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Market Tiering Methodology

For the purpose of comparative ranking, we divide all 379 MSAs in the United States into three tiers: large, medium, and small. Large MSAs have a population greater than 1M. Medium MSAs have a population between 300K and 999K. Small MSAs have a population less than 300K but greater than 50K. All told, there are 53 large MSAs, 109 medium MSAs, and 217 small MSAs. Market tiering is critical to keeping comparisons between labor markets accurate. For example, what constitutes high supply of an occupation in a small market doesn’t necessarily constitute high supply in a large market. A thousand electrical engineers occupy a significantly larger portion of the labor market in an MSA with a population of 75K than in an MSA with a population of 1M.  See below for a full tiered list of MSAs in the US.

Market Ranking:

For any set of items we are ranking, whether it is supply per posting or job postings change, we rank all MSAs within a given size band against each other.   These ranks are then combined together to place MSAs into one of tiers which determines their 'relative' difficulty compared to their peers.

Tiered List of MSAs in the US:

"msacode","msaname","ismicro","marketsize" 12060,"Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA",0,"Large" 12420,"Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX",0,"Large" 12580,"Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD",0,"Large" 13820,"Birmingham-Hoover, AL",0,"Large" 14460,"Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH",0,"Large" 15380,"Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY",0,"Large" 16740,"Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC",0,"Large" 16980,"Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI",0,"Large" 17140,"Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN",0,"Large" 17460,"Cleveland-Elyria, OH",0,"Large" 18140,"Columbus, OH",0,"Large" 19100,"Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX",0,"Large" 19740,"Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO",0,"Large" 19820,"Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI",0,"Large" 24340,"Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI",0,"Large" 25540,"Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT",0,"Large" 26420,"Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX",0,"Large" 26900,"Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN",0,"Large" 27260,"Jacksonville, FL",0,"Large" 28140,"Kansas City, MO-KS",0,"Large" 29820,"Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV",0,"Large" 31080,"Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA",0,"Large" 31140,"Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN",0,"Large" 32820,"Memphis, TN-MS-AR",0,"Large" 33100,"Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL",0,"Large" 33340,"Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI",0,"Large" 33460,"Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI",0,"Large" 34980,"Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN",0,"Large" 35380,"New Orleans-Metairie, LA",0,"Large" 35620,"New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA",0,"Large" 36420,"Oklahoma City, OK",0,"Large" 36740,"Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL",0,"Large" 37980,"Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD",0,"Large" 38060,"Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ",0,"Large" 38300,"Pittsburgh, PA",0,"Large" 38900,"Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA",0,"Large" 39300,"Providence-Warwick, RI-MA",0,"Large" 39580,"Raleigh-Cary, NC",0,"Large" 40060,"Richmond, VA",0,"Large" 40140,"Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA",0,"Large" 40380,"Rochester, NY",0,"Large" 40900,"Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA",0,"Large" 41180,"St. Louis, MO-IL",0,"Large" 41620,"Salt Lake City, UT",0,"Large" 41700,"San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX",0,"Large" 41740,"San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA",0,"Large" 41860,"San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA",0,"Large" 41940,"San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA",0,"Large" 42660,"Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA",0,"Large" 45300,"Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL",0,"Large" 46060,"Tucson, AZ",0,"Large" 47260,"Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC",0,"Large" 47900,"Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV",0,"Large" 10420,"Akron, OH",0,"Medium" 10580,"Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY",0,"Medium" 10740,"Albuquerque, NM",0,"Medium" 10900,"Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ",0,"Medium" 11260,"Anchorage, AK",0,"Medium" 11460,"Ann Arbor, MI",0,"Medium" 11700,"Asheville, NC",0,"Medium" 12260,"Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC",0,"Medium" 12300,"Augusta-Waterville, ME",1,"Medium" 12540,"Bakersfield, CA",0,"Medium" 12940,"Baton Rouge, LA",0,"Medium" 13140,"Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX",0,"Medium" 14260,"Boise City, ID",0,"Medium" 14500,"Boulder, CO",0,"Medium" 14860,"Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT",0,"Medium" 15180,"Brownsville-Harlingen, TX",0,"Medium" 15940,"Canton-Massillon, OH",0,"Medium" 15980,"Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL",0,"Medium" 16700,"Charleston-North Charleston, SC",0,"Medium" 16860,"Chattanooga, TN-GA",0,"Medium" 17300,"Clarksville, TN-KY",0,"Medium" 17820,"Colorado Springs, CO",0,"Medium" 17900,"Columbia, SC",0,"Medium" 17980,"Columbus, GA-AL",0,"Medium" 18580,"Corpus Christi, TX",0,"Medium" 19340,"Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL",0,"Medium" 19660,"Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL",0,"Medium" 19780,"Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA",0,"Medium" 20500,"Durham-Chapel Hill, NC",0,"Medium" 21340,"El Paso, TX",0,"Medium" 21780,"Evansville, IN-KY",0,"Medium" 22180,"Fayetteville, NC",0,"Medium" 22220,"Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR",0,"Medium" 22420,"Flint, MI",0,"Medium" 22660,"Fort Collins, CO",0,"Medium" 23060,"Fort Wayne, IN",0,"Medium" 23420,"Fresno, CA",0,"Medium" 23540,"Gainesville, FL",0,"Medium" 24540,"Greeley, CO",0,"Medium" 24580,"Green Bay, WI",0,"Medium" 24660,"Greensboro-High Point, NC",0,"Medium" 24860,"Greenville-Anderson, SC",0,"Medium" 25060,"Gulfport-Biloxi, MS",0,"Medium" 25420,"Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA",0,"Medium" 25860,"Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC",0,"Medium" 26580,"Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH",0,"Medium" 26620,"Huntsville, AL",0,"Medium" 27140,"Jackson, MS",0,"Medium" 28660,"Killeen-Temple, TX",0,"Medium" 28700,"Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA",0,"Medium" 28940,"Knoxville, TN",0,"Medium" 29180,"Lafayette, LA",0,"Medium" 29460,"Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL",0,"Medium" 29540,"Lancaster, PA",0,"Medium" 29620,"Lansing-East Lansing, MI",0,"Medium" 30460,"Lexington-Fayette, KY",0,"Medium" 30700,"Lincoln, NE",0,"Medium" 30780,"Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR",0,"Medium" 31180,"Lubbock, TX",0,"Medium" 31540,"Madison, WI",0,"Medium" 31700,"Manchester-Nashua, NH",0,"Medium" 32580,"McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX",0,"Medium" 33660,"Mobile, AL",0,"Medium" 33700,"Modesto, CA",0,"Medium" 33860,"Montgomery, AL",0,"Medium" 34820,"Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC",0,"Medium" 34940,"Naples-Marco Island, FL",0,"Medium" 35300,"New Haven-Milford, CT",0,"Medium" 35840,"North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL",0,"Medium" 36100,"Ocala, FL",0,"Medium" 36260,"Ogden-Clearfield, UT",0,"Medium" 36540,"Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA",0,"Medium" 37100,"Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA",0,"Medium" 37340,"Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL",0,"Medium" 37860,"Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL",0,"Medium" 37900,"Peoria, IL",0,"Medium" 38860,"Portland-South Portland, ME",0,"Medium" 38940,"Port St. Lucie, FL",0,"Medium" 39340,"Provo-Orem, UT",0,"Medium" 39740,"Reading, PA",0,"Medium" 39900,"Reno, NV",0,"Medium" 40220,"Roanoke, VA",0,"Medium" 40420,"Rockford, IL",0,"Medium" 41420,"Salem, OR",0,"Medium" 41500,"Salinas, CA",0,"Medium" 41540,"Salisbury, MD-DE",0,"Medium" 42200,"Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA",0,"Medium" 42220,"Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA",0,"Medium" 42340,"Savannah, GA",0,"Medium" 42540,"Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA",0,"Medium" 43340,"Shreveport-Bossier City, LA",0,"Medium" 43780,"South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI",0,"Medium" 43900,"Spartanburg, SC",0,"Medium" 44060,"Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA",0,"Medium" 44140,"Springfield, MA",0,"Medium" 44180,"Springfield, MO",0,"Medium" 44700,"Stockton, CA",0,"Medium" 45060,"Syracuse, NY",0,"Medium" 45220,"Tallahassee, FL",0,"Medium" 45780,"Toledo, OH",0,"Medium" 45940,"Trenton-Princeton, NJ",0,"Medium" 46140,"Tulsa, OK",0,"Medium" 46700,"Vallejo, CA",0,"Medium" 47300,"Visalia, CA",0,"Medium" 48620,"Wichita, KS",0,"Medium" 49180,"Winston-Salem, NC",0,"Medium" 49340,"Worcester, MA-CT",0,"Medium" 49620,"York-Hanover, PA",0,"Medium" 49660,"Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA",0,"Medium" 10180,"Abilene, TX",0,"Small" 10500,"Albany, GA",0,"Small" 10780,"Alexandria, LA",0,"Small" 11020,"Altoona, PA",0,"Small" 11100,"Amarillo, TX",0,"Small" 11180,"Ames, IA",0,"Small" 11500,"Anniston-Oxford, AL",0,"Small" 11540,"Appleton, WI",0,"Small" 12020,"Athens-Clarke County, GA",0,"Small" 12100,"Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ",0,"Small" 12220,"Auburn-Opelika, AL",0,"Small" 12620,"Bangor, ME",0,"Small" 12700,"Barnstable Town, MA",0,"Small" 12980,"Battle Creek, MI",0,"Small" 13020,"Bay City, MI",0,"Small" 13220,"Beckley, WV",0,"Small" 13380,"Bellingham, WA",0,"Small" 13740,"Billings, MT",0,"Small" 13780,"Binghamton, NY",0,"Small" 13900,"Bismarck, ND",0,"Small" 13980,"Blacksburg-Christiansburg, VA",0,"Small" 14010,"Bloomington, IL",0,"Small" 14020,"Bloomington, IN",0,"Small" 14100,"Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA",0,"Small" 14540,"Bowling Green, KY",0,"Small" 14740,"Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA",0,"Small" 15260,"Brunswick, GA",0,"Small" 15500,"Burlington, NC",0,"Small" 15540,"Burlington-South Burlington, VT",0,"Small" 15680,"California-Lexington Park, MD",0,"Small" 16020,"Cape Girardeau, MO-IL",0,"Small" 16060,"Carbondale-Marion, IL",0,"Small" 16180,"Carson City, NV",0,"Small" 16220,"Casper, WY",0,"Small" 16300,"Cedar Rapids, IA",0,"Small" 16540,"Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA",0,"Small" 16580,"Champaign-Urbana, IL",0,"Small" 16620,"Charleston, WV",0,"Small" 16820,"Charlottesville, VA",0,"Small" 16940,"Cheyenne, WY",0,"Small" 17020,"Chico, CA",0,"Small" 17420,"Cleveland, TN",0,"Small" 17660,"Coeur d'Alene, ID",0,"Small" 17780,"College Station-Bryan, TX",0,"Small" 17860,"Columbia, MO",0,"Small" 18020,"Columbus, IN",0,"Small" 18700,"Corvallis, OR",0,"Small" 18880,"Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL",0,"Small" 19060,"Cumberland, MD-WV",0,"Small" 19140,"Dalton, GA",0,"Small" 19180,"Danville, IL",0,"Small" 19260,"Danville, VA",1,"Small" 19300,"Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL",0,"Small" 19460,"Decatur, AL",0,"Small" 19500,"Decatur, IL",0,"Small" 20020,"Dothan, AL",0,"Small" 20100,"Dover, DE",0,"Small" 20220,"Dubuque, IA",0,"Small" 20260,"Duluth, MN-WI",0,"Small" 20700,"East Stroudsburg, PA",0,"Small" 20740,"Eau Claire, WI",0,"Small" 20940,"El Centro, CA",0,"Small" 21060,"Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY",0,"Small" 21140,"Elkhart-Goshen, IN",0,"Small" 21300,"Elmira, NY",0,"Small" 21420,"Enid, OK",0,"Small" 21500,"Erie, PA",0,"Small" 21820,"Fairbanks, AK",0,"Small" 22020,"Fargo, ND-MN",0,"Small" 22140,"Farmington, NM",0,"Small" 22380,"Flagstaff, AZ",0,"Small" 22500,"Florence, SC",0,"Small" 22520,"Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL",0,"Small" 22540,"Fond du Lac, WI",0,"Small" 22900,"Fort Smith, AR-OK",0,"Small" 23460,"Gadsden, AL",0,"Small" 23580,"Gainesville, GA",0,"Small" 23900,"Gettysburg, PA",0,"Small" 24020,"Glens Falls, NY",0,"Small" 24140,"Goldsboro, NC",0,"Small" 24220,"Grand Forks, ND-MN",0,"Small" 24260,"Grand Island, NE",0,"Small" 24300,"Grand Junction, CO",0,"Small" 24420,"Grants Pass, OR",0,"Small" 24500,"Great Falls, MT",0,"Small" 24780,"Greenville, NC",0,"Small" 25180,"Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV",0,"Small" 25220,"Hammond, LA",0,"Small" 25260,"Hanford-Corcoran, CA",0,"Small" 25500,"Harrisonburg, VA",0,"Small" 25620,"Hattiesburg, MS",0,"Small" 25940,"Hilton Head Island-Bluffton, SC",0,"Small" 25980,"Hinesville, GA",0,"Small" 26140,"Homosassa Springs, FL",0,"Small" 26300,"Hot Springs, AR",0,"Small" 26380,"Houma-Thibodaux, LA",0,"Small" 26660,"Huntsville, TX",1,"Small" 26820,"Idaho Falls, ID",0,"Small" 26980,"Iowa City, IA",0,"Small" 27060,"Ithaca, NY",0,"Small" 27100,"Jackson, MI",0,"Small" 27180,"Jackson, TN",0,"Small" 27340,"Jacksonville, NC",0,"Small" 27500,"Janesville-Beloit, WI",0,"Small" 27620,"Jefferson City, MO",0,"Small" 27740,"Johnson City, TN",0,"Small" 27780,"Johnstown, PA",0,"Small" 27860,"Jonesboro, AR",0,"Small" 27900,"Joplin, MO",0,"Small" 27980,"Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI",0,"Small" 28020,"Kalamazoo-Portage, MI",0,"Small" 28100,"Kankakee, IL",0,"Small" 28420,"Kennewick-Richland, WA",0,"Small" 28740,"Kingston, NY",0,"Small" 29020,"Kokomo, IN",0,"Small" 29100,"La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN",0,"Small" 29200,"Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN",0,"Small" 29340,"Lake Charles, LA",0,"Small" 29420,"Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ",0,"Small" 29700,"Laredo, TX",0,"Small" 29740,"Las Cruces, NM",0,"Small" 29940,"Lawrence, KS",0,"Small" 30020,"Lawton, OK",0,"Small" 30100,"Lebanon, NH-VT",1,"Small" 30140,"Lebanon, PA",0,"Small" 30300,"Lewiston, ID-WA",0,"Small" 30340,"Lewiston-Auburn, ME",0,"Small" 30620,"Lima, OH",0,"Small" 30860,"Logan, UT-ID",0,"Small" 30980,"Longview, TX",0,"Small" 31020,"Longview, WA",0,"Small" 31340,"Lynchburg, VA",0,"Small" 31460,"Madera, CA",0,"Small" 31740,"Manhattan, KS",0,"Small" 31860,"Mankato, MN",0,"Small" 31900,"Mansfield, OH",0,"Small" 32780,"Medford, OR",0,"Small" 32900,"Merced, CA",0,"Small" 33140,"Michigan City-La Porte, IN",0,"Small" 33220,"Midland, MI",0,"Small" 33260,"Midland, TX",0,"Small" 33540,"Missoula, MT",0,"Small" 33740,"Monroe, LA",0,"Small" 33780,"Monroe, MI",0,"Small" 34060,"Morgantown, WV",0,"Small" 34100,"Morristown, TN",0,"Small" 34580,"Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA",0,"Small" 34620,"Muncie, IN",0,"Small" 34740,"Muskegon, MI",0,"Small" 34900,"Napa, CA",0,"Small" 35100,"New Bern, NC",0,"Small" 35980,"Norwich-New London, CT",0,"Small" 36140,"Ocean City, NJ",0,"Small" 36220,"Odessa, TX",0,"Small" 36500,"Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA",0,"Small" 36780,"Oshkosh-Neenah, WI",0,"Small" 36980,"Owensboro, KY",0,"Small" 37460,"Panama City, FL",0,"Small" 37620,"Parkersburg-Vienna, WV",0,"Small" 38220,"Pine Bluff, AR",0,"Small" 38340,"Pittsfield, MA",0,"Small" 38540,"Pocatello, ID",0,"Small" 39150,"Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ",0,"Small" 39380,"Pueblo, CO",0,"Small" 39460,"Punta Gorda, FL",0,"Small" 39540,"Racine, WI",0,"Small" 39660,"Rapid City, SD",0,"Small" 39820,"Redding, CA",0,"Small" 40080,"Richmond-Berea, KY",1,"Small" 40340,"Rochester, MN",0,"Small" 40580,"Rocky Mount, NC",0,"Small" 40660,"Rome, GA",0,"Small" 40980,"Saginaw, MI",0,"Small" 41060,"St. Cloud, MN",0,"Small" 41100,"St. George, UT",0,"Small" 41140,"St. Joseph, MO-KS",0,"Small" 41660,"San Angelo, TX",0,"Small" 42020,"San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA",0,"Small" 42100,"Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA",0,"Small" 42140,"Santa Fe, NM",0,"Small" 42680,"Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL",0,"Small" 43100,"Sheboygan, WI",0,"Small" 43300,"Sherman-Denison, TX",0,"Small" 43420,"Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ",0,"Small" 43580,"Sioux City, IA-NE-SD",0,"Small" 43620,"Sioux Falls, SD",0,"Small" 44100,"Springfield, IL",0,"Small" 44220,"Springfield, OH",0,"Small" 44300,"State College, PA",0,"Small" 44420,"Staunton, VA",0,"Small" 44940,"Sumter, SC",0,"Small" 45460,"Terre Haute, IN",0,"Small" 45500,"Texarkana, TX-AR",0,"Small" 45540,"The Villages, FL",0,"Small" 45820,"Topeka, KS",0,"Small" 46220,"Tuscaloosa, AL",0,"Small" 46300,"Twin Falls, ID",0,"Small" 46340,"Tyler, TX",0,"Small" 46540,"Utica-Rome, NY",0,"Small" 46660,"Valdosta, GA",0,"Small" 47020,"Victoria, TX",0,"Small" 47220,"Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ",0,"Small" 47380,"Waco, TX",0,"Small" 47460,"Walla Walla, WA",0,"Small" 47580,"Warner Robins, GA",0,"Small" 47940,"Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA",0,"Small" 48060,"Watertown-Fort Drum, NY",0,"Small" 48260,"Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH",0,"Small" 48300,"Wenatchee, WA",0,"Small" 48540,"Wheeling, WV-OH",0,"Small" 48660,"Wichita Falls, TX",0,"Small" 48700,"Williamsport, PA",0,"Small" 48900,"Wilmington, NC",0,"Small" 49020,"Winchester, VA-WV",0,"Small" 49420,"Yakima, WA",0,"Small" 49700,"Yuba City, CA",0,"Small" 49740,"Yuma, AZ",0,"Small"