America’s Million+ Population Cities

.. there are 10 million+ population cities in the U.S. .. each is reviewed in some detail in this section .. the change in U.S. city population from 2010 to 2015 ranged from growth of 357,979 in New York City to a decline of in Detroit, MI. New York City is actually five counties; the next largest city growth was Houston, TX with a 181,463 population gain. See cities with largest growth or decline using the interactive table.

The July 1, 2015 Census Bureau model-based estimates for the U.S. 19,505 incorporated cities show a total population of 202,066,769 compared to 192,179,239 as of Census 2010. These areas are incorporated cities as recognized by their corresponding state governments and granted certain governmental rights and responsibilities. ProximityOne integrates these estimates, with related data, in models to develop projections, examine change and assess the impact of change.

Largest 10 Cities — the Million-Plus Population Cities
The largest 10 cities in 2015, shown by this graphic taken from the interactive table below, are also the set of cities having 1 million or more population.

Locations and Attributes of the Largest 10 Cities
Locations of the largest 10 cities based on 2015 population are shown in the following graphic as red marker.

Examine demographic-economic attributes of these cities using these related individual city-focused sections.  These sections compare the city boundary/location with corresponding urbanized areas and include extended data from ACS 2012 and ACS 2014 1 year estimates presented in a comparative analysis format.
1. New York, NY
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. Chicago, IL
4. Houston, TX
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Phoenix, AX
7. San Antonio, TX
8. San Diego, CA
9. Dallas, TX
10. San Jose, CA

City/Place Demographics in Context
• State & Regional Demographic-Economic Characteristics & Patterns
.. individual state sections with analytical tools & data access to block level
• Metropolitan Area Situation & Outlook
.. continuously updated characteristics, patterns & trends for each/all metros

Visual Analysis of City/Place Population Dynamics
Use the CV XE GIS software with city/place GIS project to examine characteristics of city/place population, 2010-2015. The following view shows patterns of population percent change, 2010-15, by city in the Charlotte, NC/SC metro area.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.
… click map for larger view and details including city name.

Individual million+ population city sections will be updated and the topic of separate future blog posts. Follow this blog to learn about updates to these and related sections.

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Using ACS County Data

… we are always seeking the most current data for areas of interest. This section provides an update on accessing unpublished ACS 1-year data for many counties.  Learn about how you can access ACS 1-year estimates for 85 counties for which Census released only as 5-year estimates … and why it matters. See the corresponding full Web section.

Data are tabulated from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) as 1-year estimates (for areas with population 65,000 and over) and as 5-year estimates (for areas under 65,000 population). See more about ACS 1-year versus 5-year estimates in this section.

ACS 2014 1-year tabulation areas, as released by the Census Bureau included 817 of 3142 counties and 508 of 917 metros/CBSAs. There are 85 counties for which ACS 2914 1-year estimates were not released by Census but are derivable by subtracting the aggregate county components from metro totals in selected metros.

County & Metro ACS 2014 1-year Estimates
The following graphic shows Texas and adjacent areas:
• ACS 2014 1-year estimates metros with bold brown boundaries
• Counties for which ACS 2014 1-year data were tabulated and released (green).
• Counties for which ACS 2014 1-year data are derivable but not released as tabulation areas (blue).

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.
… click map for larger view and details.

The next view shows a zoom-in to the Austin, TX metro. The four green shaded counties had ACS 2014 1-year estimates tabulated and released. The fifth Austin metro county, Caldwell shaded blue, was not tabulated but the ACS 1-year data are derivable by subtracting the sum of the four counties from the metro totals. Tabulated data for Caldwell was released only as ACS 2014 5-year estimates. A similar situation exists in many metros across the country.

Why this Matters
There are 85 counties for which ACS 2014 1 year data are available but not released/made available by Census as separately tabulated areas. This is important due to these considerations:
• these are true annual estimates (as opposed to the other 5-year estimated counties)
• they are more recent that 5-year estimates
• they reflect conditions centric to one year
• they enable time series/trend analysis
• [as it turns out] they enable access to 1 year estimates for all counties (instead of some) in some metros

Using API Tools to Examine these Data
Create CSV-like files by clicking these links. When a link is clicked a new page will show the ACS 2014 1-year estimates tabulations areas. The area name, code and ACS 2014 1-year total population estimate is shown.
• Click to retrieve county data
• Click to retrieve metro data

Items used in these API calls:
.. B01001_001E – Total population
.. B19013_001E – Median household income ($)
.. B19113_001E – Median family income ($)
.. B19301_001E – Per capita income

Create/derive these data on your own; learn about which counties are derivable …

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

 

Census Tract-City Relationship Table

.. what census tracts are located in cities of interest? What are their codes? Conversely, do you have census tract codes and need to know corresponding city(s)? Get answers here.

This section provides access to an interactive table useful to examine relationships among Census 2010 census tracts, cities/places, and counties. Many cities and counties that might be experiencing demographic-economic decline will often have bright spots that are groups of a few or many census tracts. Census tracts are important sub-county geography in data analytics. See the related section on census data analytics. See more about census tracts and data analytics below in this section.

Relating Census Tracts to Cities & Counties
Census tracts are sub-county areas and nest coterminously within counties. The 6-character tract code is unique within county. For cities 10,000 and larger, there are some number of whole census tracts within the city. But around the perimeter of cities, census tracts will often be partly within and partly outside of the city. The following graphic shows the relationship of tracts, cities and counties in the Plano city area (green fill pattern) located mostly in Collin County within the Dallas metro. Click graphic for larger view, more detail and legend color/data intervals. This map illustrates the geographic level of detail available using census tract demographics and the relative ease to gain insights using geospatial data analytics tools.

– View developed using CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

Using the Interactive Relationship Table
A small part of Plano is located in Denton county (see north-south bold red-brown boundary). Tract 021627 (see pointer) is located in Denton County and includes a part of Plano. To determine what geography tract 021627 intersects, click the Tract> button below the interactive table shown below. See that the tract is contained in parts of 4 cities.

Census Tract to City/Place & County Equivalence Table
The following graphic illustrates use of the interactive table to view/examine the relationship between census tract 48121021627 (in Denton County, TX) and the city of Plano, TX. Click graphic for larger view.

The above view was developed using the interactive table:
– click the ShowAll button
– click the FindTract button (preset to locate this tract).

Click the ShowAll button and enter a city/place (case-sensitive) name of interest to view the set of intersecting tracts. See the table usage notes below the table in the related Web page. We review operation of the table in the Data Analytics Web sessions.

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

State and Regional Decision-Making Information

Organized on a state-by-state basis, use tools and geographic, demographic and economic data resources in these sections to facilitate planning and analysis. Updated frequently, these sections provide a unique means to access to multi-sourced data to develop insights into patterns, characteristics and trends on wide-ranging issues. Bookmark the related main Web page; keep up-to-date.

Using these Resources
Knowing “where we are” and “how things have changed” are key factors in knowing about the where, when and how of future change — and how that change might impact you. There are many sources of this knowledge. Often the required data do not knit together in an ideal manner. Key data are available for different types of geography, become available at different points in time and are often not the perfect subject matter. These sections provide access to relevant data and a means to consume the data more effectively than might otherwise be possible. Use these data, tools and resources in combination with other data to perform wide-ranging data analytics. See examples.

Select a State/Area

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas

Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina

North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Topics for each State — with drill-down to census block
• Visual pattern analysis tools … using GIS resources
• Digital Map Database
• Situation & Outlook
• Metropolitan Areas
• Congressional Districts
• Counties
• Cities/Places
• Census Tracts
• ZIP Code Areas
• K-12 Education, Schools & School Districts
• Block Groups
• Census Blocks

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Tip of the Day — Census Tract Data Analytics

.. tip of the day .. a continuing weekly or more frequent tip on developing, integrating, accessing and using geographic, demographic, economic and statistical data. Join in .. tip of the day posts are added to the Data Analytics Blog on an irregular basis, normally weekly. Follow the blog to receive updates as they occur.

This section is focused on tools and methods to access and use census tract demographic-economic measures. Median household income ($MHI), median housing value ($MHV) and other selected items are used to illustrate operations and options.

This section illustrates use of census tract data from the 2014 American Community Survey (ACS1014) 5-year estimates. These are the most comprehensive demographic-economic data from the Census Bureau at the census tract level. These “5-year estimates” are centric to mid-2012. See more about 2010-2021 annual estimates and projections.

Methods described here apply to many other geographies; see related tip sections. See related section on ZIP code applications.

Five data access and use options are reviewed. Each method illustrates how $$MHI, $MHV and other data can be analyzed/used in different contexts.

• Option 1 – View the data as a thematic pattern map.
• Option 2 – View, compare, rank query data in interactive tables.
• Option 3 – Access data using API Tools; create datasets.
• Option 4 – View $MHI in structured profile in context of related data.
• Option 5 – Site analysis – view circular area profile from a location.

Related sections:
• Census tracts main section
• Evolution of Census Tracts: 1970-2010
• Demographic-Economic Estimates & Projections
• Census tract and ZIP code equivalencing
• Using census tracts versus ZIP code areas
• Single year of age demographics

Option 1. View the data as a thematic pattern map; use the GIS tools:
Patterns of Economic Prosperity ($MHI) by Census Tract … the following graphic shows $MHI for a portion of the Los Angeles metro. Accommodating different demographic-economic thresholds/patterns, different legend color/data intervals are used. The pattern layer is set to 80% transparency enabling a view of earth features. Click graphic for larger view, more detail and legend color/data intervals; expand browser window for best quality view.

– View developed using CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

See details about each option in the related Web page.

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Combined Statistical Areas Demographic Trends

.. Combined Statistical Areas are aggregates of adjacent metropolitan areas; they are groups of contiguous counties that have demographic-economic affinity. These 166 areas are important in market research and development for several reasons. Based on the 2015 population estimate, these areas include 244.1 million population of the total U.S. population of 321.4 million (76 percent). CSAs are at least two adjacent metropolitan areas — reflecting a larger and broader market area. Due to their size (of many), it is often possible to develop more detailed custom demographic-economic estimates and projections than at the county or metropolitan area level. See more below about CSA definitions and relation to other geography.

25 Largest CSAs based on 2015 Total Population
The following graphic shows the largest 25 CSAs based on the latest 2015 official population estimates. The intervals/colors are depicted in legend panel at left of map window. Create custom maps similar to this view for your regions of interest. Use the GIS project/datasets to examine alternative patterns such as percent change for different time periods. Set queries to include CSAs by peer group. Click graphic for larger view with more detail; expand browser window for best quality view.

View developed with CV XE GIS software using the us1.gis GIS project.

• View all Combined Statistical Areas

This section provides an overview of recent demographic trends among CSAs and provides access to tools to further examine these areas, markets, and demographic-economic-business related characteristics. Use the interactive table below to examine patterns and relationships among CSAs of interest. Use the GIS project and datasets described below to examine CSAs in a mapping and geospatial analysis context.

As an example, the Houston CSA is comprised of the Houston MSA and four adjacent MISAs — Bay City, Brenham, El Campo and Huntsville — four relatively small metros. Compare this to the Los Angeles CSA — the “old 5-county LA metro” — comprised of three adjacent MSAs — Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. The Los Angeles CSA is the second largest CSA (based on population) and more than twice the size of the 3rd largest CSA — Chicago. Use the interactive table below to examine relationships among CSAs. Click the ShowAll button then the CSA Only button to rank/compare CSAs. Click the ShowAll button then select the CSA by code button to examine the metro and county components of a specific CSA of interest.

Analyze CSA Demographic Patterns using GIS Tools
View maps for your areas of interest. Add other geography/subject matter. Modify content, color settings, labeling and other attributes. See details about installing and getting started in this section.

Population by Combined Statistical Area: 2010-2015
— Using the Interactive Table
The following graphic illustrates using the interactive table to view a list of the largest 10 CSAs ranked on 2015 total population.
Click graphic for larger view. Use the interactive table to examine CSAs of interest.

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Using CVXEGIS dBase Script Tool

.. shapefiles are the most widely used type of vector-based geodata file type used Geographic Information Systems GIS. The shapefile structure, comprised of a .shp (geometry), .dbf (dBase-subject matter), ,shx (index file associating shp and dbf records) and .prj (projection), is in the public domain, well documented and used by many mapping GIS tools.

Persistent Need to Process & Restructure dBase Files
Many shapefiles, such as the wide ranging political, statistical and topographic Census Bureau TIGER/Line shapefiles, become available with no subject matter content or limited scope content. There is a persistent need to process the dBase files (.dbf) associated with shapefiles … adding data, computing data, linking data, updating data, etc.

dBase, or dBASE or dbf, files have wide ranging appeal and use well beyond mapping and GIS applications. The simple and transportable structure makes them ideal for any type of textual or statistical data that is of conventional text or numeric form associated with data records with associated ID fields (social security number, member number, customer number, geocode, and many others) — where the need to support queries or develop relational data files structures is great. Compared to Excel, dBase files provide a smaller footprint, can be processed faster with some dBase application software and can support a larger number of records.

This section briefly outlines use of the CVXEGIS Script feature. The Script feature includes the ability to develop programming-like code to process dBase files.

There is no fee for the basic version of the Script feature. It can be used with any dBase file. The learning curve is almost nil. Install CVXEGIS and start using the tool.

Script Tool User Interface
Create, manage code interactively; run the script as a batch file.
Top section shows code; lower section shows selected output.

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.