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What does “MSP” represent? “MSP” is the internationally recognized symbol for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The Metro MSP region takes its name from this symbol.
What is the “Metro MSP region”? “Metro MSP region” refers to Minnesota’s 11-county Twin Cities metro area. It includes the anchor cities of Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Bloomington as well as the counties of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington and Wright. Where data is not available for the entire 11-county region, the website quotes data from the seven-county “Twin Cities” region. It covers Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington Counties. These counties are under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Council.
What is the Minneapolis/Saint Paul/Bloomington “MSA”? MSAs are federally defined “metropolitan statistical areas.” The Minneapolis/Saint Paul/Bloomington MSA covers 13 counties – the 11 counties in the Metro MSP region plus the two adjoining Wisconsin counties of Pierce and St. Croix. This area is often referred to as the “Twin Cities MSA.”
What’s an “anchor city”? “Anchor cities” refers to the three largest cities in the Metro MSP region: Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Bloomington. “Core cities,” a term often used in urban-versus-suburban comparisons, means Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
What’s the difference between a population “estimate” and a “projection”? Past and present population numbers are “estimates.” Because the population is continuously changing, assumptions must be made to reach reasonable estimates of its size and composition. The U.S. Census Bureau’s “intercensal” estimates give detailed characteristics of the population down to the county level from the last census to the present. The Metropolitan Council also prepares local population and household estimates for the seven-county Twin Cities area. These estimates are the official population and household estimates used by the Minnesota state government. Numbers for the population in the future are “forecasts” or “projections.” The Metropolitan Council, State Demographic Center, and U.S. Census Bureau (through the American Community Survey) all prepare projections on population, households and employment by geographic area.
What is “MetroMSP.org”? MetroMSP.org is a powerful economic development and site selection tool covering the 11-county Minneapolis/Saint Paul region. This free tool is funded by a regional, public/private consortium convened and administered by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber Development Foundation. The tool has two sides: a static, narrative side (MetroMSP.org) and an interactive, data side (MSPProspector.com). Users can seamlessly move from one to another.
What is “MSPProspector.com”? MSPProspector.com is the Metro MSP region’s most comprehensive, interactive site selection tool. It is powered by ZoomProspector, a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform developed by GIS Planning, Inc. This sophisticated mapping system enables users to instantly search more than 5,000 available property listings and pull site-specific reports on demographics, competitor and ally businesses, workforce data and consumer expenditures.
What is “GIS”? GIS stands for "Geographic Information System." This interactive, map-based platform combines layers of geographic information about a place to make it easy to view very specific information.
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