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Metro in Regional Context




Situation & Outlook Report

Valdosta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 46660)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa46660.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 Valdosta, GA MSA metro changed from 140,082 in 2010 to 143,428 in 2015, a change of 2,793 (2%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 291 in 2010 and 294 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 1,311 (2011), 1,112 (2012), -2,766 (2013), -483 (2014), -483 (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 160,484. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 20,380 (14.5%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 15,205 (2010) to 23,880 (2020), a change of 8,675 (57.1%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 690 in 2008 and 793 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $29,696 in 2008 to $31,975 in 2014, a change of $2,279 (7.7%). 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 305 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $4,480 in 2009 to $4,894 in 2014 a change of $414 (9.24%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $4,480 in 2009 to $4,449 in 2014, a change of ($31) (-0.69%). 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 34 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 46660; 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.
  •   Valdosta

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
  Valdosta, GA (1378800) 54,518 55,009 56,087 57,634 56,309 56,595 1,586 2.90

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 140,082 100.0 142,469 100.0 144,726 100.0 142,959 100.0 143,428 100.0 142,875 100.0
  Brooks County, GA (13027) 16,263 11.6 15,954 11.2 15,526 10.7 15,627 10.9 15,421 10.8 15,658 11.0
  Echols County, GA (13101) 4,031 2.9 4,117 2.9 3,993 2.8 4,038 2.8 4,054 2.8 4,040 2.8
  Lanier County, GA (13173) 10,099 7.2 10,470 7.3 10,448 7.2 10,396 7.3 10,390 7.2 10,312 7.2
  Lowndes County, GA (13185) 109,689 78.3 111,928 78.6 114,759 79.3 112,898 79.0 113,563 79.2 112,865 79.0

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.
  Lowndes County, GA

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 143,947 143,140 -807 -0.56
  One race 139,832 140,932 1,100 0.79
    White 86,089 86,377 288 0.33
    Black/African American 86,089 86,377 288 0.33
    American Indian/Alaska Native 185 87 -98 -52.97
    Asian alone 1,830 1,813 -17 -0.93
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0 112 112...
    Some other race alone 3,020 1,050 -1,970 -65.23
  Two or more races 4,115 2,208 -1,907 -46.34
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 9,922 7,924 -1,998 -20.14
Population 25 years and over 83,656 83,786 130 -20.14
  % high school graduate or higher 80.9 81.5 0.6 0.74
  % bachelor's degree or higher 20.1 21.9 1.8 8.96
Total Households 51,631 49,067 -2,564 8.96
  Median household income ($) 35,104 36,340 1,236 3.52
  Mean household income ($) 46,505 55,610 9,105 19.58
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 143,947 143,140 -807 -0.56
  Male 70,352 69,639 -713 19.58
  Female 73,595 73,501 -94 19.58
  Under 5 years 11,673 10,843 -830 19.58
  5 to 9 years 10,698 11,216 518 4.84
  10 to 14 years 8,907 9,072 165 1.85
  15 to 19 years 11,268 10,177 -1,091 -9.68
  20 to 24 years 17,745 18,046 301 1.70
  25 to 34 years 20,019 20,138 119 0.59
  35 to 44 years 17,291 15,763 -1,528 -8.84
  45 to 54 years 16,664 15,730 -934 -5.60
  55 to 59 years 7,061 7,769 708 10.03
  55 to 59 years 7,061 7,769 708 10.03
  60 to 64 years 6,728 7,215 487 7.24
  65 to 74 years 9,066 10,839 1,773 19.56
  75 to 84 years 5,309 5,267 -42 -0.79
  85 years and over 1,518 1,065 -453 -29.84
  Median age 30.3 30.3 0.0 0.00
  18 years and over 106,885 106,504 -381 -0.36
  21 years and over 96,632 96,695 63 0.07
  62 years and over 20,005 21,522 1,517 7.58
  65 years and over 15,893 17,171 1,278 8.04

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 57,434 57,606 58,245 58,713 58,895 59,156 1,550 2.69

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 57,971 58,587 616 1.06
  1-unit, detached 36,951 38,034 1,083 2.93
  1-unit, attached 1,046 996 -50 -4.78
  2 units 1,266 1,410 144 11.37
  3 or 4 units 2,622 2,227 -395 -15.06
  5 to 9 units 4,086 2,481 -1,605 -39.28
  10 to 20 units 1,832 1,519 -313 -17.09
  20 or more units 1,334 2,126 792 59.37
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 57,971 58,587 616 1.06
  Occupied Housing Units 51,631 49,067 -2,564 -4.97
    Owner 27,498 28,082 584 2.12
    Renter 24,133 20,985 -3,148 -13.04
  Vacant Housing Units 6,340 9,520 3,180 50.16
  Homeowner vacancy rate 1.60 3.40 1.80...
  Rental vacancy rate 2.70 6.70 4.00...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.76 2.88 0.12 4.35
Average household size; renter-occ 2.65 2.76 0.11 4.15
Median Value $ owner occupied 117,100 110,900 -6,200 -5.29
Median Rent $ renter occupied 701 719 18 2.57

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 33 33 33 24 29 29 30 36 56 50 60 45
  in 1 unit bldgs 31 31 31 24 27 27 30 36 49 50 53 45
  in 2 unit bldgs 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 2 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  in 5+ unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 0
  Bldgs with 5+ units 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
  Percent Coverage 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 88 86 86 86 86
Value ($000), Total Units 4,675 4,669 4,675 3,516 4,089 4,089 4,396 5,275 8,640 8,422 9,304 7,562
  1 unit structures 4,542 4,542 4,542 3,516 3,956 3,956 4,396 5,275 8,250 8,422 8,908 7,562
  2 unit structures 133 127 133 0 133 133 0 0 127 0 133 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  5+ unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 263 0 263 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
    166.45 164.92 166.01 164.91 165.65
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  -0.92 0.66 -0.66 0.45 -0.48
6. Economic Characteristics & Trends go top

6.1. Economic Profile go top
The Economic Profile shows shows derivation and key components of total personal income. Data are organized by place of residence and place of work. The place of residence profile includes estimates of total personal income, population, and per capita personal income. The place of work profile includes estimates of total earnings, total employment and average earnings per job. Updated annually. See related interactive table.

  Item20112012201320142015Change
2011-2015
%Change
2011-2015
Personal income 4,239,225 4,239,817 4,315,171 4,451,932 4,591,688 352,463 8.3
  Net earnings 1/ 2,370,648 2,445,299 2,525,867 2,590,437 2,667,014 296,366 12.5
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,015,031 1,004,733 1,029,790 1,080,640 1,116,906 101,875 10.0
    Income maintenance 2/ 148,038 151,937 157,120 157,389 155,560 7,522 5.1
    Unemployment insurance compensation 33,437 26,130 17,797 7,498 5,910 -27,527 -82.3
    Retirement and other 833,556 826,666 854,873 915,753 955,436 121,880 14.6
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 853,546 789,785 759,514 780,855 807,768 -45,778 -5.4
  Population 4/ 142,469 144,726 142,959 143,428 142,875 406 0.3
  Per capita personal income 29,755 29,295 30,185 31,039 32,138 2,383 8.0
  Per capita net earnings 16,640 16,896 17,668 18,061 18,667 2,027 12.2
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 7,125 6,942 7,203 7,534 7,817 692 9.7
    Per capita income maintenance 1,039 1,050 1,099 1,097 1,089 50 4.8
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 235 181 124 52 41 -194 -82.6
    Per capita retirement and other 5,851 5,712 5,980 6,385 6,687 836 14.3
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 5,991 5,457 5,313 5,444 5,654 -337 -5.6
  Earnings by place of work 2,737,590 2,837,566 2,964,228 3,043,802 3,121,367 383,777 14.0
    Wages and salaries 1,996,790 2,070,401 2,096,016 2,184,401 2,248,298 251,508 12.6
    Supplements to wages and salaries 609,967 629,684 644,099 645,857 643,932 33,965 5.6
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 458,480 471,922 485,527 482,165 477,402 18,922 4.1
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 151,487 157,762 158,572 163,692 166,530 15,043 9.9
    Proprietors' income 130,833 137,481 224,113 213,544 229,137 98,304 75.1
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 51,544 41,663 59,386 32,632 35,037 -16,507 -32.0
      Farm proprietors' income 79,289 95,818 164,727 180,912 194,100 114,811 144.8
Total full-time and part-time employment 71,120 72,215 73,465 74,811 76,087 4,967 7.0
  Wage and salary jobs 57,968 59,197 59,845 60,874 61,757 3,789 6.5
  Number of proprietors 13,152 13,018 13,620 13,937 14,330 1,178 9.0
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 792 748 748 738 726 -66 -8.3
    Number of farm proprietors 12,360 12,270 12,872 13,199 13,604 1,244 10.1
Average earnings per job (dollars) 38,493 39,293 40,349 40,687 41,024 2,531 6.6
  Average wages and salaries 34,446 34,975 35,024 35,884 36,406 1,960 5.7
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 6,415 7,809 12,797 13,706 14,268 7,853 122.4
Dollar items are in current dollars (not adjusted for inflation). Per capita items in dollars; other dollar items in thousands of dollars.
See related notes.

6.2. Cost of Living Indexes   go top
Updated periodically. Available in subscription edition.

6.3. Cost of Doing Business Indexes   go top
Updated periodically. Available in subscription edition.

6.4. Consumer Price Index   go top
Updated monthly. Available in subscription edition.

6.5. Gross Domestic Product by Sector   go top
Updated quarterly, annually. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table. Additional detail in subscription edition.
  Item200920102011201220132014Change
2009-14
%Change
2009-14
Gross Domestic Product, millions of current dollars 4,480 4,400 4,393 4,480 4,655 4,894 414 9.24
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 4,480 4,345 4,258 4,239 4,313 4,449 -31 -0.69

6.6. Establishments, Employment & Earnings by Detailed Type of Business go top
Updated quarterly. For more information, detail & to compare areas use interactive table.
  SectorEstablishments
2015Q1
Employment
2015Q1
Avg Weekly Wages
2015Q1
Establishments
2015Q2
Employment
2015Q2
Avg Weekly Wages
2015Q2
 Total, all industries 3,398 87,751 629 3,397 90,146 618
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 63 1,879 864 64 1,893 770
 Total, all industries - St Govt 59 ...... 57 ......
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 51 ...... 51 ......
 Total, all industries - Private 3,225 67,313 591 3,225 69,785 587
    Goods-producing 524 12,852 827 521 14,112 784
      Natural resources and mining 104 2,001 565 104 3,043 440
      Construction 299 3,878 955 296 4,107 953
      Manufacturing 121 6,974 831 121 6,961 841
    Service-providing 2,701 54,461 535 2,704 55,673 536
      Trade, transportation & utilities 808 18,875 564 809 19,079 581
      Information 32 ...... 33 ......
      Financial activities 332 3,367 797 335 3,420 753
      Professional & business services 435 ...... 449 ......
      Education and health services 389 ...... 394 ......
      Leisure and hospitality 329 11,917 253 326 12,892 241
      Other services 246 ...... 254 ......
      Unclassified 130 248 454 104 162 493

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 5.9 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.0 5.6 5.8 5.5 4.9 4.8 5.3 5.3 4.9
Unemployment 389 362 364 347 341 386 389 382 339 332 373 362 331
Employment 6,165 6,216 6,339 6,555 6,528 6,545 6,306 6,565 6,510 6,641 6,637 6,527 6,477
Labor Force6,5546,5786,7036,9026,8696,9316,6956,9476,8496,9737,0106,8896,808

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
Brooks CountyQuitman 13005404113027GA 2,279 15,516 2,397
Echols CountyStatenville 13019504213101GA 794 4,057 751
Lanier CountyLakeland 13032403113173GA 1,774 10,408 1,804
Lowndes CountyValdosta 13033904113185GA 10,523 56,306 10,946
Valdosta CityValdosta 13053101313185GA 7,806 56,610 8,662

Number of districts: 5 ... Total enrollment: 23,176
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
Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA1412649 9,328 7,815 2,235 658
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Valdosta, GA1412554 3,629 1,092 0 0

  Number of institutions: 2 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 12,957
  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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