Data Sources

Decennial Census (2000, 2010, 2020) population counts; American Community Survey 5-year estimates for demographics, income, housing, and poverty rates

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW); county-level employment data, wage averages, and unemployment rates

Rural economy typology codes; rural-urban continuum classifications; agricultural employment trends for Black Hills region

School enrollment figures by district; per-pupil state funding allocations (~$6,200/student); district boundary data

Municipal sales tax rates (2% standard); property tax assessment methodology; historical tax collection data by county

School enrollment for Newcastle and Sundance districts; Wyoming per-pupil funding rates; district demographics

Employment multiplier framework: each high-wage tech job creates ~5 additional local service jobs nationally; adapted to 1.5-1.8x for rural setting

Community economic impact of municipal gigabit broadband deployment; used as comparable for BHC infrastructure investment model

ACS 5-year estimates for all 12 cities: population, median age, household income, home values, poverty rate, unemployment

Municipal budget data, zoning information, capital improvement plans

Largest city in the network; housing market data, employment base comparisons

VA hospital employment data, tourism statistics, median income benchmarks

SURF (Sanford Underground Research Facility) employment data; tech corridor context

Agricultural economy baseline; Center of the Nation tourism data

Coal economy transition data; Weston County demographics and employment

Crook County demographics; Devils Tower tourism corridor data