Metro Crime Statistics Added to CreditScope

CreditScope users who have completed a system update should be able to view a selection of Metro and State FBI crime statistics for all general obligation and revenue bond credits covered by Merritt Research. National, Region, Region Division, and State FBI data is available for all credits in CreditScope. Metro FBI data will be available for credits where the feature ID links to a medium-sized to larger metro area. To find crime data: Click on the Demographics button on the Credit Detail Screen.

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Category: CreditScope, Demographics, Merritt Data

How Soon Are Demographic Releases Applied to CreditScope?

Demographic data within CreditScope is obtained from three federal governmental agencies: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the U.S. Census Bureau. With the release of new updates almost weekly, Merritt is continuously updating demographic data so that it is as up-to-date as possible. In some cases, updates can take longer to implement, which leads to the question: "How soon do demographic releases get applied to Credit Scope?" The most frequent updates come from the BLS. These updates are generally released on a weekly basis,...

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Category: CreditScope, Demographics, Merritt Data

Gini Index of Income Inequality

Merritt has added a new demographic field to the database, the Gini Index. The Gini Index is a measure of inequality in the distribution of household income that was developed by Italian statistician Corrado Gini. According to the American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey 2012 Subject Definitions, "The Gini ranges from zero (perfect equality) to one (perfect inequality), and it is calculated by measuring the difference between a diagonal line (the purely proportionate distribution) and the distribution of actual values (a Lorenz curve)." Therefore, an index of zero would...

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Category: CreditScope, Demographics, Merritt Data

Merritt Enhances Demographic Data Provided in CreditScope

Merritt Research Services has added more demographic data to CreditScope from the U.S. Census Bureau. The demographic data added under the Census Bureau includes Births & Deaths, Migration, and Birthplace Data. The Births & Deaths section includes the number of births and deaths for a specific year, along with the natural increase which is derived from subtracting deaths from births. Migration Data includes the total net migration in or out of the specific geography and is further broken down into international and domestic migration for a specific geography. Birthplace Data...

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Category: CreditScope, Demographics, Merritt Data

Have You Updated Your CreditScope Demographic Data Lately?

Demographic trends can paint a vivid picture of a state or local economy, often contributing to changes in a Credit's finances. The CreditScope database includes demographic data compiled from three sources: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and the U.S. Census Bureau. Census Bureau information is comprised of the Decennial Census of Population and the American Community Survey (ACS), which "surveys a small percentage of the United States to produce yearly estimates on the nation's social, economic, and housing characteristics." Merritt is...

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Category: CreditScope, Demographics, Merritt Data