MCDC News and Updates

Startups Created More Than Two Million Jobs in 2015

Posted on by glenn

In 2015, the nation’s 414,000 startup firms created 2.5 million new jobs, according to data from the Census Bureau’s Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS). This level of startup activity is well below the pre-recession average of 524,000 startup firms and 3.3 million new jobs per year for the period 2002–2006.

Other BDS highlights include:

  • Job creation in the U.S totaled 16.8 million and job destruction totaled 13.7 million, for a net job creation of 3.1 million in 2015.
  • Young firms (those less than six years old) accounted for 11% of employment and 27% of job creation.
  • Old firms (those more than 25 years old) comprised 62% of employment and 48% of job creation.
  • The job creation rate for young firms, excluding startups, was 20% in 2015. This rate is above the Great Recession low of 15% in 2009, and it has recovered to its average level of 20% during the period 2002–2006.
  • The net job creation rate for establishments* in metro areas was 2.7%. For establishments in nonmetro areas, the rate was lower at 1.2%.
  • States with the highest net job creation rates in 2015 — 3.4% and above — are in the South Atlantic, Pacific and Mountain divisions.

The Business Dynamics Statistics are based on Business Register data, which covers all employers in the U.S. private nonfarm economy. This year’s release is limited to 13 tables; this temporary reduction in the number of tables will allow the completion of work to modernize the methodology that generates the Business Dynamics Statistics. The next release, planned for 2018, will provide an expanded set of tables that incorporate long-planned enhancements, including switching from the Standard Industrial Classification system to the North American Industry Classification System.

*A firm is a business organization consisting of one or more establishments under common ownership or control. An establishment is a single physical location where business is conducted or where services or industrial operations are performed. The firm and establishment are the same for single-establishment firms. Startup firms are new firms of age zero. See the BDS concepts and methodology page for definitions of job creation and net job creation rate.

ACS Report

Nearly a Quarter of Veterans Live in Rural Areas

Posted on by glenn

About five million (24.1%) U.S. veterans 18 years and older lived in areas designated as rural between 2011 and 2015, according to a new report (Veterans in Rural America: 2011–2015) from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). The report found that when considering demographic and economic characteristics, rural veterans were similar to urban veterans except for their median household income and employment rates.

Rural veterans had median household incomes more similar to those of rural nonveterans than urban veterans ($53,554 compared with $52,161 and $59,674, respectively). The poverty rate for all rural veterans was 6.9%. This rate increased by level of rurality, to a high of 8.6% for veterans in completely rural counties. Level of rurality is based on the percentage of the county population living in rural areas.

Working-age rural veterans (18-64 years old) had an employment rate of 66.0%, lower than rural nonveterans and urban veterans (67.7% and 70.7%, respectively). The employment rate of rural veterans decreased as the level of rurality increased. Employed rural veterans, however, were more likely to work full time and year-round than rural nonveterans (81.6% compared with 71.5%).

These findings use the ACS 5-year statistics released on December 8. Other highlights include:

Geography

Just under half of all rural veterans lived in the South (45.9%), followed by 26.4% in the Midwest, 14.1% in the West, and 13.7% in the Northeast.

Age

The median age of rural veterans was about 15 years higher than rural nonveterans and two years higher than urban veterans, and their age increased as the level of rurality increased. Rural veterans living in counties that were completely rural were the oldest, with a median age of 66.

Health Insurance

During the 2011-2015 period, 5.2% of all rural veterans and 15.4% of all rural nonveterans were not covered by any type of health insurance plan. Of the rural veterans who had health insurance during this period, 30.3% had private insurance only, 24.6% had public insurance only, and the remainder (45.1%) had a combination of private and public insurance.

New data application shows population by age and demographics

Posted on by glenn

A new MCDC data application, Population Estimates by Age and Demographics, provides population data at the state and county level for multiple age cohorts, data years, and demographic groups. These data are based on US Census populations with special “bridged race” categories created by the Census Bureau for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

The new application allows users to select one or more states (including counties, for single-state selections), data years (1990–2015), demographic groups, and age cohorts. There are two predefined age cohort sets, and users may also define up to 20 custom age cohorts, including both single year of age and multi-year age ranges. Age ranges may overlap.

This application complements our other population estimates apps, in particular the Population Trends app, which uses the same NCHS source data to compare population estimates between two data years. However, the Population Trends application is simpler, using only predefined age cohorts and a more limited set of data years and demographic groups. This new application offers more options and an Excel data export feature.

We hope you find this a useful tool. Please contact us with any problems, bugs, or suggestions.

Map of the Month

Missouri’s Registered Voters — Where Are They?

Posted on by glenn

For the upcoming November 8 Election Day, this month we present a view of registered voters in Missouri.

Missouri registered voters in 2013

Looking at the map (left) of registered voters in 2013 as a percentage of total county population ages 18 and older, we see some interesting patterns. The areas around Kansas City and St. Louis represent two large blocks of registered voters, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone, because those places represent the two largest concentrations of people in the state. (The map on the right shows where Missourians aged 18 and older live.)

What about the rest of the state, though? Dade County stands out with a fairly high percentage of registered voters, but neither Boone nor Cole counties are in the top tier of voter registration. Then there are counties with lower total populations but higher registration rates: Carter, Chariton, Clark, Gentry, Reynolds, Shelby, Ste. Genevieve, and Worth are all in the highest tier of voter registration, despite not being highly populated.

What’s the point? In addition to the usual message of “every vote counts,” these two maps show that large populations do not necessarily translate to large voter populations. This will make for some interesting viewing once the returns start coming in on Election Day. Keep in mind, too, that this map of voter registration rates can be compared to a map of voter turnout to see whether these patterns remain the same. That’s a comparison for another month.

Map of the Month

What Does Half of Missouri Look Like?

Posted on by glenn

According to the U.S. Census, Missouri had a population of 5,988,927 people in 2010. Where do they all live, though? What is the fewest number of counties required to represent half of the population? Or the fewest number of census blocks? Or, with 2016 being an election year, the fewest number of voter tabulation districts?

What does half of Missouri look like?

In each case, it turns out that you don’t need that many. If you were collecting counties, you would need only seven — Clay, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. Louis, and St. Louis City. That’s just 6% of Missouri’s total of 115 counties.

Voter tabulation districts tell a similar story. To get to half of Missouri’s population, you would need only 941 of the 4,813 districts in the state, or roughly 19%.

Most starkly of all, out of Missouri’s 343,565 census blocks, you would need only 5.3%, or 18,455, to represent half the state’s population.

St. Louis Named as a Test Site for the 2020 Census

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The U.S. Census Bureau announced earlier in April that it plans to conduct a census test, beginning October 3, 2016, in selected areas within St. Louis, Mo., and Buncombe County, N.C.

The goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place. Towards that goal, the Census Bureau will test new technologies for the address canvassing operation, which is the process of identifying and noting the locations of houses, apartments, shelters and other residences. This test will use new methods and data sources to detect new residential developments and to help the Census Bureau refine its operational plans for the 2020 Census.

The Bureau chose the test areas based on their mix of housing types in urban, suburban, and rural areas that have experienced changes in their population since 2010.

The test will end on December 16, 2016.

Conducting the census test will require hiring approximately 150 temporary census staff for each site. Pay will range from $13.84 to $19.21 per hour. Recruiting is now underway for these local jobs. For more information about job opportunities in St. Louis, please call the toll-free number 1-866-593-6154 or chicago.recruiting@census.gov.

 

 

Map of the Month

Selected Characteristics of Veterans in U.S. States

Posted on by glenn

To mark Veteran’s Day this year, the U.S. Census Bureau published infographics detailing a variety of state-level statistically derived characteristics of the men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.  The infographics covered a wide range of topics, including educational attainment, economic circumstances, health care accessibility, age, voting tendencies, and labor force statistics.

Missouri appeared in the middle range in the majority of the featured national statistics when compared to the other states. Specifically, Missouri had 479,828 veterans, with over 35% of those serving in the Vietnam Era. Nearly 50,000 of these veterans owned their own business, and 5.7% were unemployed. The median household income for veterans in Missouri was $54,311.

 

Map of the Month

Renter-Occupied Housing Rates in Missouri Greater than National Rates

Posted on by glenn

August and September mark the period when university students begin their Fall semester classes. These same months also mark the period when college towns across the country see an annual influx of temporary residents. In some cases, the return of college students represents only a minor change in a town’s population. In other cases, however, the result is more dramatic, causing long-time residents and homeowners to feel outnumbered by the sudden increase in short-term occupants. Is that necessarily the case, though?

Renter-occupied housing units in Missouri, 2010

In May 2015, the US Census published a report derived from the 2013 American Housing Survey. The report examined the relationship between owner-occupied housing units and renter-occupied housing units. At the national level, owner-occupied housing units dramatically outnumbered renter-occupied housing (57.0%, compared to just 30.3%). When comparing these national numbers to Missouri’s 2010 Census figures, though, a distinctly different picture forms. All totaled, 28 of Missouri’s 115 counties beat the national percentage for renter-owned housing units. For example, according to the 2010 Census, Boone County — home to the University of Missouri — shows a much more even split between owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing units (56.1% and 43.9%, respectively). Based on the same data, St. Louis City flips the national average completely, with 45.3% of its housing units recorded as owner-occupied, compared to 54.6% recorded as renter-occupied.

Census Report

Nearly One in Five Movers Relocate to a Different Metro Area

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About 18% of all movers in the United States and Puerto Rico, totaling 8.5 million people, moved to a different metropolitan area in the last year, according to new statistics released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the first time that the Census Bureau has released statistics for movers between metro areas from the American Community Survey.

The migration flows tables, which use data collected between 2009 and 2013, show how many residents move from one county or metro area to another during the course of a year. Government officials and planners, as well as local businesses, use these statistics to understand residential turnover in their communities. They also use this information to plan for infrastructure for new residents when there is a trend in people arriving, or to plan programs that attract new residents or employers when there is a trend in people leaving.

Nine of the top 10 metro migration flows were moves to nearby metro areas, with the largest flow of about 90,000 moving from the Los Angeles metro to the Riverside metro area. Movers who left the New York City metro area for the Miami metro area were the exception, with about 22,000 people making this move.

In addition to the new metro-to-metro migration flow tables, the annual county-to-county migration flow tables are now available. The county flows can also be accessed through the Census Flows Mapper.

The migration flow tables for both county-to-county and metro-to-metro include characteristics of movers by ability to speak English, place of birth, and years living in the United States.

Metro-to-Metro Migration Highlights

Of the 8.5 million people who moved between metropolitan areas:

  • 8.4 million moved between metro areas within the United States.
  • 63,483 moved from a metro area in Puerto Rico to a metro area in the U.S.
  • 24,197 moved from a metro area in the United States to a metro area in Puerto Rico.
  • 18,918 moved between metro areas within Puerto Rico.

Among the largest migration flows between metro areas:

  • 90,494 moved from the Los Angeles metro area to the Riverside, Calif., metro area.
  • 54,711 moved from the Riverside metro area to the Los Angeles metro area.
  • 26,957 moved from the New York metro area to the Philadelphia metro area.

County-to-County Migration Highlights

There were about 16.7 million people, or 5.4% of the U.S. population age 1 or over, who lived in a different county within the U.S. one year earlier.

Among the largest migration flows between counties by selected characteristics:

  • 7,690 people who speak a language other than English and speak English “less than very well” moved from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County, Calif.
  • 12,190 people who speak a language other than English and speak English “very well” moved from Los Angeles County to Orange County, Calif.
  • 2,968 people moved from Clark County, Nev., to their state of birth (California) and now reside in Los Angeles County.
  • 4,948 people who were born in Mexico moved from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County.
  • 2,468 people who entered the U.S. five years ago or less moved from Miami-Dade County to Broward County, Fla.
  • 6,263 people who entered the U.S. 16 years ago or more moved from Los Angeles County to Orange County, Calif.

Map of the Month

Millennials and Baby Boomers in Missouri

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In late June 2015, an news release from the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that, among other distinctions, Millennials — typically identified as persons born between 1982 and 2000 — officially outnumbered Baby Boomers — individuals born between 1946 and 1964. According to the Bureau, not only are Millennials now more numerous than Baby Boomers in the United States, they actually represent more than one quarter of the nation’s population.

Baby boomers and millenials in Missouri, 2013

On a county-by-county basis, Missouri does not follow the national trend. Of Missouri’s 115 counties, only 37 have higher percentages of Millennials than Baby Boomers. Two counties, Webster and St Louis, actually report equal populations of Baby Boomers and Millennials. As can be reasonably expected, most of these younger populations are found in areas of Missouri that include, or are near, metropolitan areas. Kansas City, St Louis City, Springfield, Boone County (and all of its neighboring counties) all possess noticeably more youthful populations than the rest of the state. Although most Missouri counties are estimated to have more Baby Boomers than Millennials, an interesting discovery in the county-level age data is that the difference between the two populations is often very small. Of the 74 counties that have more Baby Boomers than Millennials, only eight counties display a difference between the two populations of 10% or greater.