Metro areas include central urban areas (see Q&A) of at least 50,000 or more people and mirco areas include central urban areas of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000. Both of these areas contain one or more counties around the core urban area. You’ll also see the term "Core Based Statistical Area" (CBSA), it means both metro and micro areas.
A map is found HERE
Current list of Metro and Micro areas can be downloaded HERE
You’ll find population estimates on the main Metro and Micro page but that’s about it. Use American Fact Finder to get additional information. When in the Fact Finder search page select the “GEOGRAPHIES” tab and scroll down until you see “METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA/ MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA”. From there, you can select your area of interest.
One thing to remember… thousands of results will show up and you’re not always going to see what you want on the first page. Filter your search by adding more selections.
ABOUT
My tutorials are for entrepreneurs who seek free market research for their business plan, marketing plan or personal use. I am just like you! So I hope you like this blog.
Research topics are mostly related to fashion / retail and wholesale trade but can also be applied to other industries as well. I get the majority of my information from government websites and it can get confusing for first timers. SoOo, I'll try to explain things as simple as I can. If I've confused you, Just ask!
My tutorials primarily show you where to find things, so if you need additional information on items discussed, please review the Q&A section of each blog post.
RESEARCH SUMMARY
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General Population
Research
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Our company name is California Fashions (Made up
for tutorials), a fashion design company specializing in apparel for women.
Our target consumers are females ages 16-34 (Generation Y Females). There are
roughly 41.7 million females in this age range.
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Income and Spending by Age and Sex
http://silvermistdesigns.blogspot.com/2014/06/free-market-research-tutorial-income.html
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General Y Females make an average of $47,800
annually, with $489 typically spent on apparel and services.
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Geographic segmentation (Location Research)
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5.3 million Generation Y Females reside in
California.
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Metropolitan
and Micropolitan Statistical Areas
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To be continued…
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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Main Metro & Micro Data Page:
https://www.census.gov/population/metro/data/
What is an "Urban Area"?
https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/urban-rural-2010.html
