America’s Cities: Situation & Outlook

.. the path forward .. planning for the future .. in April 2019, the employment in Houston, TX was 1,111,283 with an unemployment rate of 3.2%. In April 2020, the employment in Houston, TX was 927,105 with an unemployment rate of 14.9%. What will the 2020 annual look like? 2021? There are many paths to get to 2021 and beyond. What policy and action measures might work best? What about your cities of interest? See the related Web section for more details.

Houston characteristics: Demographic .. Social .. Economic .. Housing
Get for any city/area .. e-mail your request

The pandemic impacts on America’s cities in different ways .. some experiencing little change, others with massive change. When, where and how will these disparate patterns change in cities and communities of interest? How might this change impact you and your community? A comprehensive plan needs to be developed and set in motion to achieve best outcomes. This section provides access to tools and data that stakeholders can use to examine America’s cities demographic-economic characteristics and trends. Examine cities of interest. Use ProximityOne data, tools, methods and advisory services to achieve improved results.

Of the nation’s 327.2 million people, an estimated 206.0 million (62.9%) live within an incorporated place. Of approximately 19,500 incorporated places, about 76 percent had fewer than 5,000 people and nearly 50 percent had fewer than 1,000 people. Examine characteristics of individual city population trends and compare cities in states, regions and peer groups using the interactive table below.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity; Cities 50,000 Population or More
The following view shows cities with 2019 population of 50,000 or more as markers .. mainly principal cities of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Nationally, there are 69 cities with 2019 population of 5,000 or more (determine using interactive table below). The marker color shows the median household income; see inset legend. Click graphic for larger view; expand window to full screen.

– View developed using the ProximityOne CV XE GIS software.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity; Cities 5,000 Population or More
– zoom-in to Dallas Metro
The following view shows cities with 2019 population of 5,000 or more as polygons/city boundary-area in the Dallas metro area. There are 201 cities that intersect with the Dallas metro (code 19100); 96 of these cities have a population greater than 5,000 (determine using interactive table below). The color patterns show the median household income range; see inset legend. Click graphic for larger view; expand window to full screen.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity by Neighborhood & Adjacent Areas
The following view shows patterns of median household income by block group (sub-neighborhoods) within city (bold black boundary) in the Dallas County, TX area. In examining the situation & outlook for a city it is important to examine characteristics of drill-down geography and adjacent cities/areas. Inset legend shows median household income color intervals. Click graphic for larger view; expand window to full screen. In the larger view, a cross-hatch pattern is applied to Dallas city. It is easier to see how Dallas city is comprised of a core area as well as outlying areas and extends into adjacent counties.

Interactive Analysis of Cities: Demographic-Economic Patterns & Trends
Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare cities based on demographic-economic trends and characteristics. The following static graphics provide two examples.

 

Largest 15 U.S. Cities Ranked on 2019 Population

California Cities Ranked on Educational Attainment

Learn more — Join me in the Situation & Outlook Web Sessions
Join me in a Situation & Outlook Web Session where we discuss topics relating to measuring and interpreting the where, what, when, how and how much demographic-economic change is occurring and it’s impact.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for national scope statistical programs and 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.

Patterns of Income in America’s Largest Cities

The retreat in personal and household income resulting from the pandemic will be historic and substantial. How long term? Which cities of what size and location will be affected the most? We start to study patterns and trends as new data become available in the next several weeks.

America’s largest 629 cities accounted for a group population of 121,228,560, or 37.1%, of the total U.S. population (327,167,434) in 2018. All of these cities are in Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). With contiguous cities and places, these urban areas account for more than 80% of the U.S. population. These cities, each with 65,000 population or more, are shown as markers in the thematic pattern view below. See more about cities/places and city/place 2010-2018 demographic trends.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity: America’s Largest Cities
– cities with 2018 population 65,000+ shown as markers
– markers show level of 2018 median household income
– data used to develop this veiw were extracted using GeoFinder.
– click map for larger view; expand browser to full screen for best quality view.

– view developed using ProximityOne CV XE GIS software and related GIS project.

Top 25 Largest Cities based on Median Household Income

About America’s Largest Cities & Economic Characteristics
The set of the 629 America’s largest cities is based on data from the 2018 American Community Survey 1-year estimates (ACS 2018). ACS 2018 1-year estimates, by design, provide data only for areas 65,000 population or more. The ACS 2018 data are the only source of income and related economic data for national scope each/all cities/places (29,853) on an annual and more recent basis. These data will update with 2019 estimates in September 2020. ACS-based data reflecting the impact of the pandemic will not be available until September 2021.

Situation & Outlook Web Sessions
Join me in a Situation & Outlook Web Session where we discuss topics relating to measuring and interpreting the where, what, when, how and how much demographic-economic change is occurring and it’s impact.

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.

America’s Cities: Examining Characteristics & Trends

… examining city/place demographic-economic characteristics .. of the approximate 29,323 U.S. cities/places, there are just 548 “large cities” .. those with population of 65,000 population or more.  A semi-arbitrary classification, these are cities/places that meet a size criteria for which American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates are developed annually.  This results in the availability of extensive annual demographic-economic data that are much more current than available for all other cities/places (incorporated cities and CDPs).  Click this link to display a list of these cities/places that include 42 CDPs.  They comprise 2017 population of 119,342,501 of the total U.S. population 325,719,178 (36.6%).

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. The following view shows patterns of population percent change 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.

Access updated city/place for all 29,323 U.S. cities/places based on data from American Community Survey 5-year estimates (ACS2017).  Only here, for example, can you compare income characteristics and educational attainment, and much more, among all cities/places or peer groups .. or examine one/a few of interest to you.

Interactive Tables
Use interactive tables to view, rank, compare cities for any selected item; examine peer groups. Four pages/tables:
• General Demographics
• Social Characteristics
• Economic Characteristics
• Housing Characteristics
Related:
• City/Place GeoDemographics Main Section
• Annual City/Place Population Estimates & Trends
• Similar ACS tables: Census Tracts | ZIP Codes | State, Metro & County

Using API Tools to Access Trend Data; Build Data Files
An example: Examine Citizen Voting Age Population; 2014-2017 annually
Using API Tools to access ACS 2017 1 year estimates for all cities/places:
.. item D084 (CVAP: citizen voting age population) in the interactive table
.. click here to view list of places 65,000 population and over and CVAP
.. join us in the Data Analytics Web Sessions to learn more

Data Analytics Web Sessions
See these applications live/demoed. Run the applications on your own computer.
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.

Location-Based Demographics Update

.. tools you can use to examine characteristics of addresses/locations .. many of us are interested in knowing attributes of addresses or locations. Often knowing address latitude-longitude is important so that the addresses can be viewed on a map .. see below.  Some might need to know what census block, or other geography, in which an address is located .. or what school district is an address located in.  Others need to know demographic-economic attributes of the neighborhood or area where an address is located.  These types of attributes can be obtained for addresses using the Location-Based Demographic (LBD) tools.  The LBD tool has just been made a part of the CV XE GIS software.  The LBD tool is available in all versions of CV XE GIS, including the no fee User Group version. See more about using the LBD tools to look-up and analyze address/location attributes.

Viewing Geocoded Addresses on a Map – automatically
The following view shows addresses geocoded using the LBD tool. Markers show addresses of 27 Trader Joe’s locations in the Los Angeles area. LBD automatically creates a shapefile that is added to your GIS project. The markers are labeled with population ages 18 and over in the corresponding census tract. Marker color/styles reflect different levels of median household income. A separate census tract layer shows patterns of economic prosperity.

Click graphic for larger view. Expand browser window. A mini profile is displayed showing demographic-economic attributes for the marker at pointer.

View the locations without the tract thematic pattern layer:

Make similar views for your addresses.

Get Started Using the LBD Tool
1 – join the User Group .. click here to join (no fee).
2 – run the installer to install on a Windows machine .. requires your userid.
3 – with CV XE GIS running, click Tools>Find Address/LBD
    enter an address .. a form appears showing characteristics of the address.
4 – see more about using the tools on the LDB page.

GeoStatistical Data Analytics Learning Sessions
We are developing a series of “GeoStatistical Data Analytics” (GSDA) Learning Sessions/modules. One of these is focused on using the LBD tools and methods in the broader context of data analytics. We plan to develop the GSDA models for self-guided use by analysts/practitioners as well as in the classroom setting with teacher/student materials. Upcoming blog posts will describe the program in more detail.

Data Analytics Web Sessions
Join me in a Data Analytics Web Session, every Tuesday, where we review access to and use of data, tools and methods relating to GeoStatistical Data Analytics Learning. We review current topical issues and data — and how you can access/use tools/data to meet your needs/interests.

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.

Examining America’s Cities: Demographic-Economic Updates

.. of the approximate 29,500 U.S. cities and places — geographic areas of population concentration — 301 had an ACS 2016 5-year estimated population of 100,000 or more. The median household income among these places, one measure of economic prosperity, ranged from $26,249 (Detroit, MI) to $117,642 (Frisco, TX).

What are the demographic-economic characteristics of your cities/places of interest? How do these compare to peer groups or a metro/state of interest. Learn more using the new city/place demographic interactive tables. Its about more than economic prosperity — using these data provide otherwise unknowable attributes about the demographic, social, economic and housing characteristics of individual cities/places.

Visual Analysis of City/Place Population Dynamics
The following view shows patterns of population percent change by city in the Charlotte, NC/SC metro area.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.
… more about above view in City/Place Economic Characteristics section.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity ($MHI) by City/Place
— Northern Virginia, DC, Maryland; part of the Washington, DC metro.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.
… click graphic for larger view with places labeled by name and $MHI.

Interactive Tables — new January 2018
Use these interactive tables to get answers, build insights:
• General Demographics
• Social Characteristics
• Economic Characteristics — used to develop data at top of section
• Housing Characteristics
Related:
• City/Place GeoDemographics Main Section
• Annual City/Place Population Estimates & Trends
• Similar ACS tables: Census Tracts | ZIP Codes | State, Metro & County

More About City/Place GeoStatistical Data and Data Analytics
The term “places” as used here refers to incorporated places and Census Designated Places (CDPs). Incorporated places are political areas having certain governmental powers designated by the corresponding state. Unincorporated places, or Census Designated Places (CDPs), are statistical areas having no official standing and no governmental powers but are recognized as being areas of population concentration. Wide-ranging demographic-economic estimates are developed annually for the approximate 29,500 incorporated cities and CDPs based on the American Community Survey 5-year estimates. See more about the ACS 2016 5-year estimates.

Many cities have planning and data development operations that develop important local data including tax parcel data, building permit data, transportation and infrastructure data … bit generally not the data reviewed in this section. Many cities have no planning department to develop, organize and analyze geographic, demographic, economic data … making these data even more essential.

Increasingly in core sections of metropolitan areas, as shown in the above graphics, a large number of cities/places are contiguous. Many retain their own character evolving over many years. Having the detailed ACS demographic-economic data makes it possible to compare places side by side. Use the same data for related drill down geography such as census tracts and block groups to examine neighborhoods and market areas.

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 of the States: Demographic Economic Update

.. tools and resources to examine the demographic-economic state of the states .. in 2016, the U.S. median housing value was $205,000 while states ranged from $113,900 (Mississippi) to $592,000 (Hawaii). See item/column H089 in the interactive table to view, rank, compare, analyze state based on this measure … in context of related housing characteristics. These data uniquely provide insights into many of the most important housing characteristics.

Use new tools, data and methods to access, integrate and analyze demographic-economic conditions for the U.S. and states. These data will update in September 2018.

Approximately 600 subject matter items from the American Community Survey ACS 2016 database (released September 2017) are included in these four pages/tables:
• General Demographics
• Social Characteristics
• Economic Characteristics
• Housing Characteristics

GIS, Data Integration & Visual Data Analysis
Use data extracted from these tables in a ready-to-use GIS project. These ACS sourced data (from the four tables listed above) have been integrated with population estimates trend data, components of change and personal income quarterly trend data. See details in this section.

Examining Characteristics & Trends
Below are four thematic pattern maps extracted from the main sections listed above. Click a map graphic for a larger view. Use the GIS project to create variations of these views.

Patterns of Median Age by State
Yellow label shows the state USPS abbreviation; white label shows median age. Legend shows color patterns associated with percent population change 2010-2016.

– View developed using CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project.
– See item/column D017 in the interactive table to view, rank, compare, analyze state based on median age.

Patterns of Educational Attainment by State
Yellow label shows the state USPS abbreviation; white label shows % college graduates. Legend shows color patterns associated with percent population change 2010-2016.

– View developed using CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project.
– See item/column S067 in the interactive table to view, rank, compare, analyze state based on percent college graduates.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity by State
Yellow label shows the state USPS abbreviation; white label shows $MHI. Legend shows color patterns associated with percent population change 2010-2016.

– View developed using CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project.
– See item/column E062 in the interactive table to view, rank, compare, analyze state based on median household income.

Patterns of Median Housing Value by State
Yellow label shows the state USPS abbreviation; white label shows $MHV. Legend shows color patterns associated with percent population change 2010-2016.

– View developed using CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project.
– See item/column H089 in the interactive table to view, rank, compare, analyze state based on median housing value.

Examining Characteristics & Trends; Using Data Analytics
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.

U.S. State Capital City Demographic-Economic Characteristics

.. tools and data to examine demographic-economic characteristics of each U.S. State capital city. The profiles are part of the America’s Communities Program. The profiles help stakeholders know “where we are”, how things are changing where and by how much, and how things might change in the future. See related web section for more detail.

State Capital Cities
The following graphic shows state capital city locations as markers. This view was developed using GIS tools enabling creation of similar views in context of other geography and subject matter. Orange markers are cities with less than 65,000 population; blue markers are cities with more than 65,000 population. based on percent population change. Click graphic for larger view. Larger view shows city names and urban areas. Expand browser window for best quality view.

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
• Hawaii
• Alaska

State Capital City Demographic-Economic Profiles
State capital cities are listed below organized by state. Click the link within the brackets to view a demographic-economic profile for that city. The 2016 total population is shown in parentheses.

Alabama
• Montgomery, AL [0151000] (200,022)
Alaska
• Juneau, AK [0236400] (32,468)
Arizona
• Phoenix, AZ [0455000] (1,615,017)
Arkansas
• Little Rock, AR [0541000] (198,541)
California
• Sacramento, CA [0664000] (495,234)
Colorado
• Denver, CO [0820000] (693,060)
Connecticut
• Hartford, CT [0937000] (123,243)
Delaware
• Dover, DE [1021200] (37,786)
District of Columbia
• Washington, DC [1150000] (681,170)
Florida
• Tallahassee, FL [1270600] (190,894)
Georgia
• Atlanta, GA [1304000] (472,522)
Hawaii
• Honolulu, HI [1571550] (351,792)
Idaho
• Boise City, ID [1608830] (223,154)
Illinois
• Springfield, IL [1772000] (115,715)
Indiana
• Indianapolis, IN [1836003] (855,164)
Iowa
• Des Moines, IA [1921000] (215,472)
Kansas
• Topeka, KS [2071000] (126,808)
Kentucky
• Frankfort, KY [2128900] (27,885)
Louisiana
• Baton Rouge, LA [2205000] (227,715)
Maine
• Augusta, ME [2302100] (18,494)
Maryland
• Annapolis, MD [2401600] (39,418)
Massachusetts
• Boston, MA [2507000] (673,184)
Michigan
• Lansing, MI [2646000] (116,020)
Minnesota
• St. Paul, MN [2758000] (302,398)
Mississippi
• Jackson, MS [2836000] (169,148)
Missouri
• Jefferson City, MO [2937000] (43,013)
Montana
• Helena, MT [3035600] (31,169)
Nebraska
• Lincoln, NE [3128000] (280,364)
Nevada
• Carson City, NV [3209700] (54,742)
New Hampshire
• Concord, NH [3314200] (42,904)
New Jersey
• Trenton, NJ [3474000] (84,056)
New Mexico
• Santa Fe, NM [3570500] (83,875)
New York
• Albany, NY [3601000] (98,111)
North Carolina
• Raleigh, NC [3755000] (458,880)
North Dakota
• Bismarck, ND [3807200] (72,417)
Ohio
• Columbus, OH [3918000] (860,090)
Oklahoma
• Oklahoma City, OK [4055000] (638,367)
Oregon
• Salem, OR [4164900] (167,419)
Pennsylvania
• Harrisburg, PA [4232800] (48,904)
Rhode Island
• Providence, RI [4459000] (179,219)
South Carolina
• Columbia, SC [4516000] (134,309)
South Dakota
• Pierre, SD [4649600] (14,008)
Tennessee
• Nashville, TN [4752006] (660,388)
Texas
• Austin, TX [4805000] (947,890)
Utah
• Salt Lake City, UT [4967000] (193,744)
Vermont
• Montpelier, VT [5046000] (7,535)
Virginia
• Richmond, VA [5167000] (223,170)
Washington
• Olympia, WA [5351300] (51,202)
West Virginia
• Charleston, WV [5414600] (49,138)
Wisconsin
• Madison, WI [5548000] (252,551)
Wyoming
• Cheyenne, WY [5613900] (64,019)

Related Demographic-Economic Interactive Tables
Use the national scope demographic-economic interactive tables to view, rank, compare selected or all cities/places (approximately 29,500 places) using an extended set of data as used in the community profiles. The data are based the American Community Survey 2015 5-year estimates and organized into four subject matter groups:
• General Demographics
• Social Characteristics
• Economic Characteristics
• Housing Characteristics

See the related city population trends 2010-2016 interactive table to view, query, rank compare each cities are changing over time.

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.

Relating ZIP Codes to City/Places

.. relating ZIP codes to cities .. 214 ZIP code areas intersect with New York city — what are these ZIP codes, their population and how many are completely within the city? What part of a ZIP code area of interest intersects with what city? Conversely, what ZIP code areas intersect with a city of interest? This section provides data and tools that can be used to answer these types of questions and gain insights into geospatial relationships. See more detailed information in the related full Web section.

The 2010 ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) to City/Place relationship data provide a means to equivalence ZCTAs with Census 2010 cities/places. ZCTAs are geographic areas defined as sets of Census 2010 census blocks closely resembling USPS ZIP codes (lines, not areas). ZCTA boundaries are fixed for the intercensal period 2010 through 2020. Census 2010 vintage city/place areas are likewise defined as sets of Census 2010 census blocks. The ZCTA-City/place relationship data are developed through the use of the intersecting census block geography and associated Census 2010 Summary File 1 demographic data.

ZCTA-Place Relationships
The following graphic shows relationships between two selected ZCTAs (red boundaries) and related cities/places (blue fill pattern) in the Pima/Cochise County, AZ area. Relationships between these geographies are reviewed in examples shown below.

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

Using the ZCTA-Place Relationship Data
Two examples illustrating how to use the ZCTA-place relationship data are provided below. The examples are interconnected to the GIS project used to develop the map views, interactive table and data file described in this section. Example 1 describes how to use the data for a ZIP code area entirely located within one city/place. Example 2 describes how to use the data for a ZIP code area located in more than one city/place and area not located in any city/place.

ZCTA to Place Relationships: Example 1
In this example, ZCTA 85711, highlighted in red in the graphic shown below, falls wholly within place 77000, outlined in bold black below. As a result, there is only one corresponding record for ZCTA 85711 in the relationship file. The 2010 Census population for this relationship record is 41,251 (POPPT) which is equal to the 2010 Census population for ZCTA 85711 (ZPOP). See more details about this example.

ZCTA to Place Relationships: Example 2
In this example, ZCTA 85630, highlighted below in red in the graphic shown below, contains two places: all of place 62280 and part of place 05770, both are outlined in black below. As a result, there are two corresponding relationship records in the relationship file. For the first relationship record, the total 2010 Census population for ZCTA is 2,819 (ZPOP). See more details about this example.

Using the Interactive Table
Use the full interactive table to examine U.S. national scope ZCTA-city/place relationships. The following graphic illustrates how ZIP code can be displayed/examined for one city — Tucson, AZ. Each row summarizes characteristics of a ZIP code in Tucson. The last row in the graphic shows characteristics of ZIP code 85711 — the same ZIP code reviewed in Example 1 above.

Click graphic for larger view.

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.

Life Expectancy Change by County, 1980-2014

.. data and tools to examine changing life expectancy by county. Use the interactive table to examine life expectancy characteristics and related demographics for counties and regions of interest. Use the related GIS project and datasets to examine life expectancy contextually with other geography & subject matter. See details below. These data and tools are part of the ProximityOne health data analytics resources.

Life expectancy is rising overall in the United States, but in some areas, death rates are going in the other direction. These geographic disparities are widening.

Life Expectancy Change by County, 1980-2014
The following graphic shows patterns of the change in life expectancy change from 1980 to 2014. Click graphic for larger view. Expand browser window for best quality view.

– View developed using CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
– see below in this section about using this GIS project.

Life expectancy is greatest in the high country of central Colorado, but in many pockets of the U.S., life expectancy is more than 20 years lower. These data are based on research and analysis by the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Examining life expectancy by county allows for tracking geographic disparities over time and assessing factors related to these disparities. This information is potentially useful for policymakers, clinicians, and researchers seeking to reduce disparities and increase longevity.

Life Expectancy Change by County, 1980-2014 — drill-down view
— South Central Region
The following graphic shows patterns of the change in life expectancy change from 1980 to 2014. Click graphic for larger view. Expand browser window for best quality view. The larger graphic shows counties labeled with change in life expectancy from 1980-2014.

– View developed using CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
– see below in this section about using this GIS project.

Additional Views — use the GIS project to create your own views
.. click link to view
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Minneapolis metro

Using the Interactive Table
Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare life expectancy characteristics. This graphic shows California counties ranked on life expectancy change 1980-2014 in descending order. Select states or metros of interest. Click graphic for larger view.

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.

Examining Health Characteristics by Census Tract

.. new data, new ways to examine health characteristics at the city and census tract/subcounty level.  For example, among the 500 largest U.S. cities in 2014, the incidence of high blood pressure ranged from 22.5% (Longmont, CO) to 47.8% (Gary, IN). Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare this and other new wide-ranging health statistics for the 500 largest U.S. cities and associated census tracts. See the related Web section for more detail.

At the census tract/neighborhood level, 937 tracts have more than 10% of the population ages 18 years and over with coronary heart disease. What are characteristics of health-related factors in your city, neighborhood and census tracts of interest? Use tools reviewed in this section to access/analyze a wide range of health-related characteristics (see items list below) — not available at the city or census tract level before.

Patterns of High Blood Pressure: Honolulu, HI by Census Tract
This graphic illustrates visual analysis and analytical potential for tracts in cities covered.

– Click graphic for larger view with high blood pressure %population label
– View developed with CV XE GIS software and related GIS project/fileset.

Accsss/analyze these data for approximately 28,000 tracts (of a total approximate 74,000) on topics including chronic disease risk factors, health outcomes and clinical preventive service use for the largest 500 cities in the U.S. These small area data enable stakeholders in cities, local health departments, neighborhoods and study areas to better understand the characteristics and geographic distribution of health-related measures and how they might impact health-related programs and other demographic-economic issues.

Scope of 500 Cities
The following graphic shows the 500 cities (green areas) included in project. Data for these cities and intersecting tracts are available. Click graphic for larger view providing county visibility and city name labels. Expand browser to full window for best quality view.

– View developed with CV XE GIS software and related GIS project/fileset.

The 500 Cities data have been developed as a part of the CDC 500 Cities project, a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the CDC Foundation. These data are being integrated into the Situation & Outlook (S&O) database and included in the S&O metro reports. Examine health-related characteristics of metro cities and drill-down areas in combination with other demographic-economic measures.

Analytical Potential
These data provide only the health characteristics attributes. They are a small, but important, subset of a larger set of key health metrics. These data are estimates subject to errors of estimation and provide a snapshot view of one point in time.

The value of these data can be leveraged by linking them with other demographic-economic data from the American Community Survey (ACS 2015) tract and city data. Integrate and analyze these data with related data and alternative geography. See related health data analytics section.

Patterns of Heart Disease; Charlotte, NC-SC Area by Tract
This graphic illustrates coronary heart disease patterns by census tract for cities included in the database. Gray areas are census tracts not included in the 500 cities database. Click graphic for larger view.
– View developed with CV XE GIS software and related GIS project/fileset.

Using the Interactive Table
Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare, query these health measures by city. The following graphic illustrates how the table can be used to examine patterns of Texas cities. Table operations are used to selected Texas cities then rank the cities based on the “Access” column — “Current lack of health insurance among adults aged 18-64 Years”.

Try it yourself. Use the table to examine a set of cities in a state 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.