Friday, June 13, 2014

Mapping Metro and County Population Change

There's a demographic drama unfolding. See it here, in the Census Bureau's Story Maps—two interactive maps of population trends by metropolitan area and county. These maps reveal the surprising changes in population trends that have demographers abuzz.  

The first Story Map shows population change in metropolitan and micropolitan areas, comparing trends in 2012-13 with those a decade earlier in 2002-03. The shift from green (growth) to purple (decline) in so many metros/micros between the two time periods tells an important story. The interactive feature of the map allows you to zero in on a particular metro/micro area and, using the swipe bar, see trends for the area in each time period.

The second Story Map shows 2012-13 population growth by county. On one side of the map you can see which counties grew in 2012-13 (green) and which did not (white). Swipe to the other side of the map to see which component of population change (births, deaths, domestic migration, and international migration) was most important for county growth.

Source: Census Bureau, Story Maps Illustrate Metro Area and County Population Change

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