CV XE GIS Home Page
Decision-Making Information

  ProximityOne
  information resources & solutions
  (888) DMI-SOLN
  (888) 364-7656








Put data to work more effectively.
Certificate in Data Analytics




Data Analytics Blog
Power of Combining Maps with Data

Support & Technical Assistance
help using these resources




Situation & Outlook Report

Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
(CBSA 48900)
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This section is no longer being updated.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/cbsa48900.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 Wilmington, NC MSA metro changed from 255,648 in 2010 to 272,671 in 2015, a change of 22,321 (8.7%). Among all 917 metros, this metro was ranked number 176 in 2010 and 171 in 2015, based on total population. Annual net migration was 2,904 (2011), 3,073 (2012), 4,551 (2013), 3,623 (2014), 3,623 (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 294,310. The projected population change from 2010 to 2020 is 38,576 (15.1%). The population ages 65 years and over is projected to change from 37,199 (2010) to 57,792 (2020), a change of 20,593 (55.4%). See more about population projections.

Based on per capita personal income (PCPI), this metro was ranked number 288 in 2008 and 418 in 2014. among the 917 metros for which personal income was estimated.The PCPI changed from $36,029 in 2008 to $38,278 in 2014, a change of $2,249 (6.2%). 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 168 among the 381 metros based on 2014 GDP. The GDP (millions of current dollars) changed from $10,776 in 2009 to $12,995 in 2014 a change of $2,219 (20.59%). Real GDP (millions of real, inflation adjusted, dollars) changed from $10,776 in 2009 to $11,807 in 2014, a change of $1,031 (9.57%). 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 61 tracts covering the metro wall-to-wall. View, rank, compare demographic-economic attributes of these tracts using the interactive tables. Use the CBSA code 48900; 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.
  •   Wilmington

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
  Wilmington, NC (3774440) 106,476 106,820 108,244 109,826 111,987 113,657 6,837 6.40

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 255,648 100.0 259,262 100.0 263,091 100.0 268,292 100.0 272,671 100.0 277,969 100.0
  New Hanover County (37129) 203,298 79.5 205,970 79.4 209,219 79.5 213,324 79.5 216,585 79.4 220,358 79.3
  Pender County (37141) 52,350 20.5 53,292 20.6 53,872 20.5 54,968 20.5 56,086 20.6 57,611 20.7

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.
  New Hanover County, NC

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 268,601 272,548 3,947 1.47
  One race 264,841 266,853 2,012 0.76
    White 213,921 217,457 3,536 1.65
    Black/African American 213,921 217,457 3,536 1.65
    American Indian/Alaska Native 1,326 294 -1,032 -77.83
    Asian alone 3,187 2,893 -294 -9.22
    Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 206 0 -206 -100.00
    Some other race alone 5,472 5,026 -446 -8.15
  Two or more races 3,760 5,695 1,935 51.46
  Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 15,140 15,225 85 0.56
Population 25 years and over 181,439 187,012 5,573 0.56
  % high school graduate or higher 89.2 91.1 1.9 2.13
  % bachelor's degree or higher 34.6 34.9 0.3 0.87
Total Households 106,814 110,993 4,179 0.87
  Median household income ($) 47,594 48,469 875 1.84
  Mean household income ($) 66,863 69,355 2,492 3.73
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Total Population: Gender & Age 268,601 272,548 3,947 1.47
  Male 129,818 131,627 1,809 3.73
  Female 138,783 140,921 2,138 3.73
  Under 5 years 14,251 14,044 -207 3.73
  5 to 9 years 18,192 15,515 -2,677 -14.72
  10 to 14 years 13,158 15,140 1,982 15.06
  15 to 19 years 17,158 19,105 1,947 11.35
  20 to 24 years 24,403 21,732 -2,671 -10.95
  25 to 34 years 36,022 36,181 159 0.44
  35 to 44 years 34,342 35,817 1,475 4.30
  45 to 54 years 35,002 35,773 771 2.20
  55 to 59 years 19,447 19,325 -122 -0.63
  55 to 59 years 19,447 19,325 -122 -0.63
  60 to 64 years 14,746 16,333 1,587 10.76
  65 to 74 years 25,240 26,072 832 3.30
  75 to 84 years 12,806 12,480 -326 -2.55
  85 years and over 3,834 5,031 1,197 31.22
  Median age 38.6 39.6 1.0 2.59
  18 years and over 214,341 218,224 3,883 1.81
  21 years and over 199,921 203,955 4,034 2.02
  62 years and over 50,533 53,191 2,658 5.26
  65 years and over 41,880 43,583 1,703 4.07

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 128,160 128,234 128,668 129,278 130,777 132,756 4,522 3.53

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 130,349 132,764 2,415 1.85
  1-unit, detached 81,308 82,127 819 1.01
  1-unit, attached 10,773 10,908 135 1.25
  2 units 2,888 2,848 -40 -1.39
  3 or 4 units 3,957 3,453 -504 -12.74
  5 to 9 units 6,198 6,138 -60 -0.97
  10 to 20 units 7,165 7,174 9 0.13
  20 or more units 5,868 7,182 1,314 22.39
  Item20132014Change
2013-14
%Change
2013-14
Housing Units: Occupancy & Tenure 130,349 132,764 2,415 1.85
  Occupied Housing Units 106,814 110,993 4,179 3.91
    Owner 63,604 68,118 4,514 7.10
    Renter 43,210 42,875 -335 -0.78
  Vacant Housing Units 23,535 21,771 -1,764 -7.50
  Homeowner vacancy rate 3.20 1.70 -1.50...
  Rental vacancy rate 8.30 7.70 -0.60...
Average household size; owner-occ 2.51 2.55 0.04 1.59
Average household size; renter-occ 2.34 2.12 -0.22 -9.40
Median Value $ owner occupied 190,700 209,000 18,300 9.60
Median Rent $ renter occupied 888 879 -9 -1.01

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 150 143 158 87 76 127 118 151 243 153 113 78
  in 1 unit bldgs 77 77 75 83 76 67 118 89 99 100 113 78
  in 2 unit bldgs 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0
  in 3-4 unit bldgs 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
  in 5+ unit bldgs 73 66 83 0 0 60 0 62 144 40 0 0
  Bldgs with 5+ units 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 2 4 1 0 0
  Percent Coverage 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 72 72 72 72
Value ($000), Total Units 24,482 24,017 24,769 14,269 22,688 21,108 25,391 26,640 29,684 26,768 24,646 27,237
  1 unit structures 18,820 18,898 18,331 13,969 22,688 16,454 25,391 21,831 23,384 22,801 24,646 27,237
  2 unit structures 0 0 0 300 0 0 0 0 0 991 0 0
  3-4 unit structures 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 225 0 0
  5+ unit structures 5,662 5,119 6,438 0 0 4,654 0 4,809 6,300 2,751 0 0

5.4. Housing Price Index go top
Updated quarterly. All transactions; not seasonally adjusted. See related Housing Price Index (HPI) interactive table.
See related 5-Digit ZIP Code HPI interactive table.

    Housing Price Index:2015Q32015Q42016Q12016Q22016Q3
    191.11 197.37 198.06 198.35 201.61
    Quarter-to-Quarter/Year Percent Change:2015Q3-2015Q42015Q4-2016Q12016Q1-2016Q22016Q2-2016Q32015Q3-2016Q3
  3.28 0.35 0.15 1.64 5.49
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 9,031,875 9,215,328 9,530,452 10,275,360 10,819,241 1,787,366 19.8
  Net earnings 1/ 5,087,774 5,126,920 5,281,165 5,769,799 6,112,134 1,024,360 20.1
  Personal current transfer receipts 1,972,805 2,023,208 2,096,820 2,179,646 2,310,493 337,688 17.1
    Income maintenance 2/ 178,599 182,994 190,804 192,837 192,158 13,559 7.6
    Unemployment insurance compensation 112,857 81,226 46,619 15,176 9,707 -103,150 -91.4
    Retirement and other 1,681,349 1,758,988 1,859,397 1,971,633 2,108,628 427,279 25.4
  Dividends, interest, and rent 3/ 1,971,296 2,065,200 2,152,467 2,325,915 2,396,614 425,318 21.6
  Population 4/ 259,262 263,091 268,292 272,671 277,969 18,707 7.2
  Per capita personal income 34,837 35,027 35,523 37,684 38,922 4,085 11.7
  Per capita net earnings 19,624 19,487 19,684 21,160 21,989 2,365 12.1
  Per capita personal current transfer receipts 7,609 7,690 7,815 7,994 8,312 703 9.2
    Per capita income maintenance 689 696 711 707 691 2 0.3
    Per capita unemployment insurance compensation 435 309 174 56 35 -400 -92.0
    Per capita retirement and other 6,485 6,686 6,930 7,231 7,586 1,101 17.0
  Per capita dividends, interest, and rent 7,603 7,850 8,023 8,530 8,622 1,019 13.4
  Earnings by place of work 5,973,054 5,983,345 6,277,222 6,805,797 7,250,593 1,277,539 21.4
    Wages and salaries 4,535,051 4,543,083 4,719,341 4,990,602 5,288,276 753,225 16.6
    Supplements to wages and salaries 1,080,928 1,125,724 1,124,957 1,224,129 1,254,173 173,245 16.0
      Employer cont. for empl. pension & insur. funds 6/ 732,313 775,402 758,638 834,634 847,144 114,831 15.7
      Employer cont. for government social insurance 348,615 350,322 366,319 389,495 407,029 58,414 16.8
    Proprietors' income 357,075 314,538 432,924 591,066 708,144 351,069 98.3
      Nonfarm proprietors' income 32,722 33,762 54,377 63,588 53,042 20,320 62.1
      Farm proprietors' income 324,353 280,776 378,547 527,478 655,102 330,749 102.0
Total full-time and part-time employment 151,164 152,752 156,423 161,758 167,000 15,836 10.5
  Wage and salary jobs 114,713 115,706 118,137 122,112 126,114 11,401 9.9
  Number of proprietors 36,451 37,046 38,286 39,646 40,886 4,435 12.2
    Number of nonfarm proprietors 7/ 312 303 305 303 300 -12 -3.8
    Number of farm proprietors 36,139 36,743 37,981 39,343 40,586 4,447 12.3
Average earnings per job (dollars) 39,514 39,170 40,130 42,074 43,417 3,903 9.9
  Average wages and salaries 39,534 39,264 39,948 40,869 41,933 2,399 6.1
  Average nonfarm proprietors' income 8,975 7,642 9,967 13,407 16,141 7,166 79.8
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 10,776 11,121 11,671 11,692 12,717 12,995 2,219 20.59
Real Gross Domestic Product, millions of real dollars 10,776 11,023 11,361 11,091 11,808 11,807 1,031 9.57

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 8,704 187,302 766 8,765 195,845 755
 Total, all industries - Fed Govt 44 1,655 1,414 44 1,658 1,327
 Total, all industries - St Govt 40 8,607 836 41 8,542 893
 Total, all industries - Local Govt 122 25,344 827 121 25,294 877
 Total, all industries - Private 8,498 151,696 745 8,559 160,352 724
    Goods-producing 1,210 20,742 1,139 1,214 22,172 1,062
      Natural resources and mining 57 855 554 57 1,605 359
      Construction 918 10,303 783 918 10,815 820
      Manufacturing 235 9,584 1,579 239 9,752 1,463
    Service-providing 7,288 130,954 683 7,345 138,179 669
      Trade, transportation & utilities 1,840 37,886 643 1,844 39,183 624
      Information 141 4,947 1,094 144 4,950 879
      Financial activities 971 8,269 1,119 967 8,495 1,085
      Professional & business services 1,738 24,085 959 1,751 25,601 925
      Education and health services 944 23,461 730 947 23,663 790
      Leisure and hospitality 948 26,906 284 978 30,611 303
      Other services 706 5,400 480 714 5,677 497

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 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.6 5.5 5.1 4.6 4.3 4.7 4.5 4.7
Unemployment 6,233 5,780 5,778 5,905 5,731 6,255 6,269 5,812 5,294 4,992 5,463 5,250 5,399
Employment 108,789 108,501 107,904 107,292 105,560 105,207 106,854 108,017 109,312 110,091 110,313 111,313 110,386
Labor Force115,022114,281113,682113,197111,291111,462113,123113,829114,606115,083115,776116,563115,785

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
New Hanover County SchoolsWilmington 37033301237129NC 25,836 213,267 30,343
Pender County SchoolsBurgaw 37035704137141NC 8,760 55,334 9,284

Number of districts: 2 ... Total enrollment: 34,596
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
Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC1981543 9,062 4,207 0 0
Miller-Motte College-Wilmington Wilmington, NC1989785 3,463 2,124 0 0
University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC1992189 12,964 11,690 1,606 612

  Number of institutions: 3 ... Total undergraduate enrollment: 25,489
  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.

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.

  Copyright © 2018 ProximityOne