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.

U.S. & State Real Median Household Income Trends

.. during the past two years, 2017 and 2018, the real median household income increased by $1,627. Some states experienced a decline in real median household income in the past two years. During the previous two years, 2015 and 2016, the real median household income increased by $3,329. See details in interactive table (opens new page).

Real median household income in the U.S. increased 0.8 percent between the 2017 ACS and 2018 ACS based on the American Community Survey (ACS 2018). The U.S. MHI, based on ACS 2018 (released September 2019), was $61,937. The national MHI has been increasing since 2013. The increase from 2017 is smaller than the prior 3 years, during which MHI increased between 1.8 percent and 3.3 percent annually. This was the second consecutive year that U.S. MHI was higher than 2007.

Household income as used here is the combined gross income of all members of a household, defined as a group of people living together, who are 15 years or older. The median household income is used to examine the economic health of an area or to compare living conditions between geographic regions.

Use the interactive table and related Geographic Information System (GIS) resources to examine income trends and geographic patterns. See details on using GIS project.

Patterns of Real Median Household Income Change; 2016-2018
— change during two calendar years labeled with 2018 real MHI
— click link for larger view; expand browser window for best quality view.

– view developed using ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
– geospatial analyze income characteristics integrated with your data to examine patterns; gain insights.

Median Household Income in the United States: 2005–2018

U.S. & State Median Household Income: Annually 2005–2018 — Interactive Table
The following static graphic illustrates use of the U.S. & State MHI interactive table. This view shows the 10 states/areas ranked on the 2018 real median household income. See pointer, note that D.C. had the highest real 2018 MHI.  

Try it yourself. Use the table to examine different patterns … like which states experienced a decline in a selected year or over a selected period.

Alternative Measures of MHI
There are other ways to measure/estimate MHI. Possibly the most notable alternative is the Census/BLS Current Population Survey (CPS). This topic will be covered in an upcoming blog .. and how ACS and CPS MHI estimates differ. While the CPS can be used to develop state and higher level geography estimates, ACS might be preferred as MHI estimates can also be developed for counties, cities, census tracts and block groups .. and many other political/statistical areas not possible using CPS.

Demographic-Economic Analytics Web Sessions
Join me in a Demographics 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.

Assessing Why and How the Regional Economy is Changing

.. data, tools and insights .. which counties are experiencing the fastest economic growth? by what economic component? what does this look like on a per capita level? how might county economic change impact you? Use our county level annual estimates and projections to 2030 to get answers to these and related questions. Get started with the interactive table that contains a selection of these data for all counties and states.

Visual Analysis of Per Capita Personal Income Patterns
The following map shows changing patterns of economic prosperity, U.S. by county, based on percent change in per capita personal income, 2010 to 2017. Create variations of this view — this view uses a layer in the “US1.GIS” GIS project installed by default with all versions of the CV XE GIS software.
– click graphic for larger view.
– view developed with CV XE GIS software.

Measuring the economy and change. One important part of this is Personal Income and components of change. Personal income is the income available to persons for consumption expenditures, taxes, interest payments, transfer payments to governments and the rest of the world, or for saving. Use the interactive table to examine characteristics of counties and regions of interest; how they rank and compare. The table provides access to 31 personal income related summary measures — the interactive table shows data for one of eight related subject matter groups. See more about the scope of subject matter descriptions.

Assessing How the Economy is Changing and How it Compares
The U.S. Per Capita Personal income (PCPI) increased from $40,545 in 2010 to $51,640 in 2017 — a change of $11,095 (27.4%). Compare the U.S. PCPI (or for any area) to a state or county of interest using the table. For example, Harris County, TX (Houston) .. click the Find GeoID button below the table .. increased from $45,783 in 2010 to $53,188 in 2017 — a change of $7,405 (16.2%).

Economic Profile; 2010-2017 & Change — An Example
The following graphic shows and example of the economic profile for Harris County, TX (Houston). Access a similar profile for any county or state.

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.

How & Why State Demographics Are Changing

.. to examine how and why state demographics are changing, we look at the state as the sum of its parts — counties. Here we review tools and data to examine how and why state/county population is changing … is the population moving away or into your areas of interest? What are the trends; what is causing the change? what are the characteristics of the population moving in and out? How might this impact your living environment and business? See related Web section for more detail on topics covered here and access interactive table.

Patterns of Population Change by County, 2010-2017
The following graphic shows how counties have gained population (blue and green) and lost population (orange and red) during the period 2010 to 2017. Click graphic for larger view; expand browser window for best quality view.

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

The above graphic provides a visual summary of how and why demographics are changing from 2010 to 2017 in terms of components of change: births, deaths and migration. See the underlying data in this interactive table.

Change in the population from births and deaths is often combined and referred to as natural increase/change. The other way an area population changes is through migration (net international, net domestic, net migration). Examining an area’s unique combination of natural change and migration provides insights into why its population is changing and how quickly the change is occurring.

Examine States of Interest
Click a state link to view details about specific states …
Alabama .. Alaska .. Arizona .. Arkansas .. California .. Colorado .. Connecticut .. Delaware .. 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

Situation & Outlook Briefing Sessions
Join me in a Situation & Outlook Briefing Session, every Tuesday, where we review the where, what, how, and when of demographic-economic-business change – and how change might impact you.  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.

 

County 5-Year Trends: Income & Income Inequality

.. tools and data to examine how the U.S. by county household income and income inequality are changing … how is household income changing in counties of interest? What are the trends; what is causing the change? What are the characteristics of income inequality and how is it changing? How might this change impact your living environment and business?

This section provides access to tools and data to examine U.S. by county measures of household income and income inequality between two 5-year periods (2006-10 and 2011-2015). These data can provide insights into how household income and income inequality are changing for one county, a group of counties and the U.S. overall. Use the interactive table to view median household income and measures income inequality for all counties. See more detail about these topics here. Measures of income inequality can be estimates/examined using the Gini Index.

The Gini Index & Measuring Income Inequality
The Gini Index is a dimensionless statistic that can be used as a measure of income inequality. The Gini index varies from 0 to 1, with a 0 indicating perfect equality, where there is a proportional distribution of income. A Gini index of 1 indicates perfect inequality, where one household has all the income and all others have no income.

At the national level, the 2015 Gini index for U.S. was 0.482 (based on 2015 ACS 1-year estimates) was significantly higher than in the 2014 ACS Index of 0.480 (based on 2014 ACS 1-year estimates). This increase suggests that income inequality increased across the country.

Examining Household Income & Income Inequality Patterns & Change
The following two graphics show patterns of the GIni Index by county. The first view is based on the American Community Survey (ACS) 2010 5-year estimates and the second is based on the ACS 2015 5-year estimates. The ACS 2010 estimates are based on survey respondents during the period 2006 through 2010. The ACS 2015 estimates are based on survey respondents during the period 2011 through 2015. One view compared with the other show how patterns of income inequality has changed at the county/regional level between these two 5-year periods.

Following these Income Inequality views are two corresponding views of median household income; using data from ACS 2010 and ACS 2015. Use CV XE GIS software with the GIS project to create and examine alternative views.

Patterns of Income Inequality by County; ACS 2010
The following graphic shows the patterns of the Gini Index by county based on the American Community Survey 2010 5-year estimates (ACS1115). The legend in the lower left shows data intervals and color/pattern assignment

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

Patterns of Income Inequality by County; ACS 2015
The following graphic shows the patterns of the Gini Index by county based on the American Community Survey 2015 5-year estimates (ACS1115). The legend in the lower left shows data intervals and color/pattern assignment

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity by County; ACS 2010
The following graphic shows the patterns of median household income ($MHI) by county based on the American Community Survey 2010 5-year estimates (ACS1115). The legend in the lower left shows data intervals and color/pattern assignment

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity by County; ACS 2015
The following graphic shows the patterns of median household income ($MHI) by county based on the American Community Survey 2015 5-year estimates (ACS1115). The legend in the lower left shows data intervals and color/pattern assignment

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

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.

Tools to Analyze County Demographic-Economic Characteristics

.. demographic-economic characteristics of counties are essential for business development, market analysis, planning, economic development, program management and general awareness of patterns and trends. This section provides access to data and tools to examine these data for all counties in the U.S. This annual update includes geographic area characteristics based on ACS 2015 data.  The tools/data are organized into four related sections summarized below.

1. General Demographics
View interactive table at http://proximityone.com/us155dp1.htm
Patterns of School Age Population by County
Use GIS tools to visually examine county general demographics as illustrated below. The following view shows patterns of percent population ages 5 to 17 years of age by county — item D001-D004-D018 in the interactive table. Create your own views.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.

2. Social Characteristics
View interactive table at http://proximityone.com/us155dp2.htm 
Patterns of Educational Attainment by County
– percent college graduate
Use GIS tools to visually examine county social characteristics as illustrated below. The following view shows patterns of percent college graduate by county — item S067 in the interactive table. Create your own views.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.

3. Economic Characteristics
View interactive table at http://proximityone.com/us155dp3.htm 
Patterns of Median Household Income by County
Use GIS tools to visually examine county economic characteristics as illustrated below. The following view shows patterns median household income by county — item E062 in the interactive table. Create your own views.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.

4. Housing Characteristics
View interactive table at http://proximityone.com/us155dp4.htm 
Patterns of Median Housing Value by County
Use GIS tools to visually examine county housing characteristics as illustrated below. The following view shows patterns median housing value by county — item E062 in the interactive table. Create your own views.

… view developed using the CV XE GIS software.

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 Population & Components of Change: 2010-2016

.. data and tools to examine how state demographics are changing 2010-2016 … using the new 2016 population and components of changes estimates. The U.S. population changed from 308,758,105 (2010) to 323,127,513 (2016), a change of 14,369,408 (4.7%). Only three states lost population. See the growth rates for DC and the remaining states in this table. Highest growth rates were in D.C., North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Colorado.

Patterns of Population Change, 2010-2016, by State
The following graphic shows the percent population change by state with labels showing the rank among all states based on the percent change in population, 2010-16.

View created with CVGIS and related GIS project. Click graphic for larger view.

Resources to Analyze these Data
Use our tools to view and analyze annual population estimates, 2010 to 2016, rankings and components of change for the U.S., regions and states. Use the interactive table below in this section to view, rank, compare these data. Use the GIS tools and ready-to use project described below in this section to create maps for states and regions of interest. Create thematic maps for any of the fields/measures shown in the interactive table. Change color patterns and labels. Integrate your own data.

Using Interactive Table
Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare, query states based on a selection of demographic measures. The following graphic illustrates how the table can be used. Click graphic for larger view.

The graphic shows the largest 10 states ranked in descending order based on 2016 population. The column “PopChg Rank 10b16” (second from right) shows the rank of this state, among all states, based on the population change from 2010 to 2016. The rightmost column shows the state’s rank for the period based on percent change in population over the period.

Largest 10 States based on 2016 Population

Try it yourself. Use the table to examine state patterns and characteristics based on your selected criteria.

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.

2016 Presidential Election – Voting & Citizen Voting Age Population by County

In 2015, the U.S. citizen voting age population (CVAP) was 227,019,486 of the total U.S. resident population of 321,418,821 (70.6%). 2016 CVAP data are not yet available. In the 2016 presidential election, 128,298,470 votes were cast — approximately 56% of the citizen voting age population. For individual counties the 2016 presidential election vote ranged from 16% of the CVAP to near 100%. Use the interactive table in this section to examine characteristics of the 2016 presidential election vote and citizen voting age population by county.

This section reviews access to tools to view/analyze characteristics of the U.S. voting population (ages 18 and older and citizen) and participation in the 2016 presidential election. Data are based on Census Bureau annual population estimates, American Community Survey 2010-14 5 year (ACS 2014) Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP) special tabulation and 2016 presidential election results.

Visual Analysis of 2016 Presidential Election Vote by County
The following graphic shows the 2016 presidential vote as a percent of the citizen voting age population.

– Click graphic for larger view.
– View developed with CV XE GIS software.

U.S. Electorate Profile: Characteristics of the Citizen, 18 and Older Population

– based on 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year estimates
*Except where noted, “race” refers to people reporting only one race.
**Hispanic refers to the ethnicity category and may be of any race.
***Households with citizen householders.

U.S. by County Interactive Table Analysis 
Use the interactive table to examine characteristics of the 2016 presidential election vote and citizen voting age population by county. The following graphic illustrates how the table can be used to examine patterns in the Houston, TX metro by county. The Find in CBSA button is used below the table to select only counties in this CBSA/metro. The rightmost column header cell is clicked to rank counties on the voter participation rate for the 2016 presidential election.

– click graphic for larger view.

Try it yourself. Use the table to examine a set of counties in a metro or 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.

Regional Economic Information System: Annual Updates

.. which counties are experiencing the fastest economic growth? by what economic component? what does this look like on a per capita level?

.. access & analyze economic characteristics and patterns by county and state .. annual time series 1969 through 2015 with projections.  Personal income is the income available to persons for consumption expenditures, taxes, interest payments, transfer payments to governments and the rest of the world, or for saving. Use the interactive table to examine characteristics of counties and regions of interest. The table provides access to 31 personal income related summary measures. These data are a selection of a broader set of annual time series data from the Regional Economic Information System (REIS). REIS is a part of the ProximityOne State & Regional Income & Product Accounts (SRIPA) and Situation & Outlook (S&O) featuring current (2016) estimates and demographic-economic projections. Go to table.

Visual Analysis of Per Capita Personal Income Patterns
The following map shows the Houston metro (view profile) with bold brown boundary. Counties are labeled with county name and 2014 per capita personal income.

Click graphic for larger view. View developed with CV XE GIS software.

Per Capita Personal Income Change 2008-2014 by County
.. relative to U.S 2008-2014 change

Click graphic for larger view. View developed with CV XE GIS software.

Interactive Analysis – County or State Profiles
The following graphic illustrate use of the interactive table to view an economic profile for Harris County, TX. Use the table to examine characteristics of any county or state. Click graphic for larger view.

Interactive Analysis
– comparing per capita personal income across counties
The next graphics illustrates use of the interactive table to rank/compare per capita personal income across counties. Rank/compare states. Choose any of the economic profile items. 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.

Monthly Local Area Employment Situation; 2015-2016

.. this update on the monthly and over-the-year (August 2015-August 2016) change in the local area employment situation shows general improvement. Yet many areas continue to face challenges due to both oil prices, the energy situation and other factors.  This section provides access to interactive data and GIS/mapping tools that enable viewing and analysis of the monthly labor market characteristics and trends by county and metro for the U.S. See the related Web section for more detail. The civilian labor force, employment, unemployment and unemployment rate are estimated monthly with only a two month lag between the reference date and the data access date (e.g., August 2016 data are available in October 2016).

Unemployment Rate by County – August 2016
The following graphic shows the unemployment rate for each county.

— view created using CV XE GIS and associated LAES GIS Project
— click graphic for larger showing legend details.

As shown in the illustrative interactive table view below, seven of the ten MSAs having the highest August 2016 unemployment rate were in California. Use the table to examine characteristics of counties and metros in regions of interest. As apparent from the monthly patterns shown in the table, some areas are impacted by season factors, but others are not.

View Labor Market Characteristics section in the Metropolitan Area Situation & Outlook Reports, providing the same scope of data as in the table below integrated with other data. See example for the Dallas, TX MSA.

The LAES data and this section are updated monthly. The LAES data, and their their extension, are part of the ProximityOne Situation & Outlook database and information system. ProximityOne extends the LAES data in several ways including monthly update projections of the employment situation one year ahead.

Interactive Analysis
The following graphic shows an illustrative view of the interactive LAES table. Seven of the ten MSAs having the highest August 2016 unemployment rate were in California (ranked on far right column in descending order). Use the table to examine characteristics of counties and metros in regions 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.