.0

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.
  Santa Cruz County, CA

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 269,419 271,804 2,385 0.89
  One race 257,231 260,194 2,963 1.15
    White 217,508 218,568 1,060 0.49
    Black/African American 217,508 218,568 1,060 0.49
    American Indian/Alaska Native 1,414 724 -690 -48.80
    Asian alone 12,556 12,339 -217 -1.73
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 40 194 154 385.00
    Some other race alone 23,627 25,971 2,344 9.92
  Two or more races 12,188 11,610 -578 -4.74
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 88,768 90,312 1,544 1.74
Population 25 years and over 172,123 175,924 3,801 1.74
  % high school graduate or higher 86.8 86.5 -0.3 -0.35
  % bachelor's degree or higher 38.9 39.5 0.6 1.54
Total Households 93,982 96,127 2,145 1.54
  Median household income ($) 68,438 65,368 -3,070 -4.49
  Mean household income ($) 87,206 93,276 6,070 6.96
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 269,419 271,804 2,385 0.89
  Male 133,491 135,280 1,789 6.96
  Female 135,928 136,524 596 6.96
  Under 5 years 15,844 14,927 -917 6.96
  5 to 9 years 16,065 14,716 -1,349 -8.40
  10 to 14 years 14,647 15,496 849 5.80
  15 to 19 years 21,723 22,808 1,085 4.99
  20 to 24 years 29,017 27,933 -1,084 -3.74
  25 to 34 years 31,628 33,222 1,594 5.04
  35 to 44 years 32,259 32,035 -224 -0.69
  45 to 54 years 35,869 35,948 79 0.22
  55 to 59 years 19,859 19,879 20 0.10
  55 to 59 years 19,859 19,879 20 0.10
  60 to 64 years 18,640 18,573 -67 -0.36
  65 to 74 years 20,198 22,701 2,503 12.39
  75 to 84 years 8,466 9,379 913 10.78
  85 years and over 5,204 4,187 -1,017 -19.54
  Median age 36.8 37.0 0.2 0.54
  18 years and over 213,236 217,580 4,344 2.04
  21 years and over 196,456 196,547 91 0.05
  62 years and over 43,541 47,324 3,783 8.69
  65 years and over 33,868 36,267 2,399 7.08

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 104,476 104,491 104,605 104,788 105,000 105,275 784 0.75

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 104,677 105,251 574 0.55
  1-unit, detached 66,485 68,745 2,260 3.40
  1-unit, attached 8,862 7,656 -1,206 -13.61
  2 units 3,149 3,492 343 10.89
  3 or 4 units 6,499 6,545 46 0.71
  5 to 9 units 3,881 4,171 290 7.47
  10 to 20 units 2,379 4,019 1,640 68.94
  20 or more units 6,427 4,749 -1,678 -26.11
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 104,677 105,251 574 0.55
  Occupied Housing Units 93,982 96,127 2,145 2.28
    Owner 56,426 54,393 -2,033 -3.60
    Renter 37,556 41,734 4,178 11.12
  Vacant Housing Units 10,695 9,124 -1,571 -14.69
  Homeowner vacancy rate 1.70 0.20 -1.50...
  Rental vacancy rate 2.00 1.60 -0.40...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.71 2.61 -0.10 -3.69
Average household size; renter-occ 2.78 2.82 0.04 1.44
Median Value $ owner occupied 535,500 615,200 79,700 14.88
Median Rent $ renter occupied 1,350 1,477 127 9.41

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 17 21 13 14 15 14 14 19 15 21 21 17
  in 1 unit bldgs 9 8 8 7 8 8 9 10 10 11 11 9
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 3
  in 5+ unit bldgs 5 10 5 7 7 6 5 5 5 10 10 5
  Bldgs with 5+ units 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1
  Percent Coverage 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 55 57 57 57 57
Value ($000), Total Units 2,791 3,250 2,398 2,219 2,435 2,499 2,614 3,288 2,662 3,552 3,386 2,958
  1 unit structures 1,938 1,889 1,889 1,507 1,723 1,889 2,105 2,320 2,153 2,535 2,369 2,105
  2 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  3-4 unit structures 344 344 0 0 0 0 0 459 0 0 0 344
  5+ unit structures 509 1,017 509 712 712 610 509 509 509 1,017 1,017 509

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
    287.34 291.21 293.75 298.28 309.99
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  1.35 0.87 1.54 3.93 7.88
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 13,100,030 13,931,267 14,246,799 14,814,476 15,696,689 2,596,659 19.8
  Net earnings 1/ 8,738,934 9,077,207 9,410,059 9,622,104 10,236,325 1,497,391 17.1
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,704,215 1,729,173 1,804,035 1,902,989 2,048,008 343,793 20.2
    Income maintenance 2/ 163,617 167,209 168,343 165,931 166,686 3,069 1.9
    Unemployment insurance compensation 141,434 116,705 94,767 64,468 58,260 -83,174 -58.8
    Retirement and other 1,399,164 1,445,259 1,540,925 1,672,590 1,823,062 423,898 30.3
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 2,656,881 3,124,887 3,032,705 3,289,383 3,412,356 755,475 28.4
  Population 4/ 264,971 266,597 269,277 271,401 274,146 9,175 3.5
  Per capita personal income 49,439 52,256 52,908 54,585 57,257 7,818 15.8
  Per capita net earnings 32,981 34,048 34,946 35,453 37,339 4,358 13.2
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 6,432 6,486 6,700 7,012 7,471 1,039 16.2
    Per capita income maintenance 617 627 625 611 608 -9 -1.5
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 534 438 352 238 213 -321 -60.1
    Per capita retirement and other 5,280 5,421 5,722 6,163 6,650 1,370 25.9
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 10,027 11,721 11,262 12,120 12,447 2,420 24.1
  Earnings by place of work 7,627,788 7,690,458 8,049,553 8,350,151 8,698,353 1,070,565 14.0
    Wages and salaries 4,245,776 4,321,981 4,508,717 4,737,051 5,073,553 827,777 19.5
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,228,511 1,220,538 1,287,118 1,347,553 1,407,995 179,484 14.6
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 929,466 914,454 970,035 1,012,983 1,051,208 121,742 13.1
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 299,045 306,084 317,083 334,570 356,787 57,742 19.3
    Proprietors' income 2,153,501 2,147,939 2,253,718 2,265,547 2,216,805 63,304 2.9
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 126,255 117,907 141,485 106,712 124,555 -1,700 -1.3
      Farm proprietors' income 2,027,246 2,030,032 2,112,233 2,158,835 2,092,250 65,004 3.2
Total full-time and part-time employment 138,391 140,362 144,729 148,892 153,381 14,990 10.8
  Wage and salary jobs 95,978 97,766 101,014 104,324 107,411 11,433 11.9
  Number of proprietors 42,413 42,596 43,715 44,568 45,970 3,557 8.4
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 516 514 517 524 524 8 1.6
    Number of farm proprietors 41,897 42,082 43,198 44,044 45,446 3,549 8.5
Average earnings per job (dollars) 55,118 54,790 55,618 56,082 56,711 1,593 2.9
  Average wages and salaries 44,237 44,207 44,635 45,407 47,235 2,998 6.8
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 48,386 48,240 48,897 49,015 46,038 -2,348 -4.9
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 9,476 9,547 9,802 10,262 10,875 11,245 1,769 18.67
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 9,476 9,387 9,363 9,583 9,950 10,105 629 6.64

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 9,281 156,139 857 9,287 169,188 860
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 27 867 1,554 27 878 1,305
 Total, all industries - St Govt 12 ...... 12 ......
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 157 ...... 157 ......
 Total, all industries - Private 9,085 127,851 813 9,091 140,020 814
    Goods-producing 1,293 22,908 896 1,312 30,937 967
      Natural resources and mining 246 7,041 591 251 14,091 615
      Construction 757 5,452 928 770 5,908 972
      Manufacturing 290 10,415 1,098 291 10,939 1,461
    Service-providing 7,792 104,943 795 7,779 109,083 769
      Trade, transportation & utilities 1,192 27,093 775 1,199 27,595 723
      Information 97 1,378 1,221 99 1,376 1,256
      Financial activities 627 5,761 1,165 621 5,865 1,050
      Professional & business services 1,220 15,799 1,151 1,217 16,156 1,128
      Education and health services 2,901 27,133 885 2,896 27,453 888
      Leisure and hospitality 732 20,360 365 747 23,050 372
      Other services 651 6,320 618 661 6,588 647
      Unclassified 372 1,100 630 339 999 742

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 6.1 5.5 5.8 7.2 8.3 9.0 8.8 8.7 7.5 5.9 6.2 6.2 5.8
Unemployment 8,823 7,860 8,373 10,275 11,730 12,764 12,605 12,548 10,839 8,523 9,257 9,250 8,602
Employment 136,650 134,009 134,880 132,475 129,310 129,592 130,678 131,273 133,690 136,788 139,854 140,084 139,534
Labor Force145,473141,869143,253142,750141,040142,356143,283143,821144,529145,311149,111149,334148,136

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
Bonny Doon Union ElemSanta Cruz 06056404106087CA 132 3,010 187
Happy Valley ElemSanta Cruz 06165604106087CA 127 1,437 108
Live Oak ElemSanta Cruz 06219902206087CA 2,118 23,075 1,577
Loma Prieta Joint Union ElemLos Gatos 06223504106087CA 453 3,842 394
Mountain ElemSoquel 06260702206087CA 132 1,324 75
Pacific ElemDavenport 06293404206087CA 104 856 59
Pajaro Valley UnfWatsonville 06294901306087CA 20,001 117,358 22,342
San Lorenzo Valley UnfBen Lomond 06347404106087CA 4,444 24,521 3,267
Santa Cruz City ElemSoquel 06355901306087CA 2,360 63,934 3,212
Santa Cruz City HighSoquel 06356001306087CA 4,716 120,551 5,917
Scotts Valley UnfScotts Valley 06000432206087CA 2,479 18,135 3,194
Soquel Union ElemCapitola 06372902206087CA 1,954 26,915 2,355

Number of districts: 12 ... Total enrollment: 39,020
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
Cabrillo College Aptos, CA1103343 13,594 4,560 0 0
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA1107149 16,277 15,825 1,589 1,529

  Number of institutions: 2 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 29,871
  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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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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