Data Glossary
POPULATION - Source is Arizona Dept. of Economic Security, Research Administration. DES prepares annual population estimates for the state, counties and incorporated places.UNEMPLOYMENT - Source is U.S. Dept. of Labor. This is referred to as the household survey. Unemployment data is derived from a monthly sample survey called the Current Population Survey, which is a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau. The unemployed are those in the labor force who do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior four weeks and are currently available for work. The labor force consists of the civilian noninstitutional population 16 years and over who have a job or are actively looking for a job (someone who is retired would not be considered part of the labor force).
JOB GROWTH - Source is U.S. Dept. of Labor. This is referred to as the establishment survey and is derived from a monthly survey of 400,000 business establishments nationwide called the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. It is done in conjunction with the Current Population Survey, which is used to provide unemployment data. Employment according to this survey is "the total number of persons on establishment payrolls employed full or part time who receive pay for any part of the pay period which includes the 12 th day of the month".
WAGES/EARNINGS - Source is U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts. Earnings are comprised of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries (such as employer contribution to social insurance), and proprietor's income - both farm and non-farm. The state level data presented shows wage data while the metro area data represents earnings.
PERSONAL INCOME - Source is U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts. This is displayed as a total figure for a particular geography. Personal income is the current income received by persons from all sources, less their contributions to government social insurance. All sources include dividends, interest and estimated net rental value to owner-occupants of their homes. This differs from "Household Income", which is provided by the Census Bureau.
PER CAPITA PERSONAL INCOME - Source is the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. It is the personal income total for an area divided by the population of that area.
HOUSING PERMITS - Source is U.S. Census Bureau, Residential Construction Branch. Also known as "C-40" reports. Statistics on housing units authorized by building permits include housing units issued in local permit issuing jurisdictions by a building or zoning permit. Housing unit authorization statistics do not represent the number of units actually put into construction and should not be directly interpreted as housing starts. Data are shown as total units, single-family units (single-family home), 2-4 unit structures (duplexes and the like), and 5-plus unit structures (buildings containing 5 or more housing units, such as apartment buildings). The total listed is for units rather than buildings.
RETAIL SALES - Source is Arizona Dept. of Revenue & EBR. Retail sales include sales from businesses whose primary classification is as a retail establishment. The aggregate retail sales figure includes restaurant and bar sales as well as figures of gasoline and food sales estimated by EBR.
