What the dataset measures
City population is a Census place estimate as of July 1, 2025, with comparison figures from the same vintage. Employer establishments come from 2023 County Business Patterns. An establishment is an operating location, not a unique company. Nonemployer businesses are excluded. A whole-county count is not a count of businesses inside the city boundary.
Motenza combines those observations with place-to-county mapping and official assistance starting points. Our contribution is the joined dataset, consistent calculations and explanation of their limits. The original observations remain Census data. This selection is not a national total, a ranking of financing eligibility or evidence of demand for a particular lender.
Reproduce the calculations
- Annual population change: 2025 estimate minus the same-vintage 2024 estimate.
- Annual percentage change: that difference divided by the 2024 estimate, multiplied by 100.
- Mapped county benchmark: sum the stated whole-county establishment observations for the place mapping.
- Industry share: stated mapped-county industry establishments divided by the corresponding mapped-county total.
A county can be mapped to several cities. Summing all city-page establishment figures would count that county repeatedly. The comparison below first deduplicates counties by FIPS identity. We do not divide county establishments by city population to manufacture a city business-density measure.
Largest county benchmarks within the selected geography
This is a comparison of the distinct county areas represented in our selected city profiles, not a ranking of every US county. Values retain their 2023 reference year.
Download and verify
Download the city and county dataset
- Census Vintage 2025 city and town population data
- Census 2023 County Business Patterns data
- County Business Patterns coverage and methodology
Different reference years, geographic boundaries and excluded nonemployers limit comparisons. Census flags its general CBP methodology page as under review; the retained 2023 dataset is identified explicitly. Population growth alone does not establish customer demand, revenue growth or repayment capacity.
Use the evidence in a local plan
Find the relevant city profile, follow its official resource references and verify the operating address. Then use direct market research and your own cash forecast to test the actual business decision.
When citing this work, identify Motenza Journal, the dataset page and the original Census reference years. Report a data or geography correction with the affected URL and primary evidence.