Trulia Provides Sub-County Population Estimates: Suburban Areas Continue to Grow Faster

Jeb Kolko, Chief Economist of the real estate website firm, Trulia has provided the only believable sub-county population change data available for 2010 to 2011. In a Trulia website posting republished at newgeography.com (Even After the Housing Bust, Americans Still Love the Suburbs), Kolko shows that household growth was generally greater in less dense areas than in the more dense areas in 45 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the nation.

The Bureau of the senses had released sub-county population estimates earlier this year. Chris Briem of the University of Pittsburgh quickly pointed out that the estimates were nothing more than allocation of previously developed county level estimates to municipalities and other sub – county areas based upon their share of the 2010 population (See: Misreferencing Misoverestimated Population).  I followed up a couple of months later with additional analysis in an article entitled 2011 Census Sub-County Allocations Masquerade as Population Estimates (both articles appeared on newgeography.com).

Meanwhile, in view of the fact that federal statistical data should be beyond reproach, it is disappointing that the Bureau of the Census has not withdrawn the invalid 2011 sub – county population estimates.

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