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About the Peer City Identification Tool

The Peer City Identification Tool (PCIT), developed by the Community Development and Policy Studies (CDPS) division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, is a data comparison and visualization instrument that can help policymakers and practitioners understand a municipality in the context of peer cities. The tool stems from the Industrial Cities Initiative (ICI), a study that profiled ten Midwestern cities with manufacturing legacies, describing how they have fared in socioeconomic terms over time.

Drawing on city-level indicators from the American Community Survey and historical Decennial Census records, the PCIT performs a cluster analysis to identify groups of similar cities along economic, demographic, social, and housing dimensions. The full dataset which underlies the PCIT can be downloaded here.

The PCIT-960 includes 960 places from around the United States that meet one of the following criteria - these places were incorporated, with at least 25,000 population by the 1960 census; or these places were incorporated, with at least 50,000 population by the 2010 census.

Of note: In seven cases, an incorporated place in 1960 deincorporated by 2010. These cities have current statistics reported for their township boundaries that exist today, which closely match their boundaries as incorporated cities in the past.

In nine cases, an incorporated place in 1960 annexed all or nearly all of the rest of their county. To simplify historical comparisons in these cities, the tool uses both current and historical statistics as reported for the county boundaries, not the more inconsistent boundaries of the specific place. These are listed by county name in the tool, with the principal city in parentheses. In addition, both the township and county statistical boundaries are noted in the download that is created by the table section of the tool, under the geoflag variable.

Finally, although it is not officially an incorporated place, the fiscal characteristics of Arlington, Virginia lead us to include it as a city in the tool, using statistics for Arlington County which is coextensive with Arlington as a census-designed place.

The seven cities that use township boundaries are:
Belleville, New Jersey
Bloomfield, New Jersey
Irvington, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
Nutley, New Jersey
Orange, New Jersey
West Orange, New Jersey

The ten cities, including Arlington, that use county boundaries are:
Anchorage, Alaska
Bibb County (Macon), Georgia
Clarke County (Athens), Georgia
Richmond County (Augusta), Georgia
Honolulu, Hawaii
Fayette County (Lexington), Kentucky
Jefferson County (Louisville), Kentucky
Silver Bow County (Butte), Montana
Arlington, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia


First, select a city by entering the city name in the search bar, or clicking directly on the map. Next, select one of four themes off which to base the clustering: Equity, Affordability, Resilience and Outlook. The selected city and its peers, which usually number between five and fifteen, then appear highlighted on the map. While often peers are geographically proximate (i.e., within the same general region of the country), sometimes a peer search can yield surprising results. The PCIT will also present the user with data from the peer cities and a table of key variables that were used to identify the group. In addition, the tool generates peer group median values for each variable, as well as the median for all cities in the dataset, enabling comparison across and within the cities. This perspective can provide further context, especially in identifying areas in which the subject city might deviate from its peers, which can serve to highlight particular challenges or opportunities. Users can also select variables to graph or chart, providing a useful visual. All data and images can be exported, and the full underlying dataset of 960 cities and 28 indicators is available for download.

Select additional variables can be added by checking one or more of the boxes from the list that appears below the data table. This simply adds the data for the selected city and its peers; it does not change the peer cities.

Peer cities are grouped along four key themes, allowing users to explore a variety of potential peers. These themes are designed in response to key areas of concern voiced by city leaders following more than 200 interviews across ten cities as part of the Industrial Cities Initiative and other place-based research.

  • Equity addresses questions regarding inclusion, access, and diversity using the wage-based Gini coefficient, race and ethnicity-based dissimilarity indices, changes in poverty levels, and educational attainment. City leaders cited challenges of creating and implementing inclusive growth strategies that attract new businesses and jobs to their cities, while creating policies that allow marginalized populations to benefit from these new opportunities. The PCIT uses the wage-based Gini coefficient (as opposed to the income-based coefficient more frequently used) to focus on wage-earning workers who have been employed for the full year.

  • Resilience speaks to issues related to economic diversification by considering current conditions and trends in manufacturing employment, labor force participation, and unemployment. Many cities experienced economic shocks during the Great Recession, but had experienced decline along these measures during the preceding decades as well. Economic diversification and labor force conditions provide broad insights into areas of vulnerability and strength.

  • The Outlook theme explores signs of a city’s demographic and economic future by incorporating immigration, family composition, age structure and changes in total population. The age distribution of a population, net migration, and family composition provide clues about a city’s future. Cities experiencing unusual demographic shifts may look to peers undergoing similar shifts, and identify common non-demographic factors such as employment and educational opportunities.

  • Housing speaks to issues of affordability by incorporating data relating to home ownership (income-to-home value ratio and homeownership rate) and renting (rent burden), the quality and competitiveness of housing stock by using the age of housing as a proxy, and housing vacancies. Providing competitive housing affordable and attractive to both renters and buyers was a primary discussion point among surveyed community leaders. Demand for housing is captured indirectly by the vacancy rate and the age of housing stock, while the relationship between homeownership, rent burdens and housing affordability can be associated with broader economic conditions in a city.

The tool works by performing a hierarchical cluster analysis on all 960 cities, using the variables included in the selected theme. A cluster analysis is a way of grouping data based on the similarity of responses to several variables. A cluster analysis can be imagined as treating each subject city and its data as a "point" in space. The analysis then proceeds to identify "neighbors" for each city, and these are its peers. The clustering method used is Ward's method, which minimizes the variance across all variables in a given group.1 Specifically, Ward's method minimizes the sum of the squared errors across all variables within a cluster, at each step of the clustering procedure. Each variable in each theme is normalized to have a standard deviation of 1, and then weighted equally for the procedure.

If a cluster produces only a small number of results, the program instead uses the ranked values instead of the normalized values, which tends to produce more evenly distributed groups, but does not allow for easy distinction between extreme outliers and more typical cities. The cluster containing the focus city is expanded before the peer cities are presented for ease of explanation and verification, by including any other cities that have all variables fall between the cluster's maximum and minimum values on each variable.

 

 


 

1 For more information regarding Ward's Method, the original article detailing the method is publicly available at: http://homes.mpimf-heidelberg.mpg.de/~mhelmsta/pdf/1963%20Ward%20JASA.pdf.

Hispanic-White dissimilarity index

The Hispanic-White dissimilarity index measures the degree of segregation between persons of any race of Hispanic or Latino origin and persons of non-Hispanic or Latino origin who identify as White. The source data is drawn from the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates of race and ethnicity at the census tract level. The index reflects the proportion of members of one of the groups (Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White) that would need to move to a different census tract for both groups to be equally distributed within the city. While all values presented in the tool were calculated by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago staff, the methodology, data, and limitations of the approach are inspired by and adopted from Brown University's "Diversity and Disparities" project, and more information on this type of segregation metric can be found on their site.

Black-White dissimilarity index

The Black-White dissimilarity index measures the degree of segregation between persons identifying as Black using the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates and persons identifying as White using the same 5-year survey estimates. This index uses the same data and methodology as the Hispanic-White dissimilarity index above.

The dissimilarity index measures whether one particular group is distributed across census tracts in the same way as another group. Values range from 0 to 100. A value of 60 (or above) is considered very high. It means that 60% (or more) of the members of one group would need to move to a different tract in order for the two groups to be equally distributed. Values of 40 or 50 are usually considered a moderate level of segregation, and values of 30 or below are considered to be fairly low. However, in cities where one race or ethnicity dominates the population, the dissimilarity index will be either skewed high or low. For this reason, the equity theme in the PCIT also includes the "percent White population" to provide this perspective. For further guidance on understanding and interpreting dissimilarity indices, please visit Brown University's "Diversity and Disparities" project.

Poverty rate

Poverty rate is reported here as the poverty rate for families, using the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates.

Change in poverty rate, 2000-2019

Change in poverty rate reflects the absolute, percentage-point change between the poverty rate for families as calculated by the 2000 decennial census, accessed via the National Historical Geographic Information System maintained by the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota, and the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates for poverty rate for families.

Wage-based Gini coefficient

The wage-based Gini coefficient reflects inequality in wages earned by full-time, full-year employed workers in each city. The source data comes from the American Community Survey, years 2011 to 2014, via the Integrated Public Use Microdata System maintained by the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota. Because place is unavailable for public use of microdata, values are reported for place after interpolation from the Public Use Microdata Areas, with population weighting based on the 2010 decennial census via the Missouri Census Data Center’s Geographic Correspondence Engine. Calculations are performed by Community Development and Policy Studies division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

The Gini coefficient is calculated by comparing the cumulative wage income of all individuals across the sample with the overall cumulative wage income. The Gini coefficient originated with Corrado Gini in the 1912 paper "Variability and Mutability" as a measure of income inequality. It is usually computed by taking the ratio of two areas on an indexed plot of cumulative income. The numerator is the area between the linear "Line of Equality" and the Lorenz Curve which describes the proportion of total income earned by the poorest fraction of the population, for each fraction between 0 and 1. The denominator is the area between the Line of Equality and the x-axis, which necessarily equals ½.

For more on uses and interpretations of the Gini coefficient see for example "On the measurement of inequality" by Atkinson (Journal of economic theory, 1970), "Relative deprivation and the Gini coefficient" by Yitzhaki (The quarterly journal of economics, 1979), or "A Study of the Best Theoretical Value of Gini Coefficient and Its Concise Calculation Formula" by Zuguang (Economic Research Journal, 2004).

Note on interpreting the Gini coefficient: Users should keep in mind that the Gini coefficient by definition measures inequality, and as such is a measure of dispersion (in this case wage dispersion) across a place or population. Therefore, in places where there is little dispersion, that is minimal difference between high and low, inequality will be low. Thus, in places of concentrated poverty (or concentrated wealth) there will be little inequality and therefore low Gini coefficients. In places with a low Gini coefficient, users should also take into account poverty levels and perhaps income levels to add nuance to interpreting the context of the coefficient. While low inequality may be a desired state, low inequality can also exist in places of deep, concentrated poverty. In particular, when calculating a Gini coefficient for wages, low inequality in a low income area suggests that there is little variation in wages because many workers are earning minimum wage.

We selected a wage-based Gini coefficient for inclusion in the tool because the values of the Gini coefficient for wages frequently serves as an indicator of two common scenarios that community development professionals and policy experts may hope to resolve. As mentioned above, low wage inequality alongside low household incomes points to a population that is highly dependent on low-wage, especially minimum wage jobs. On the other hand, high wage inequality in a place with medium household incomes suggests that job polarization may be occurring, as described by David Autor and others previously middle-wage jobs have disappeared or transitioned to low-wage jobs, while higher-wage, white collar jobs are also growing. This scenario is particularly likely if high wage inequality appears along with a major loss of manufacturing jobs.

Change in inequality index, 2008-2014

The change in inequality index, 2008-2014 reports the absolute change in the wage-based Gini coefficient between the wage-based Gini coefficient calculated using American Community Survey microdata from the years 2005-2008 and the wage-based Gini coefficient calculated using American Community Survey microdata from the years 2011-2014.

Note on interpreting change in inequality index: Users should take into account the note on interpreting the Gini coefficient, above. A decline in the inequality index, particularly in places with already low Gini coefficients, may indicate a trend towards concentration of wages at the low or high end of the wage spectrum.

Percent White

Percent White measures the proportion of a city's population identifying as White in the 5-year American Community Survey estimates for years 2015-2019. It is included in the PCIT to provide context for interpreting the dissimilarity index (see note for the Dissimilarity Index, above.)

Percent with a bachelor's degree

Percent with a bachelor's degree measures the proportion of a city’s residents age 25 and older that hold a bachelor’s degree or other advanced degree, based on estimates by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

In the context of the PCIT equity theme, obtaining a bachelor's degree is a proxy for access to higher-paying, quality jobs.

Share of Metropolitan Area population

The share metropolitan area population is calculated using the current definitions of metropolitan areas, also known as core-based statistical areas (CBSAs), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget. The share is derived by dividing the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimate for population for the city itself by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates for the population of the metropolitan area that contains the city. In a few rare cases, cities may straddle the boundary of a CBSA or multiple CBSAs, and in these cases the metropolitan area population is that of the CBSA that contains the most residents for that city.

This variable provides a way to control for both the size of a place when determining peers, and more significantly the position of a place within its larger urban context. Because many types of socio-economic patterns may present differently in suburbs than in central cities, the tool incorporates share of metropolitan area population into all four of the themes presented.

Unemployment rate

The unemployment rate used by this tool is the unemployment rate at the place (city) level among the population age 16 or older, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Labor force participation rate

The labor force participation rate used by this tool is the labor force participation rate at the place level among the population age 16 or older, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Change in labor force participation rate, 2000-2019

The change in labor force participation rate, 2000-2019 reports the absolute, percentage-point change in the labor force participation rate as published by the 2000 decennial census and the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey. The 2000 census data is drawn from the National Historical Geographic Information System of the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota.

The unemployment rate, labor force participation rate, and change in labor force participation all provide context for the health of the labor market in these areas. A low unemployment rate and high labor force participation rate are indicators of a tight labor market and median incomes should be higher and demonstrate modulated decline, as a result. Conversely, low labor force participation rates are often seen with high unemployment rates and low incomes demonstrating low-demand employment conditions.

Labor share of manufacturing

The labor share of manufacturing is the percentage of all employed workers in a city employed in manufacturing, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Change, labor share of manufacturing, 1970-2019

The change in labor share of manufacturing, 1970-2019 reports the absolute, percentage-point change in the labor share of manufacturing as reported in the 1970 decennial census and the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey. The 1970 census data is drawn from the National Historical Geographic Information System of the Minnesota Population Center at the University of Minnesota.

The PCIT grew out of the "Industrial Cities Initiative" that explored economic trends across 10 industrial cities. The extent of manufacturing employment decline and a place’s ability to diversify its economy following that decline, were both indicators of resilience and vulnerability. See note on interpreting median family income below.

Median family income

Median family income is drawn from 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates.

Change in median family income, 2000-2019

The change in median family income, 2000-2019 is the percent difference between the median family income as indicated in the 2000 decennial census, inflation-adjusted to be in 2016 constant dollars, and the median family income as estimated in the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

In observing how and whether a place has diversified away from manufacturing employment (see note on interpreting manufacturing employment, above), the level of median family income and respective changes can provide insight into the quality of jobs that are now available.

Median household income

Median household income comes from 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey estimates.

Percent foreign-born

Percent foreign-born measures the percentage of residents of a place born outside of the United States or its territories, and reflects the estimates published by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Operating under the assumption that people generally immigrate to a place for economic opportunity, the percent of the population that is foreign born can be an indicator of actual or anticipated opportunity.

Percent change in population, 2000-2019

Percent change in population, 2000-2019, is the percent difference between the population of a place as reported in the 2000 decennial census and the population estimated for the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Population trends are a primary indicator of a places’ economic health. Losses that deviate from peer trends can indicate an underlying weakness.

Percent of households with children

Percent of households with children is the percentage of all households which include members of the household under the age of 18, which are related to the head of household. These estimates are drawn from the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Decisions about where to raise children are informed by many factors, including school quality and public safety. The extent to which a place’s population consists of households with children can be an indicator of how basic services are managed and delivered.

Percent of population 20-64

The percent of population 20-64 is the percentage of the population between the ages of 20 and 64, inclusive. Estimates are those published by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

The percent of the population aged 20-64 is a proxy for the working age population and provides insight into the balance between an independent and dependent population.

Population

The population of the city as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Percent of housing units built pre-1980

Percent of housing units built pre-1980 measures the portion of all housing units identified by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey as constructed before the year 1980.

Within the PCIT, the percent of housing units built pre-1980 is a proxy for housing demand. High percentages of housing built before 1980 can be an indicator of little demand for new builds. It should be noted, however, the cities in the northeast often by definition have an older housing stock due to the overall age of the city. Here, geographical peers can be useful in determining what can be expected.

Vacancy rate

The vacancy rate measures the percentage of all residential units that are unoccupied, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

The vacancy rate can be another indicator of housing demand. High vacancy rates may point to a housing market in distress. However, low vacancy rates across a city, may mask pockets of housing distress present at the neighborhood level.

Home value to income ratio

The home value to income ratio is the ratio of the median value of owner-occupied homes, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey, to the median household income, also as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

This is a measure of home purchase affordability. However, in interpreting this variable, users should take into account vacancy rates, as well as percent rent burdened rates. In situations where the home value to income ratio is low, but high vacancy or high rent burden percentages exist, low housing values may be driven by overall lack of demand compounded by low incomes. Users may want to bring in additional income variables to explore this context.

Homeownership rate

The homeownership rate is the percentage of householders who own their residence, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

Homeownership rates are often indicators of neighborhood/community stability, as homeowners are likely to stay and invest in the places where they own homes. Low home-ownership rates combined with high percentages of rent burden can indicate a community that is struggling to provide homeownership opportunities for its residents, and at the extreme, an indicator of an appraisal gap.

Percent rent-burdened households

The percent rent-burdened households is the percentage of renter households which spend more than 30 percent of their gross monthly income on rent each month, as estimated by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.

One of the primary responsibilities of a municipality is to provide affordable rental housing for residents. While many places struggle with high percentages of rent burdened populations, a review of a city’s peers can provide insight into where this challenge is particularly acute.

Median monthly housing costs

Median monthly housing costs are estimates published by the 2015-2019 5-year American Community Survey.
Monthly housing costs as included in the PCIT represent both ownership and rental housing costs. Users may want to include income variables to provide context for interpreting housing costs and assessing overall affordability.


Alabama

Anniston
Auburn
Bessemer
Birmingham
Decatur
Dothan
Florence
Gadsden
Hoover
Huntsville
Mobile
Montgomery
Phenix City
Prichard
Selma
Tuscaloosa

Alaska

Anchorage

Arizona

Avondale
Buckeye
Chandler
Flagstaff
Gilbert
Glendale
Goodyear
Lake Havasu City
Mesa
Peoria
Phoenix
Scottsdale
Surprise
Tempe
Tucson
Yuma

Arkansas

Conway
El Dorado
Fayetteville
Fort Smith
Hot Springs
Jonesboro
Little Rock
North Little Rock
Pine Bluff
Rogers
Springdale

California

Alameda
Alhambra
Anaheim
Antioch
Apple Valley
Arcadia
Bakersfield
Baldwin Park
Bellflower
Berkeley
Beverly Hills
Brentwood
Buena Park
Burbank
Camarillo
Carlsbad
Carson
Cathedral City
Chico
Chino Hills
Chula Vista
Citrus Heights
Clovis
Colton
Compton
Concord
Corona
Costa Mesa
Culver City
Cupertino
Daly City
Davis
Delano
Diamond Bar
Downey
El Cajon
El Cerrito
El Monte
Elk Grove
Encinitas
Escondido
Eureka
Fairfield
Folsom
Fontana
Fountain Valley
Fremont
Fresno
Fullerton
Garden Grove
Gardena
Glendale
Glendora
Hanford
Hawthorne
Hayward
Hemet
Hesperia
Highlight
Huntington Beach
Huntington Park
Indio
Inglewood
Irvine
La Habra
La Mesa
Laguna Niguel
Lake Elsinore
Lake Forest
Lakewood
Lancaster
Livermore
Lodi
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Lynwood
Madera
Manhattan Beach
Manteca
Menifee
Menlo Park
Merced
Milpitas
Mission Viejo
Modesto
Monrovia
Montebello
Monterey Park
Moreno Valley
Mountain View
Murrieta
Napa
National City
Newport Beach
Norwalk
Novato
Oakland
Oceanside
Ontario
Orange
Oxnard
Palmdale
Palo Alto
Paramount
Pasadena
Perris
Petaluma
Pico Rivera
Pittsburg
Placentia
Pleasanton
Pomona
Porterville
Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cucamonga
Redding
Redlands
Redondo Beach
Redwood City
Rialto
Richmond
Riverside
Rocklin
Rosemead
Roseville
Sacramento
Salinas
San Bernardino
San Bruno
San Clemente
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
San Leandro
San Marcos
San Mateo
San Rafael
San Ramon
Santa Ana
Santa Barbara
Santa Clara
Santa Clarita
Santa Cruz
Santa Maria
Santa Monica
Santa Rosa
Santee
Simi Valley
South Gate
South San Francisco
Stockton
Sunnyvale
Temecula
Thousand Oaks
Torrance
Tracy
Tulare
Turlock
Tustin
Union City
Upland
Vacaville
Vallejo
Ventura
Victorville
Visalia
Vista
Walnut Creek
Watsonville
West Covina
Westminster
Whittier
Woodland
Yorba Linda
Yuba City
Yucaipa 

Colorado

Arvada
Aurora
Boulder
Broomfield
Centennial
Colorado Springs
Denver
Englewood
Fort Collins
Grand Junction
Greeley
Lakewood
Longmont
Loveland
Pueblo
Thornton
Westminster

Connecticut

Bridgeport
Bristol
Danbury
Hartford
Meriden
Middletown
Milford
New Britain
New Haven
New London
Norwalk
Norwich
Stamford
Torrington
Waterbury
West Haven

Delaware

Wilmington

District of Columbia

Washington DC

Florida

Boca Raton
Boynton Beach
Cape Coral
Clearwater
Coconut Creek
Coral Gables
Coral Springs
Davie
Daytona Beach
Delray Beach
Deltona
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Myers
Fort Pierce
Gainesville
Hialeah
Hollywood
Homestead
Jacksonville
Jupiter
Key West
Kissimmee
Lakeland
Largo
Lauderhill
Margate
Melbourne
Miami Beach
Miami Gardens
Miami
Miramar
North Miami
North Port
Ocala
Orlando
Palm Bay
Palm Coast
Panama City
Pembroke Pines
Pensacola
Plantation
Pompano Beach
Port Orange
Port St. Lucie
Sanford
Sarasota
St. Petersburg
Sunrise
Tallahassee
Tamarac
Tampa
Wellington
West Palm Beach
Weston

Georgia

Albany
Alpharetta
Atlanta
Bibb County (Macon)
Clarke County (Athens)
Columbus
East Point
Johns Creek
Marietta
Richmond County (Augusta)
Rome
Roswell
Sandy Springs
Savannah
Smyrna
Valdosta
Warner Robins

Hawaii

Hilo
Honolulu

Idaho

Boise
Idaho Falls
Meridian
Nampa
Pocatello

Illinois

Alton
Arlington Heights
Aurora
Belleville
Berwyn
Bloomington
Bolingbrook
Champaign
Chicago Heights
Chicago
Cicero
Danville
Decatur
Des Plaines
East St. Louis
Elgin
Elmhurst
Evanston
Freeport
Galesburg
Granite City
Harvey
Highland Park
Hoffman Estates
Joliet
Kankakee
Maywood
Moline
Mount Prospect
Naperville
Normal
Oak Lawn
Oak Park
Orland Park
Palatine
Park Forest
Pekin
Peoria
Quincy
Rock Island
Rockford
Skokie
Springfield
Tinley Park
Urbana
Waukegan
Wheaton
Wilmette

Indiana

Anderson
Bloomington
Carmel
East Chicago
Elkhart
Evansville
Fishers
Fort Wayne
Gary
Hammond
Indianapolis
Kokomo
Lafayette
Marion
Michigan City
Mishawaka
Muncie
New Albany
Noblesville
Richmond
South Bend
Terre Haute

Iowa

Ames
Burlington
Cedar Rapids
Clinton
Council Bluffs
Davenport
Des Moines
Dubuque
Fort Dodge
Iowa City
Mason City
Ottumwa
Sioux City
Waterloo
West Des Moines

Kansas

Hutchinson
Kansas City
Lawrence
Manhattan
Olathe
Overland Park
Prairie Village
Salina
Shawnee
Topeka
Wichita

Kentucky

Ashland
Bowling Green
Covington
Fayette County (Lexington)
Jefferson County (Louisville)
Newport
Owensboro
Paducah

Louisiana

Alexandria
Baton Rouge
Bossier City
Kenner
Lafayette
Lake Charles
Monroe
New Iberia
New Orleans
Shreveport

Maine

Bangor
Lewiston
Portland

Maryland

Baltimore
Bowie 
Cumberland
Frederick
Gaithersburg
Hagerstown
Rockville

Massachusetts

Attleboro
Beverly
Boston
Brockton
Cambridge
Chelsea
Chicopee
Everett
Fall River
Fitchburg
Gloucester
Haverhill
Holyoke
Lawrence
Leominster
Lowell
Lynn
Malden
Medford
Melrose
New Bedford
Newton
Northampton
Peabody
Pittsfield
Quincy
Revere
Salem
Somerville
Springfield
Taunton
Waltham
Westfield
Weymouth
Woburn
Worcester

Michigan

Allen Park
Ann Arbor
Battle Creek
Bay City
Birmingham
Dearborn Heights
Dearborn
Detroit
East Lansing
Eastpointe
Farmington Hills
Ferndale
Flint
Garden City
Grand Rapids
Hamtrmck
Hazel Park
Highland Park
Inkster
Jackson
Kalamazoo
Lansing
Lincoln Park
Livonia
Madison Heights
Midland
Muskegon
Novi
Oak Park
Pontiac
Port Huron
Rochester HIlls
Roseville
Royal Oak
Saginaw
Southfield
Southgate
St. Clair Shores
Sterling Heights
Taylor
Troy
Warren
Westland
Wyandotte
Wyoming

Minnesota

Austin
Blaine
Bloomington
Brooklyn Park
Burnsville
Coon Rapids
Duluth
Eagan
Eden Prairie
Edina
Lakeville
Maple Grove
Minneapolis
Minnetonka
Plymouth
Richfield
Rochester
St. Cloud
St. Louis Park
St. Paul
Woodbury

Mississippi

Biloxi
Greenville
Gulfport
Hattiesburg
Jackson
Laurel
Meridian
Vicksburg

Missouri

Blue Springs
Columbia
Florissant
Independence
Jefferson City
Joplin
Kansas City
Kirkwood
Lee's Summit
O'Fallon
Springfield
St. Charles
St. Joseph
St. Louis
St. Peters
University City
Webster Groves

Montana

Billings
Great Falls
Missoula
Silver Bow County (Butte)

Nebraska

Bellevue
Grand Island
Lincoln
Omaha

Nevada

Carson City
Henderson
Las Vegas
North Las Vegas
Reno
Sparks

New Hampshire

Concord
Manchester
Nashua
Portsmouth

New Jersey

Atlantic City
Bayonne
Camden
Clifton
East Orange
Elizabeth
Englewood
Fair Lawn
Garfield
Hackensack
Hoboken
Irvington
Jersey City
Kearny
Linden
Long Branch
Montclair
New Brunswick
Newark
Orange
Passaic
Paterson
Perth Amboy
Plainfield
Rahway
Ridgewood
Trenton
Union City
Vineland
West New York
West Orange
Westfield

New Mexico

Albuquerque
Carlsbad
Hobbs
Las Cruces
Rio Rancho
Roswell
Santa Fe

New York

Albany
Amsterdam
Auburn
Binghamton
Buffalo
Elmira
Freeport
Hempstead
Ithaca
Jamestown
Kingston
Lackawanna
Lockport
Long Beach
Mount Vernon
New Rochelle
New York
Newburgh
Niagara Falls
North Tonawanda
Poughkeepsie
Rochester
Rockville Centre
Rome
Schenectady
Syracuse
Troy
Utica
Valley Stream
Watertown
White Plains
Yonkers

North Carolina

Asheville
Burlington
Cary
Chapel Hill
Charlotte
Durham
Fayetteville
Gastonia
Goldsboro
Greensboro
Greenville
High Point
Jacksonville
Raleigh
Rocky Mount
Wilmington
Wilson
Winston-Salem

Ohio

Akron
Alliance
Barberton
Canton
Cincinnati
Cleveland Heights
Cleveland
Columbus
Cuyahoga Falls
Dayton
East Cleveland
Elyria
Euclid
Findlay
Garfield Heights
Hamilton
Kettering
Lakewood
Lancaster
Lima
Lorain
Mansfield
Maple Heights
Marion
Massillon
Middletown
Newark
Norwood
Parma
Portsmouth
Sandusky
Shaker Heights
South Euclid
Springfield
Steubenville
Toledo
Upper Arlington
Warren
Youngstown
Zanesville

Oklahoma

Bartlesville
Broken Arrrow
Edmond
Enid
Lawton
Midwest City
Moore
Muskogee
Norman
Oklahoma City
Tulsa

Oregon

Albany
Beaverton
Bend
Corvallis
Eugene
Gresham
Hillsboro
Medford
Portland
Salem
Springfield

Pennsylvania

Aliquippa
Allentown
Altoona
Bethlehem
Chester
Easton
Erie
Harrisburg
Hazleton
Johnstown
Lancaster
Lebanon
McKeesport
New Castle
Norristown
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Pottstown
Reading
Scranton
Sharon
West Mifflin
Wilkes-Barre
Wilkinsburg
Williamsport
York

Rhode Island

Cranston
East Providence
Newport
Pawtucket
Providence
Warwick
Woonsocket

South Carolina

Anderson
Charleston
Columbia
Greenville
Mount Pleasant
North Charleston
Rock Hill
Spartanburg

South Dakota

Rapid City
Sioux Falls

Tennessee

Bartlett
Chattanooga
Clarksville
Franklin
Hendersonville
Jackson
Johnson City
Kingsport
Knoxville
Memphis
Nashville
Oak Ridge

Texas

Abilene
Allen
Amarillo
Arlington
Austin
Baytown
Beaumont
Big Spring
Brownsville
Bryan
Carrollton
College Station
Conroe
Corpus Christi
Dallas
Denton
Edinburg
El Paso
Euless
Flower Mound
Fort Worth
Frisco
Galveston
Garland
Grand Prairie
Harlingen
Houston
Irving
Killeen
Kingsville
Laredo
League City
Lewisville
Longview
Lubbock
Mansfield
McAllen
McKinney
Mesquite
Midland
Mission
Missouri City
New Braunfels
North Richland Hills
Odessa
Orange
Pasadena
Pearland
Pharr
Plano
Port Arthur
Richardson
Round Rock
Rowlett
San Angelo
San Antonio
Sugar Land
Temple
Texarkana
Texas City
Tyler
Victoria
Waco
Wichita Falls

Utah

Layton
Ogden
Orem
Provo
Salt Lake City
Sandy City
South Jordan
St. George
Taylorsville
West Jordan
West Valley City

Vermont

Burlington

Virginia

Alexandria
Arlington
Charlottesville
Chesapeake
Danville
Hampton
Lynchburg
Newport News
Norfolk
Petersburg
Portsmouth
Richmond
Roanoke
Suffolk
Virginia Beach

Washington

Auburn
Bellevue
Bellingham
Bremerton
Everett
Federal Way
Kennewick
Kent
Lakewood
Marysville
Pasco
Redmond
Renton
Seattle
Shoreline
Spokane Valley
Spokane
Tacoma
Vancouver
Yakima

West Virginia

Charleston
Clarksburg
Fairmont
Huntington
Parkersburg
Wierton
Wheeling

Wisconsin

Appleton
Beloit
Eau Claire
Fond du Lac
Green Bay
Janesville
Kenosha
La Crosse
Madison
Manitowoc
Milwaukee
Oshkosh
Racine
Sheboygan
Superior
Waukesha
Wausau
Wauwatosa
West Allis

Wyoming

Casper
Cheyenne

Following is a non-exhaustive list of other free, web-based tools that provide insights into places. The data provided in these tools complements that available through the PCIT and can help expand analyses.

By clicking on the links below, you will be taken to an external website and all descriptive language used below is taken directly from the host sites.

 

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta: Small City Economic Dynamism Index

https://www.frbatlanta.org/community-development/data-and-tools/small-city-economic-dynamism.aspx

“Small cities are like nerve centers connecting the regional economy. They are the hearts of their respective counties and metropolitan areas as well as hubs of employment, retail, health care, and education for people living in surrounding rural areas. Many small cities are growing and attracting new investments, but unemployment, poverty, vacant buildings, and economic distress are pronounced in some small metros. We've compiled a dataset and created the Small City Economic Dynamism Index to help policymakers and practitioners gain more nuanced perspectives. The index ranks 245 small U.S. cities across 14 indicators of economic dynamism in four categories: demographics, economics, human capital, and infrastructure.”

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: Community Investment Explorer

https://www.stlouis.fed.org/community-development/data-tools/community-investment-explorer

"The Community Investment Explorer aggregates customizable data from the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) and Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) programs to show geographic comparisons and trends over time. Developed by the St. Louis Fed, this interactive tool draws on publicly available data from over 500,000 community development transactions."

HUD's Community Assessment Reporting Tool (CART)

https://egis.hud.gov/cart/

“CART is a reference tool designed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to display HUD's investments in communities across the United States. Use the Search bar to enter a name of a city, county, metropolitan area or state to see many of HUD's investments or use the Advanced Search for more options. CART can easily generate reports in PDF and Excel.”

Community Commons

https://www.communitycommons.org/

“Community Commons is a place where data, tools, and stories come together to inspire change and improve communities. We provide public access to thousands of meaningful data layers that allow mapping and reporting capabilities so you can thoroughly explore community health. As a mission driven organization, we aim to make our custom tools publicly available whenever possible and our partners understand and support this public-good mission. The goal of Community Commons is to increase the impact of those working toward healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities. We believe this happens when Commons users access our tools to gain a deeper understanding of community assets and opportunities and then use data visualizations to convey that knowledge through partnerships and collaboration.”

EJSCREEN: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool

https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen

“EJSCREEN is an environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides EPA with a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic indicators. EJSCREEN users choose a geographic area; the tool then provides demographic and environmental information for that area. All of the EJSCREEN indicators are publicly-available data. EJSCREEN simply provides a way to display this information and includes a method for combining environmental and demographic indicators into EJ indexes.” 

Policy Map

https://www.policymap.com/maps

“PolicyMap offers easy-to-use online mapping with data on demographics, real estate, health, jobs and more in communities across the US. From the classroom to the boardroom, thousands of organizations trust PolicyMap to find the right data for their research, market studies, business planning, site selection, grant applications and impact analysis.”

 

 

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