Data shown in Quick Facts comes from two sources. Population, median household income, household income, and employment are from the most recent five-year rolling survey period of the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. You can cite the data as follows, where YYYY is the year shown next to the Quick Fact:

U.S. Department of Commerce. YYYY. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Office, Washington, D.C., reported by Headwaters Economics’ Economic Profile System, headwaterseconomics.org/eps.

Top industries are from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and are only available by county. You can cite the data as follows, where YYYY is the year shown next to the Quick Fact:

U.S. Department of Commerce. YYYY. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, Washington, D.C., reported by Headwaters Economics’ Economic Profile System, headwaterseconomics.org/eps.

Every page of an EPS report includes a full citation at the bottom. Headwaters Economics recommends that you cite data from EPS reports as follows:

<Citation from the bottom of the relevant EPS page(s)>, as reported in Headwaters Economics’ Economic Profile System (headwaterseconomics.org/eps).

For example:

U.S. Department of Labor. 2019. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Washington, D.C., as reported in Headwaters Economics’ Economic Profile System (headwaterseconomics.org/eps).

Headwaters Economics processes newly released datasets continuously.  The latest available numbers are reflected in EPS reports within 90 days of publication by each data source.  There are multiple data sources in EPS, each with a different update schedule.  

Each data source has strengths and gaps. EPS uses the strengths of multiple data sources to build a more complete picture of the socioeconomics for the selected location.

Where possible, EPS displays data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Regional Economic Accounts. These data are available for the longest time span (1969 to latest year), represent the widest segment of workers (part-time, self-employed, etc.), and report income and employment across all major industries, including government.

The most complete data source for average annual wages by industry is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. Most EPS reports display both average annual wages and employment figures from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This source does not include data for the self-employed or the value of benefits.

Several of the EPS sector reports (Services, Mining, Timber, and Travel & Tourism) rely on data from the Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns. From this data source, Headwaters Economics is able to generate the most complete employment data on sub-categories within industries, such as jobs in saw and paper mills within the timber industry, by estimating data gaps based on data provided on the number of establishments by size. However, County Business Patterns does not include employment in government, agriculture, railroads, or the self-employed, and as a result tends to under-count the size of industry sectors. These data are most useful for showing long-term trends, displaying differences between locations, and showing the relationship between sectors over time.

All EPS data sources are available for the U.S., states, counties, combined statistical areas, and metro/non-metro portions of states. However, only one data source used in EPS provides detail on “sub-county” levels of geography: the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. American Community Survey data is used throughout the Demographics report, and is the only report that can be run for county subdivisions; cities, towns, and census designated places; American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian areas; and congressional districts.

Beyond the four data sources mentioned above, EPS relies on additional reliable, widely recognized sources for data on unemployment, land ownership, land use patterns, and payments from federal lands, to name a few. Every EPS page includes a full citation at the bottom.

You may notice slightly different population numbers in various reports and the Quick Facts. The Economic Profile System uses three different sources for population data depending on the purpose. To show population at the sub-county level (census tracts, cities, and towns) we report 5-year estimates from U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. To show population change over time we report population data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. To show the components of population change, including migration, we report the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates. Every page of an EPS report includes the data source and full citation at the bottom.

Data displayed in EPS are based on surveys that differ in sampling and collection methods.  The surveys ask questions based on “place of work”, which refers to the geographic location of a job, or “place of residence”, which refers to the geographic location of a home.  Especially for communities and industries associated with commuting, it can be important to know whether data represents people currently residing versus working in a place.

Maps are available by state at this Census webpage.

Yes. Reports that show results for multiple places, including an aggregation of selected places, is currently only available in our Legacy Viewer.

In the fall of 2020, Headwaters Economics implemented a new interface for the Economic Profile System and renamed some reports.

• The report called Socioeconomic Measures is now called Socioeconomic Trends.
• The report called Summary is now called Key Indicators.
• The report called Public Land Amenities is now called Living Near Public Lands.