2020 SC Census Number

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by The QC

No you are not correct on this. It is strictly the percent of the non-farm workforce of an outlying county that commutes for work into the central county or counties. I really do not see the big deal everyone makes out of split MSAs. The US Census Bureau is gauging the degree that the central county dominates its region. If it does not dominate the region totally then the Bureau has created the CSA to cover those central counties that are not as dominant.

Also, bringing counties into the MSA that are part of the TV market or counties where shoppers originate in an outlying county and shop in the central county would create very large and sprawling MSAs. Using this criteria can you imagine the size of the NYC MSA. And tracking shopping data would be too subjective. How many times per year would shoppers from outlying county have to shop in central county for the outlying county to be added. And how much must the average shopper spend? Really, the only way to track it is with commuters.

And some say that there is no way that Spartanburg County should not be part of the Greenville MSA since it borders it. Just because a county borders the central county or is in its region, this does not mean that it should automatically belong. There was a time when when some counties bordering Mecklenburg were not part of the metro area. At that time Mecklenburg was much smaller and its sphere of influence was much less. If all counties that border central counties were to be included then a smaller less populous county in a rural setting where the central city is only 50k population could have as many as 7 counties in its MSA. So, after one thinks about it, you realize that you have to have standards related to commuting to work.

And in that small rural county where the central city is only 50k, without commuting data, and supporting the idea that if a county is in the region of that central county then it should be part of the MSA, then where does the border for the MSA end. Without commuting data, the MSA could go on and on.

After giving it thought, it is apparent that the census bureau did give the specifications quite a bit of thought.

Also, cities that annex areas bordering the city limit are annexing to increase the city’s tax revenue. While people on this forum may be concerned about a city’s population, cities are concerned primarily about revenue.

Do you think there will come a time when commuting data becomes questionable? I am wondering because of change in work habits due to tele and remote work increases post covid. I guess we are slowly creeping back to the norm and these numbers will "normalize" over time as we calibrate.

I agree that we often get consumed by MSA CSA versus population of say the Central City. The economic data from the MSA or CSA may get the attention of retailers and corporations but how many people live and pay taxes in the Central City drives the economic health of the city from a service delivery and quality of life perspective. We have said it before that in SC the annexation laws constrain many of SC towns and cities. I would guess that the quality of life in many SC towns and cities would be improved if they could annex many of their suburbs though in places like Charleston and Columbia it would likely start wars among the neighboring jurisdictions since they share boundaries and would pursue the same areas.