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.

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.

How America’s Cities are Changing

… tools, data and insights into how America’s cities are changing, 2010-to 2017.  Of the nation’s 325.7 million people, an estimated 205.0 million (62.9%) live within an incorporated place as of July 1, 2017. 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 in this related section. See three related static tables below showing characteristics the 15 largest cities. Use the U.S. by cities shapefile with your GIS projects. See related GIS & mapping details. See more about the sources and uses of these data in this related section.

Mapping America’s 15 Largest Cities
The following view shows cities with 2017 population of 874,000 or more in blue. Labels show rank among all cities based on 2017 population. These 15 cities have a total 2017 population of 30.6 million of the 205 million total population in all U.S. cities (15%). Click graphic for larger view; expand window to full screen.
… click links in Table 3 below to view maps of these cities.

– View developed using the CV XE GIS software.

Patterns of City Percent Change in Population 2010-17
— Cities in the Los Angeles Area
The following view shows thematic patterns of population percent change, 2010-17 for cities in the Los Angeles, CA area. See color/interval assignment in legend. Click graphic for larger view; expand window to full screen. Larger view shows city names and 2017 population.

– View developed using the CV XE GIS software.
– Flexibly create your own views using the cities GIS project.
– Examine city population trends, patterns; zoom to desired areas; label as needed; integrate other data.

Tables Showing the Largest 15 cities
Data/characteristics shown in the following static tables may also be viewed in the interactive table above with more flexibility and details.

Table 1. 15 Cities With the Largest Numeric Increase, 7/1/16-7/1/17
.. cities with populations of 50,000 or more in 2016

Table 2. 15 Fastest-Growing Large Cities, 7/1/16-7/1/17
.. having populations of 50,000 or more in 2016

Table 3. 15 Most Populous Cities as of July 1, 2017
These 15 cities have a total 2017 population of 30.6 million of the 205 million total population in all U.S. cities (15%).

Mapping & GeoSpatial Analysis of the Largest 15 Cities
Click link in the list below to view map of city shown in the above table.
1 New York
2 Los Angeles
3 Chicago
4 Houston
5 Phoenix
6 Philadelphia
7 San Antonio
8 San Diego
9 Dallas
10 San Jose
11 Austin
12 Jacksonville
13 San Francisco
14 Columbus
15 Fort Worth

City/Place Demographics in Context & Related Data
• 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
• ACS 2016 5-year estimates
.. related City/Place Demographic-Economic Interactive Tables
.. General Demographics … Social … Economic … Housing Characteristics
• Corresponding U.S. by County 2010-2017 Estimates

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.

City Population Characteristics & Trends: 2010-2016

.. the change in U.S. city population from 2010 to 2016 ranged from growth of 345,647 in New York City to a decline of -38,293 in Detroit, MI. New York City is actually five counties; the next largest city growth was Houston, TX with a 197,857 population gain.  Examine how the population is changing in cities of interest using the interactive table and other tools described in this post.  Use the interactive table to view a selected city, all cities in a state, cities in a county, cities in a metro or cities in a peer group size class.  See related Web section for more details.

Use the U.S. by cities shapefile with your GIS projects. See details. Thematic pattern maps illustrating use of these resources are shown below.

The July 1, 2016 Census Bureau model-based estimates (see about these data) for the U.S. 19,510 incorporated cities show a total population of 203,314,546 compared to 192,174,578 as of Census 2010. These areas are incorporated cities as recognized by their corresponding state governments and granted certain governmental rights and responsibilities.

Patterns of City Percent Change in Population 2010-16
— Cities 10,000 Population & Over
Use the CV XE GIS software with cities GIS project to examine characteristics of city/place population, 2010-2016. The following view shows patterns of population percent change, 2010-16 for cities with 2016 population of 10,000 or more. Use the interactive table below to see that among cities with 2016 population of 10,000 and over that Buda, TX had the largest percent change (98.8%) while Avenal, CA experienced the largest percent decrease (-18.4).

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

Fastest Growing Cities in the Dallas, TX Metro
— Cities 10,000 Population & Over; create views like this for any metro/county
It is easy to see which cities are growing the fastest using the thematic pattern view below. It is also easy to see how the cities relate to each other geographically and in context of county boundaries. The following view shows patterns of population percent change, 2010-16 for cities with 2016 population of 10,000 or more in the Dallas metro area.

– View developed using the CV XE GIS software.

Drill-down — Fastest Growing Cities in the Dallas, TX Metro
— Cities 10,000 Population & Over
Zoom into the north Dallas metro area and label the cities with name. The following view shows patterns of population percent change, 2010-16 for cities with 2016 population of 10,000 or more in the Dallas metro area.

– View developed using the CV XE GIS software. Click graphic for larger view; expand browser window for best quality view.

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
Related City/Place Demographic-Economic Interactive Tables
• ACS 2015 5-year estimates
.. General Demographics … Social … Economic … Housing Characteristics

Using the Interactive Table
Use the full interactive table to examine U.S. national scope cities by annual population and change 2010-2016. The following graphic illustrates use of the table to view the largest cities ranked on 2016 population. Use the tools/buttons below the table to create custom views.

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.

America’s Cities: Demographic-Economic Characteristics Annual Update

.. tools and data to interactively examine demographic-economic characteristics of America’s 29,321 cities/places .. understanding demographic-economic characteristics of cities and places is 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 characteristics of all cities/places in the U.S. This annual update includes data for 29,321 cities/places based on ACS 2015 data.

Accessing the Data; Using Interactive Tables
Each of the four links below opens a new page providing access to U.S. by city/place interactive tables — by type of subject matter. Use tools and usage notes below table to select operations to perform queries, sort and select columns.
• General Demographics
• Social Characteristics
• Economic Characteristics
• Housing Characteristics

How the the Tables/Data Can be Used
The following table shows data derived from the Economic Characteristics table. The top 10 cities/places having the highest median household income ($MHI) are shown. The table also shows population, median family income ($MFI) and per capita income ($PCI). The $250,000 value is a cap; the actual value is $250,000 or higher. Use the interactive tables to create similar views for states of interest. Use the button below the table to select/view cities within a selected metro. Compare attributes of cities of interest to a peer group based on population size.

Visual Analysis of City/Place Population Patterns
Use GIS resources to visually examine city/place demographic-economic patterns. 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.

Related Data
• Cities/Places Main Section
• Citie Population Estimates & Trends, 2010-15

More About Using These Data
• Using ACS 1-year and 5-year data

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.

ZIP Codes with Highest & Lowest Economic Prosperity

.. the latest data for ZIP Code Areas show that eleven had a median household income of $250,000 or more during the period 2011-15. More than 20 ZIP code areas had a median housing value of $2,000,000 or more. Contrast these ZIP code areas with higher economic prosperity with the more than 150 ZIP codes that had a median housing value of less than $30,000.  Use the interactive table in this related Web section to see which ZIPs meet these and other criteria.

ZIP Codes with MHI $100,000 or More; Dallas, TX Metro
Analyzing economic prosperity patterns using combined types of small area geography … the following graphic shows ZIP code areas a red markers with the median household income or $100,000 or more in context of median household income by census tract thematic pattern. Click graphic for larger view with more detail. Expand browser window for best quality view. Use CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project to develop variations of this view for your areas of interest. .

– view developed with CV XE GIS software.

This section reviews measures of economic prosperity for all ZIP code areas. These data were released in December 2016. This section updates with new data December 2017. See the list of all ZIP ccdes showing population, housing and economic characteristics in the interactive table shown below. Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare and query ZIP code attributes.

Examining demographic-economic characteristics by ZIP code is important for several reasons. We are familiar with our own ZIP codes as a geographic location. We tend to be interested in our area compared to other areas. ZIP codes provide an easy way to do that. Also, many secondary data resources are tabulated by ZIP code area; some important data are only available by ZIP code. See more about ZIP Code areas.

Resources & Methods to Examine Small Area Demographics
• See related ZIP Code Demographic-Economic Interactive Tables
  .. extended subject matter
• See related Census Tract Code Demographic-Economic Interactive Tables
• Examine ZIP Code Urban/Rural Characteristics
• Examine ZIP Code Business Establishment patterns
• Examine ZIP Code Housing Price Index patterns
• Join us in the weekly Data Analytics Lab Sessions
  .. reviewing applications using these and related data.

ZIP Code Areas with $MHI $100,000 or More
The following graphic shows ZIP code areas as red markers having median household income or $100,000 or more. Click graphic for larger view with more detail. Expand browser window for best quality view. Use CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project to develop variations of this view; integrate other data; select alternative ACS 2015 subject matter.

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

ZIP Code Areas with $MHV Less than $30,000
The following graphic shows ZIP code areas as orange markers having median housing value of less than $30,000. Click graphic for larger view with more detail. Expand browser window for best quality view. Use CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project to develop variations of this view; integrate other data; select alternative ACS 2015 subject matter.

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

ZIP Code Areas: Population & Economic Prosperity
  — Interactive Table –
Use the interactive table to view, rank, compare, query ZIP codes based on a selection of demographic-economic measures. The following graphic illustrates how the table can be used to examine patterns of the three digit ZIP code area (San Diego) by 5-digit ZIP code. Table operations are used to select ZIP codes in the 921 3-digit area (containing 39 5-digit ZIP codes). These 39 ZIP code are then ranked in descending order on median household income. See results in the table shown below. ZIP code 92145 has the highest $MHI in this group with $228.036.

– click graphic for larger view.

Try it yourself. Use the table to examine a set of ZIP codes on your selected criteria in for a state/area 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.

Low and Moderate Income Demographics by Block Group

.. tools and resources to access and use low and moderate income demographics by block group … the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsored development of the ACS 2006-10 “low and moderate income population (LMI) by block group” special tabulation released in 2015. This is an important data resource for HUD as well as others who need to examine characteristics of the LMI population by block group and related small area geography. See related Web section for more details on topics covered here data.

This section reviews tools to use these data on a national or local level:
1. Site analysis tools
2. GIS software and national scope LMISD BG GIS project
3. National scope BG-level interactive table
See the related Web section for more detailed information.

Patterns of LMI Population by Block Group
The following graphic shows block groups with 51% or more LMI population with orange fill pattern. See related zoom-in views. Click graphic for broader Chicago area view. Expand browser window for best quality view.

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

Block Groups & American Community Survey (ACS) Data
There are several features of block groups that make this an important geography for data analytics. Block groups average 1,200 population and are the the smallest geographic area for which the ACS data are tabulated. The approximate 220,000 block groups are subdivisions of census tracts and cover the U.S. wall-to-wall. Only ACS provides national scope demographic-economic data at the block group level.

Analytical Tools & the ACS LMI Block Group Data
Tools reviewed below make use of one specific block group (170317115002) in the Chicago area. The tools may be applied to any other block group (BG) or set of BGs. Block groups are uniquely identified by the 12 character BG geocode. The BG code 170317115002 refers to block group 2 in census tract 711500 in county 031 in state 17.

1. Study Area Comparative Analysis Reports
Examine characteristics of circular area reports based on block groups within those areas. The following graphic shows a partial view of a 1- and 3-mile radius report developed for lat-lon location (41.7324422, -87.6410861) BG 170317115002 internal lat-lon. Click graphic to view entire report. This type of report can be prepared for any address/location/lat-lon and area size from less that one mile to many miles. These reports include a much larger set of demographic-economic data than included in the HUD LMISD. The comparative analysis structure makes it easy to compare one site/location with another and their difference.

.. report developed with ProximityOne SiteReport.

2. Using GIS Resources
— LMI 51% or More; Chicago Area Block Groups
Block groups with 51% or more LMI population shown with orange fill pattern. Mini profile displayed for block group at pointer – 170317115002 – find in table below. LMI percent shown as 55.03%. LMI-BG layer shown in context with Public Use Microdata Area 03531. Develop custom estimates of the population for this PUMA using the ACS PUMS data. Integrate other types of geography and data. Click graphic for broader Chicago area view. Expand browser window for best quality view.

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

See more information here about using the GIS project used to develop maps in this section and more generally develop your own maps and perform geospatial analysis.

3. Using the Interactive Table
Use the interactive table to view, query, rank and analyze LMI demographics by block group. The following graphic illustrates one application. The state of Arizona is selected using the state selection tool below the table. The Low Income column header cell is dbl-clicked, sorting the table on the estimate of the Low Income population by block group. It is easy to see that BG 040270116002(blue highlighted) has the largest Low Income population among all BGs in Arizona.

Try using the interactive table for geography of interest. The interactive table is a very useful tool when used in combination with the GIS application.

What’s next is data integration. Upcoming posts will review similar, but different, updated block group demographics and their use with data reviewed here. See the main block group 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.