Methodology
Updated 11 November 2026
Every figure in the Metro Research metro section comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates, downloaded from the Census Bureau’s official table-based summary files. The current release covers 2025; trends compare it with 2024 and 2021.
Geography
Metro areas are the federal Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) defined by the Office of Management and Budget. Only metros with population of 65,000+ receive annual ACS estimates, which gives 393 areas. Boundaries changed in 2023, so a few areas are not directly comparable with 2021; those cells are left blank.
Definitions
| Measure | Census table | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | B19013 | Income of all household members, in current dollars |
| Median rent | B25064 | Median gross rent: contract rent plus utilities |
| Median home value | B25077 | Owner-estimated value of owner-occupied homes |
| Rent as % of income | B25071 | Median gross rent as a share of household income |
| Rent burdened | B25070 | Renter households paying 30% or more of income on rent (50%+ = severely burdened) |
| Income needed for median rent | Derived | Median rent × 12 ÷ 0.30 (the 30% guideline) |
| Home value ÷ income | Derived | B25077 ÷ B19013 |
| Commute | B08013, B08303 | Aggregate travel time ÷ workers who travel to work |
| Bachelor’s or higher | B06009 | Share of adults 25+ |
| Unemployment | B23025 | Unemployed ÷ civilian labor force |
| Poverty | B17001 | Share of people below the poverty line |
| Work from home | B08301 | Share of workers |
Limitations
ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error, which are larger for smaller metros. Dollar values are not adjusted for inflation. The metro comparison tool is not a full cost-of-living index; it focuses on housing, the largest and most variable cost.
History of this website
From 1999 to 2008, metroresearch.org was the home of the Metropolitan Area Research Corporation (MARC), a Minnesota-based nonprofit that studied social and economic differences within U.S. metropolitan regions. Today’s Metro Research is a new, independent project with no connection to MARC. It carries on the same subject: understanding America’s metro areas through public data.