Research
Research
Analyses computed from the same Census files as every PlainCities page, each leading with its finding and stating its method and limits.
What has PlainCities found?
- Where household incomes really rose: 2015-2019 vs 2020-2024
Real income change, with the margins of error applied
- Which U.S. places grew and which shrank, 2020 to 2025
Population estimates for 10,000+ incorporated places
- How working from home grew in U.S. cities, 2015-2019 to 2020-2024
Home-working share, 2015-2019 vs 2020-2024
- How reliable are census figures for small towns?
The share of places whose figures the survey cannot support
- Building permits in 2025: where America permitted new homes
Building permits per 1,000 residents by place and state
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and 2015-2019; Census population estimates, Vintage 2025; Building Permits Survey 2019-2025 · Census Bureau: American Community Survey
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections