Notes
on Data Sources for CBI Focus Newsletters
NOTE:
CBI makes every reasonable effort to report accurate data. However, no guarantee for the currency or
accuracy of information is made. CBI Focus newsletters present
information “as is” and without any warranty.
Nor does CBI imply an endorsement by any public agency or organization that
creates the official data used by CBI. CBI Focus newsletter readers are
encouraged to investigate the original data sources used by CBI to determine on
their own the timeliness, relevancy and factual nature of data.
Explanatory
notes and references for CBI Focus
newsletters are as follows:
Building Permits
The
U.S. Census Bureau provides construction statistics by county on new privately
owned residential housing units authorized by building permits. Data items include total number of units (combines
single family and multi-family structures), and the total value of construction
costs from new privately owned residential building permits issued. In Wyoming, most of the permit-issuing
jurisdictions are municipalities; the remainder are county offices.
The
Census Bureau requests monthly reports from a statistical sample of about half
of all permit-issuing jurisdictions in the country. This monthly sample is re-selected every 10
years, most recently in 2004. The Census
Bureau requests annual reports from the permit-issuing jurisdictions that are
not in the monthly sample. Because of
its small relative size, Wyoming’s county-level data is collected annually.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, online at http://censtats.census.gov/bldg/bldgprmt.shtml.
Cost of Living
The
Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, Economic Analysis
Division prepares the Wyoming Cost of Living Index (WCLI) twice each year. The WCLI is a summarization of price data
collected in twenty-eight cities and towns throughout Wyoming. The price data collected are used to build a
comparative index and to estimate inflation rates for Wyoming and the five
regions of the State.
Twenty-eight
communities across the State are included in the WCLI based on the following
criteria. First, the largest city or
town in each county is priced. In
addition, prices are collected in any city or town with a population of more
than 5,000 persons or where a city or town had at least 85% of that county’s
largest community’s population. In
counties where only one community is priced, those prices are used to represent
the entire county. In counties where two
communities are priced, a population based weighted average of the prices for
the two communities is used for the entire county.
The
140 items surveyed are aggregated into six categories, which are then weighted
according to their overall importance in the average consumer's budget. These categories and their respective weight
components include Housing (48.0%), Transportation (16.7%), Food (13.7%),
Recreation & Personal Care (10.0%), Medical (6.8%), and Apparel (4.8%)1.
The Housing category, due to its relative importance in the average consumer's
budget, carries the largest weight factor and is the most influential category
in both the comparative index and the inflation rates.
Because
of their size and the process for creating the comparative index, county-level
data cannot be compared to previous survey data. Instead, the State aggregates the data and
creates regional and statewide inflation rates, during the second and fourth
quarters of each year (comparing current costs to costs from the previous year
for that quarter). The regions are
defined as follows:
Southeast
Region includes Albany, Carbon, Goshen, Laramie, Niobrara & Platte
Counties.
The
U.S. Consumer Price Index is often used to compare to these state and regional
inflation rates.
Source: Wyoming Department of Administration &
Information, Economic Analysis Division, found online at http://eadiv.state.wy.us/wcli/wcli.html.
QCEW Data
The
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), formerly known as the ES-202
program and/or Covered Employment and Wages program, compiles data from
employer quarterly payroll tax reports subject to Wyoming Unemployment
Insurance (UI) laws and from federal agencies subject to the Unemployment
Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) program. These private employer quarterly payroll tax
reports provide data on the number of people employed by month, quarterly total
and taxable wages and contributions paid to employees each quarter, and are the
start of the QCEW process. Similar tax
reports of monthly employment and quarterly wages are submitted by the Federal
Government, by State governments, and by local governments. Covered employment reported by these tax
reports provides a virtual census of approximately 97% of jobs on nonfarm
payrolls.
QCEW
data focuses on employment at the place of work. LAUS data (see below) focuses on place of
residence of workers. Therefore, the two
measures of employment can be different, especially where a county has
significant numbers of inter-county commuting.
Such workers travel to/from another county for their job.
Additionally,
LAUS data considers the entire the population of a county, whereas QCEW data
includes only those workers who are covered by UI (which includes the vast
majority of jobs, but not all). Jobs not
covered by UI or jobs that are exempt are not included in QCEW tabulations. Exemptions include some agricultural
employees, self-employed farmers, self-employed workers, some domestic workers,
unpaid family workers, workers covered by the railroad unemployment insurance
system, elected officials, students or inmate workers, church employees, and certain
types of nonprofit employers. QCEW data
are published six to nine months after the end of the reference quarter. Quarterly QCEW processing comprises scanning,
editing, cleaning-up, correcting, and estimating of the submitted data. Even though the time lag exists, QCEW provides
employment and wage data at the county and industry level that are not available
elsewhere.
Employers
The QCEW maintains information on the
location or place of work and industrial activity of each reported
establishment. An employer can have one
or more establishments. An establishment
is an economic unit, such as a mine, store, or farm that produces goods or
provides services. It is typically a
single physical location and engaged in predominantly one type of economic
activity. Sometimes, a single physical
location includes two or more distinct and significant economic activities. QCEW collects data at the establishment
level, which is the predominant reporting unit or statistical entity for
reporting employment and wage data. Each
establishment of a multi-establishment firm is tabulated separately into the
appropriate location and industry category if it meets the criteria of being a
multi-establishment and if the business will complete the multiple worksite
report each quarter. Thus, covered data
are by establishment or place of work, not necessarily by UI account. Each establishment, employer, and place of
work is assigned a six-digit industrial classification code according to their
production processes. This
categorization is the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). These establishments are then further grouped
into categories known as sectors.
For the first quarter of each year,
QCEW data are tabulated by establishment size class at the national level. The size of each establishment is categorized
by the March employment level. Data by
establishment are tabulated into size categories ranging from worksites with a
few employees to those with a thousand or more employees. Since this size determination is only done
nationally by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the first quarter of each
year, Wyoming determined that the third month in each quarter would be the
basis for quarterly size tabulations:
June for second quarter, September for third quarter, and December for
fourth quarter. One could foresee some
movement within the size classes quarterly due to seasonality, business cycles,
economic events, administrative events, etc.
Employment
– Number of Employees
QCEW monthly employment data
correspond to the number of covered workers who worked during or received pay
for the pay period that included the 12th of the month. Employment data represent counts of jobs, not
persons. When individuals work more than
one job, each is counted separately.
Employment
– Total Wages
QCEW total wages reported by covered
employers is total compensation paid during the calendar quarter, regardless of
when the services were performed including bonuses, stock options, profit
distributions, cash value of meals and lodgings, and some gratuities. UI covered payroll represents approximately
92% of all wage and salary disbursements and 45% of personal income in Wyoming
(US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2007).
Employment
– Average Weekly Wages
Average weekly wage is calculated by
dividing quarterly covered total wages by the average of the three monthly
employment levels. The result is then
divided by 13, the number of weeks in a quarter.
Confidentiality
of QCEW data distribution is strictly adhered to following the Confidential
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) to insure
information protection from disclosure and nonstatistical uses.
Source: Wyoming Department of Employment, Research
& Planning Section, Labor Market Information found online at http://doe.state.wy.us/lmi/toc_202.htm.
Employment – By
Occupation
Research
& Planning (R&P), a section of the Department of Employment, in cooperation
with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), has conducted an Occupational
Employment Statistics (OES) Wage Survey since 1996.
In
Wyoming, the OES Wage Survey samples and contacts approximately 900 establishments
by mail in May and November of each year. Data obtained are used to estimate
occupational employment and wage rates for Unemployment Insurance (UI) covered
wage and salary jobs in non-farm establishments.
Wages
for the OES survey are straight time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Items included are base pay rates, cost-of living
allowances, guaranteed pay, hazard pay, incentive pay, commissions, piece rates
and production bonuses, length-of-service allowances, on-call pay, and
portal-to-portal pay. Items excluded are
back pay, jury-duty pay, overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials,
vacation pay, Christmas bonuses, holiday or weekend pay, attendance bonuses, meal
and lodging allowances, merchandise discounts, non-production bonuses,
profit-sharing distributions, relocation allowances, stock bonuses, tool
allowances, tuition reimbursements, and uniform allowances. Tip data are incorporated into the hourly
estimates. The OES Wage Survey does not
include benefit data.
Hourly
wage estimates in this publication are calculated using a year round, full-time
figure of 2,080 hours per year (52 weeks times 40 hours). Occupations that typically have a work year
of less than 2,080 hours (such as musical and entertainment occupations, flight
attendants, pilots, and teachers) are reported only as an annual wage
Every
state conducts an identical OES wage survey using standard techniques. This facilitates comparison of data among
states, as well as comparisons with national figures. National and state wage estimates are located
on the BLS website (www.bls.gov/oes). For more information, see the BLS
Technical Notes (www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tec.htm).
Source: Wyoming Department of Workforce Services,
Research & Planning Section, Labor Market Information found online at http://doe.state.wy.us/lmi/OES_toc.htm.
Excise Taxes
The
Wyoming Department of Revenue (DOR) collects sales and use taxes from
vendors. When vendors obtain a retail
tax license, the DOR classifies that vendor according to an industry code,
using the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). Taxes are collected based on each county’s
excise tax rate. After collection, the
DOR distributes all taxes to each County Treasurer (after withholding a small
administrative fee). Monthly
distribution reports are then made available to the public, by county and by
industry.
Source: Wyoming Department of Revenue, publications
found online at http://revenue.state.wy.us/PortalVBVS/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=10.
Housing
The
Wyoming Housing Data Base Partnership publishes a semi-annual report containing
demographic, economic and housing statistics for the State of Wyoming to help communities
plan for their unique housing needs. The report, which is financially sponsored
by the Wyoming Community Development Authority (WCDA), includes statistical
information from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, as well as the Wyoming Department
of Administration and Information, Wyoming County Assessors, and the Wyoming
Department of Transportation. The data
is organized with an overview of Wyoming with each county's data presented and analyzed
separately. Forecasting of housing
needs, rental vacancy surveys, the average cost of new and existing housing and
a survey of housing inventory are included.
Source: Wyoming Profile of Demographics, Economics
and Housing, sponsored by the Wyoming Community Development Authority, found
online at http://www.wyomingcda.com/.
The
WCDA report includes results from the Wyoming Rental Vacancy Survey, which is
completed semiannually. This telephone
survey includes residential property managers throughout the state.
Similarly,
the U.S. Census Bureau collects rental vacancy information for the nation, on a
quarterly basis. The Housing Vacancies
and Homeownership Unit provides current information on the rental and homeowner
vacancy rates, and characteristics of units available for occupancy. These data are used extensively by public and
private sector organizations to evaluate the need for new housing programs and
initiatives. In addition, the rental
vacancy rate is a component of the index of leading economic indicators and is
thereby used by the Federal Government and economic forecasters to gauge the
current economic climate.
The
Census Bureau survey is not the same as the WCDA survey in Wyoming. There are differences in timing, approach,
and interview questions. Therefore,
comparisons of data for the two surveys may be slightly inconsistent. However, because of the size of the Census
Bureau sample (national) and its quarterly frequency, it is considered to be a
highly accurate measure of rental vacancies.
Income Taxes
The
Internal Revenue Service collects data from individual tax returns. ZIP Code Data show selected income
and tax items classified by state, ZIP code, and size of adjusted gross
income. The data are based on
administrative records (individual income tax returns) from the Internal
Revenue Service's Individual Master File (IMF) system, which includes a record
for every Form 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ filed with the IRS.
The ZIP Code Data are developed by sorting the returns
by the ZIP code provided on the return by the taxpayer. The
IRS does not attempt to correct the ZIP Codes provided by the
taxpayers. In many cases, ZIP codes that are
currently invalid were valid at some time in the past. Returns with foreign or APO or FPO addresses,
or which did not contain
a ZIP code are not included in these statistics. The state
in which a return belonged is determined by the ZIP code.
Several steps are taken to avoid disclosure of
information about individual taxpayers. ZIP codes from which fewer than 10
returns were filed are
suppressed. The data for these ZIP Codes are not
included in the state totals.
In addition, when an
AGI class for a given ZIP code had a frequency
of less than 10, it is combined with another AGI class
within the same ZIP Code to create a total of 10 or greater. The order in which this is done is from highest AGI class to lowest
AGI. The exception to this rule is when
the lowest AGI class has
less than 10, the lowest AGI class is
combined with the next higher AGI class where the combination of the two
classes is
greater than or equal to 10. An
additional disclosure protection technique employed is the removal of any return that
represented a specified percentage of the total of any particular cell. For example,
if one return represents 75% of the value of a given cell,
that return is
suppressed from the tabulation. The
actual threshold percentage used, however, cannot be released. The returns suppressed in this manner are not
included in the state totals.
Source: Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of
Income, found online at http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/indtaxstats/article/0,,id=96947,00.html.
LAUS Data
The Local Area Unemployment Statistics
(LAUS) program produces monthly and annual employment, unemployment, and labor
force data for Census regions and divisions, States, counties, metropolitan
areas, and many cities, by place of residence.
These estimates are key indicators of local economic conditions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the
U.S. Department of Labor is responsible for the concepts, definitions,
technical procedures, validation, and publication of the estimates that State
employment security agencies prepare under agreement with BLS.
The
concepts and definitions underlying LAUS data come from the Current Population
Survey (CPS), the household survey that is the official measure of the labor
force for the nation. These models
combine current and historical data from the CPS, the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) program, and State unemployment insurance (UI) systems.
Estimates for the sub-state labor market areas are produced through a
building-block approach known as the "Handbook method." This procedure also uses data from several
sources, including the CPS, the CES program, State UI systems, and the
decennial census, to create estimates that are adjusted to the statewide
measures of employment and unemployment. Below the labor market area level, estimates
are prepared using disaggregation techniques based on inputs from the decennial
census, annual population estimates, and current UI data.
LAUS
data is provided on a preliminary basis for the previous month, a revised basis
for the month prior to that, and is benchmarked annually. CBI Focus newsletters always use the most
current data available, including updating charts with revised and benchmarked
data.
Source: Wyoming Department of Workforce Services,
Research & Planning Section, Labor Market Information found online at http://doe.state.wy.us/lmi/LAUS/TOC.HTM.
Income and Poverty
The
U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program
provides annual estimates of income and poverty statistics for all states,
counties, and school districts. The
estimates are not direct counts from enumerations or administrative records,
nor direct estimates from sample surveys. Instead, for states and counties, the
Census Bureau models income and poverty estimates by combining survey data with
population estimates and administrative records. For school districts, Census uses the
model-based county estimates and inputs from the decennial census and federal
tax information to produce estimates of poverty. Data from the American
Community Survey
(ACS) are also used in the estimation procedure.
With
the full implementation of the ACS in January 2005, single-year direct survey
estimates for counties and other areas with a population of 65,000 or more became
available. Starting in December 2010,
the ACS began providing direct survey estimates for all counties and school
districts, as well as for other small geographic areas (e.g., census tracts). For areas with populations less than 65,000,
these direct survey estimates are based on 3-year or 5-year accumulations of
ACS data, depending on population size of the area. Since modeling produces estimates with reduced
sampling error, the SAIPE program continues to produce single-year model-based
estimates for all states, counties, and school districts.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and
Poverty Estimates, found online at http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/index.html.
Migration
The
Wyoming Housing Data Base Partnership publishes a semi-annual report containing
demographic, economic and housing statistics for the State of Wyoming to help
communities plan for their unique housing needs. The report includes
statistical information from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, as well as the Wyoming
Department of Administration and Information, Wyoming County Assessors, and the
Wyoming Department of Transportation. The data is organized with an overview of
Wyoming with each county's data presented and analyzed separately. Forecasting of housing needs, rental vacancy
surveys, the average cost of new and existing housing and a survey of housing
inventory are included.
Also
included is migration data, based on drivers’ license exchanges. The Wyoming Department of Transportation
(DOT) tracks drivers who move to Wyoming and exchange licenses from other
states, as well as those surrendering Wyoming driver’s licenses when moving to
a new out-of-state location. (Note: New Wyoming residents are asked to surrender
their old out-of-state driver’s license within one year.) This is not a precise count of migration, as
the data represent only the net change in the number of driver’s licenses. People may wait until their license has
expired prior to getting a new one; hence, they are not represented in the net
count of exchanged or surrendered licenses. Furthermore, not all persons have driver’s
licenses as some persons may not drive or may be too young to qualify for a
license. The data nevertheless indicate
the general direction of population movement, as well as the strength of any
population migration, thereby providing insight into Wyoming’s net migration
and population trends.
Source: Wyoming Profile of Demographics, Economics
and Housing, sponsored by the Wyoming Community Development Authority, found
online at http://www.wyomingcda.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=145&Itemid=11.
Mineral Taxes
The
Wyoming Department of Revenue (DOR), Mineral Tax Division collects mineral
severance taxes, and determines the mineral production value in each Wyoming
county for the assessment of ad valorem taxes.
The DOR determines the value of minerals and other natural resources. After collection, the DOR distributes the
local share of taxes to each County Treasurer.
The DOR’s Annual Reports provide information on mineral taxes for each
county and major resource type.
CBI
combines the state assessed mineral tax valuation data into four
categories: Oil (includes Crude Oil and
Stripper Oil), Gas (Natural Gas), Coal (includes Surface Coal and Underground
Coal), and Other (includes, Trona, Uranium, Bentonite, Clay, Decorative Stone,
Feldspar, Granite Ballast, Gypsum, Sand & Gravel, Silver, Sodium Sulphate,
Shale, Limestone, Gold, Zeolite, Leonardite, Jade, Diamond, Titaniferrous
Magnetite, Miscellaneous Construction Material, and Moss Rock.
Source: Wyoming Department of Revenue, Annual Reports
found online at http://revenue.state.wy.us/PortalVBVS/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=10.
Non-Mineral Taxes
The
Wyoming Department of Revenue (DOR), Property Tax Division assesses and
allocates (by county) the value of public utility properties. The DOR’s Annual Reports provide summary
property tax information for each county and major property type.
CBI
combines the state assessed utility data into five categories: Airlines, Electric (includes Major Electrics,
Municipal Electrics, and REA Electrics), Pipelines (includes Gas Distribution,
Gas Pipelines, and Liquid Pipelines), Railroads, and Telecom (includes Cellular
Telephones, Major Telephones, Reseller Telephones, Rural Telephones, and,
starting with 2008 data, Cable & Satellite).
Source: Wyoming Department of Revenue, Annual Reports
found online at http://revenue.state.wy.us/PortalVBVS/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=10.
Population
The
Wyoming Department of Administration & Information, Economic Analysis
Division serves as the lead agency for the Wyoming State Data Center (SDC)
program. The SDC is a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau to provide a
vehicle for the dissemination of data provided by the Bureau to state and local
governments. It is the official source of demographic, economic, and social
statistics produced by the Census Bureau. The extensive data library includes
federal, state, and county information on income, employment, demographics,
population, and more.
The
U.S. Census Bureau develops county population estimates with a component of
population change method in which administrative records and other data is used
to estimate the household and group quarters population. For the household population, the components
of population change are births, deaths, net domestic migration, and net
international migration. The Census Bureau measures change in the non-household,
or group quarters, population by the net change in the population living in
group quarters facilities.
A
major assumption underlying this approach is that changes in selected
administrative and other data sources closely approximate the components of
population change. Therefore, Census Bureau demographers separately estimate
each component of population change based on administrative records, including
registered births and deaths, Federal income tax returns, Medicare enrollees,
and military movement. They also
separately estimate net international migration using information from the
American Community Survey (ACS), Census 2000, and other data sources.
Most
administrative record data sources lag the current estimate year (by as much as
two years). Therefore, the Census Bureau
projects the data for the current year based on past years’ data. As updated data become available, projected
input data is revised so that each vintage’s estimates are always based on the
most recent data available.
The
Census Bureau produces the estimate of each county’s population, starting with
the base population from the previous decennial census, or the revised
population estimate for the prior year (for the July 1, 2001 and later
estimates). Census then adds or subtracts the demographic components of
population change calculated for that time period. Basically, Census adds the estimated number of
births and subtracts the estimated number of deaths for the time period. Next, Census adds the estimates of net domestic
migration, net international migration, and the net change in the group
quarters population.
The
Census Bureau produces separate population estimates for the populations under
age 65 and age 65 and over, mainly because different data are used to measure
the domestic migration of these two populations. For the population under age 65, person-level
data from individual Federal tax returns is used to estimate net domestic
migration. Medicare enrollment data is
used to calculate measures of migration for the population age 65 and over,
because this population is not always well represented on tax returns. County total population estimates are the sum
of the estimates of the population under age 65 and age 65 years and over.
State
and county estimates may also incorporate other changes due to corrections made
since Census 2000. The corrections occur
outside the component estimation framework and are the result of successful
local challenges or special censuses.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau and Wyoming Department of
Administration & Information, Economic Analysis Division, found online at http://eadiv.state.wy.us/pop/pop.html.
Property Taxes
The
Wyoming Department of Revenue (DOR), Property Tax Division collects and reports
data on the assessment, valuation and taxation of locally assessed
property. The DOR also assesses and
allocates public utility property. The
DOR’s Annual Reports provide summary property tax information for each county
and major property type.
CBI
uses the same summary categories as the DOR:
Agricultural (Total Agricultural Land Valuation), Residential (Total
Residential Land, Improvements & Personal Property), Commercial (Total
Commercial Land, Improvements & Personal Property), and Industrial (Total
Industrial Property).
Source: Wyoming Department of Revenue, Annual Reports
found online at http://revenue.state.wy.us/PortalVBVS/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=2&tabid=10.
School Enrollment
The
Wyoming Department of Education provides information on students related to
enrollment by grade, gender and ethnicity.
The information was compiled from local school district reports
submitted each October to the Wyoming Department of Education.
Data
on fall enrollment give a demographic snapshot of pupils enrolled on October 1.
Special education students are included in the regular enrollment numbers.
Pre-Kindergarten enrollment is not included in the regular enrollment numbers.
Source: Wyoming Department of Education, found online
at http://edu.wyoming.gov/DataInformationAndReporting/StatisticalReportSeries2.aspx.
