Proposition 13: Five Decades Later

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Parcel Data

The first of two inflationary periods of the 1970’s began early in the decade and was particularly hard felt in the hot real estate markets of urban California. Property taxes were completely tied to the annual market valuation conducted by the county assessor. During...

Bias In Small Area Income Estimates

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Finance

Last week we talked about the complexity of the concept of income. We continue here by focusing on the Census Bureau definition, and how that definition introduces spatial biases that could substantially impact your location decisions. So how does the Census define...

Summer Olympics: The Geography of Team USA

by | Aug 1, 2024 | Current Events

Just in time to cure the summer slump, the Olympics are here, entertaining us daily for a few weeks with inspiring performances and the chance to bring home some medals. This year, Team USA’s 594 athletes hail from 46 states, so nearly everyone has someone to cheer...

Measuring Income

by | Aug 1, 2024 | Finance

Ask 100 users of demographics to name the 5 must-have variables they use in their analyses and income will almost always be listed. Ask those same users to define the term, and you will hear a stunning range of answers. In fairness, if you ask 100 economists to define...

Twisters

by | Jul 25, 2024 | Climate Data

In the summer of 1996, a movie about storm researchers became a hit movie: Twister. It followed a group of storm chasing meteorologists in central Oklahoma as they dodged, sometimes unsuccessfully, a line of storms in a single day. The production crew went as far as...