Visualizing Metro Area Geography

.. metropolitan areas are referred to as CBSAs (Core-Based Statistical Areas) and formally defined as sets of contiguous counties for the Federal Statistical System by OMB based largely on Census Bureau data.  More than 93-percent of the U.S. population live in CBSAs. This post presents three map graphics showing the geographic configuration of CBSAs and related CSAs (Combined Statistical Areas) — groupings of contiguous CBSAs that meet certain criteria. See related Web section for more detail.

The graphics below use the September 2018 CBSA vintage, the current and likely to be used for Census 2020 tabulations. These CBSAs are comprised of 392 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), 384 MSAs in the U.S. and 8 in Puerto Rico, and 546 Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MISAs), 542 in the U.S. and 4 in Puerto Rico. For those MSAs that qualify, 11 MSAs are subdivided into 31 Metropolitan Divisions (MDs).

Metro Demographic-Economic Insights. What are the demographic characteristics of metros, how are they changing? We have developed annual population and population components of change estimates for the September 2018 vintage CBSAs.  Access these data in this interactive table. View CBSA county components. These data are integrated with other data to develop wide-ranging demographic-economic current estimates and projections for CBSAs and other geography (Situation & Outlook).

Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Sep 2018 Vintage
The following graphic shows the 2018 vintage Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). Use the associated GIS project to examine different years or subject matter items. Click graphic for larger view showing combined MSAs and MISAs.
Expand browser window for best quality view.


.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
.. create other views, geospatially analyze your data with associated GIS project.

Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Sep 2018 Vintage
The following graphic shows the 2018 vintage Micropolitan Statistical Areas (MISAs). Use the associated GIS project to examine different years or subject matter items. Click graphic for larger view showing combined MSAs and MISAs. Expand browser window for best quality view.


.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
.. create other views, geospatially analyze your data with associated GIS project.

Combined Statistical Areas, Sep 2018 Vintage
The following graphic shows the 2018 vintage Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs).
CSAs are contiguous CBSAs that are combined to form a CSA when certain conditions are met. Use the associated GIS project to examine different years or subject matter items. Click graphic for larger view showing CSAs with county overlay (visually determining which counties are in a CSA). Expand browser window for best quality view.


.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
.. create other views, geospatially analyze your data with associated GIS project.

DemographicEconomic 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.

Tools to Analyze the Local Area Employment Situation

.. December 2015; updated monthly … current, monthly data on the employment situation are essential to assess recent trends. The only historical source of these data for all metropolitan areas, counties and sub-county areas is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (about these data). 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., February 2016 data are available in April 2016). Historical monthly seasonally adjusted and non-adjusted time-series data are available. Use tools and resources provided/described in this section to access and analyze these Local Area Employment Situation (LAES) data. See related Web page with interactive ranking table.

Unemployment Rate by Metro
The following graphic shows the unemployment rate by metro.
— view created using CV XE GIS and associated LAES GIS Project

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.

Use the interactive table in the related Web page to view, sort, compare employment situation characteristics by Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) — metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.

Analyze Labor Market Characteristics in Context of Other Data
The Metropolitan Area Situation & Outlook Reports provide a labor market characteristics monthly time-series table. Select a metro using this interactive table. Examine the labor market data in context with wide-ranging related demographic-economic data.

Visual Pattern and GeoSpatial Analysis
Use the CV XE GIS software and LAES GIS project to create thematic pattern maps and integrate the employment situation data with other data. ProximityOne User Group members may install the LAES GIS Project at no fee and prepare thematic pattern maps like the one shown above and below. The map shown below shows the unemployment rate for each CBSA for a year earlier than the above map. Compare the maps and see how patterns have changed.

— view created using CV XE GIS and associated LAES GIS Project

Using the LAES GIS Project
Use the LAES GIS Project to develop maps, such as those shown above, and perform geospatial analysis operations. The LAES GIS Project updates monthly as new data become available. The CBSA layer/shapefile includes monthly civilian labor force, employment, unemployment and unemployment rate estimates for each month from January 2014 through the most recent estimate month (e.g., the December 2015 release includes monthly data from January 2014 through October 2015). Steps to develop custom thematic pattern maps are summarized below (requires Windows computer with Internet connection)
1. Install the ProximityOne CV XE GIS
… run the CV XE GIS installer
… take all defaults during installation
2. Download the LAES GIS project fileset
… requires ProximityOne User Group ID (join now, no fee)
… unzip LAES GIS project files to local folder c:\laes
3. Open the c:\laes\laes1.gis project
… after completing the above steps, click File>Open>Dialog
… open the file named c:\laes\laes1.gis
4. Done. The start-up view is shown at top of this section.

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss accessing, integrating and using these data with other data that relate to your situation.

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.

Resources to Analyze the Local Area Employment Situation

.. April 2015; updated monthly … current, monthly data on the employment situation are essential to assess recent trends. The only historical source of these data for all metropolitan areas, counties and sub-county areas is the Bureau of Labor Statistics (about these data). 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., February 2015 data are available in April 2015). Historical monthly seasonally adjusted and non-adjusted time-series data are available. Use tools and resources provided/described in this section to access and analyze these Local Area Employment Situation (LAES) data. See related Web page with interactive ranking table.

February 2015 Unemployment Rate by Metro (CBSA)
The following graphic shows the February 2015 unemployment rate by metro.
— view created using CV XE GIS and associated LAES GIS Project

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.

Use the interactive table in the related Web page to view, sort, compare employment situation characteristics by Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) — metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.

Visual Pattern and GeoSpatial Analysis
Use the CV XE GIS software and LAES GIS project to create thematic pattern maps and integrate the employment situation data with other data. ProximityOne User Group members may install the LAES GIS Project at no fee and prepare thematic pattern maps like the one shown above and below. The map shown below shows February 2014 unemployment rate for each CBSA (a year earlier than the above map). Compare the maps and see how patterns have changed.

— view created using CV XE GIS and associated LAES GIS Project

Using the LAES GIS Project
Use the LAES GIS Project to develop maps, such as those shown above, and perform geospatial analysis operations. The LAES GIS Project updates monthly as new data become available. The CBSA layer/shapefile includes monthly civilian labor force, employment, unemployment and unemployment rate estimates for each month from January 2013 through the most recent estimate month (e.g., the April 2015 release includes monthly data from January 2013 through February 2015). Steps to develop custom thematic pattern maps are summarized below (requires Windows computer with Internet connection)
1. Install the ProximityOne CV XE GIS
… run the CV XE GIS installer
… take all defaults during installation
2. Download the LAES GIS project fileset
… requires ProximityOne User Group ID (join now, no fee)
… unzip LAES GIS project files to local folder c:\laes
3. Open the c:\laes\laes1.gis project
… after completing the above steps, click File>Open>Dialog
… open the file named c:\laes\laes1.gis
4. Done. The start-up view is shown at top of this section.

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.

Access New ACS 2012 3-year Data via API Gateway

The American Community Survey 2012 3-year demographic-economic estimates were released by Census on November 14, 2013.  These data may now be accessed using the CV XE API Gateway.  The APIGateway enables access to the data online through a client-server application.  Unlike the Census Bureau American FactFinder, which also provides access to these data, the APIGateway enables knitting together multi-sourced data into profiles and ready to use extractions for viewing the data visually in thematic maps.

As summarized in more detail in the ACS 2012 section, the ACS 2012 3-year data provide demographic-economic estimates, centric to 2011, for geographic areas of 20,000 or more population (documentation, xls table shells).  A complete list of all geographic tabulation areas is available in this spreadsheet (opens Excel spreadsheet).  In comparison to the ACS 2012 1-year estimates (tabulation areas of 65,000 population or more), these 3-year estimates provide the most recent wide-ranging demographic-economic data for all Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) — metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and micropolitan statistical areas (MISAs).

The ACS 2012 5-year estimates will be released on December 17, 2013.  The 5-year estimates provide largely the same scope of subject matter, as for the 1-year and 3-year data, for most Census Bureau demographic tabulation areas above the census block level.  In particular, the 5-year data include all block groups, census tracts, ZIP code areas, cities/places, counties and metros.  Most of the 5-year data will be available using the APIGateway and reviewed in upcoming posts.