Peer City Identification Tool

The Peer City Identification Tool (PCIT), developed by the Community Development and Policy Studies (CDPS) division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, is a data comparison and visualization instrument that can help policymakers and practitioners understand a municipality in the context of peer cities. Drawing on city-level indicators from the American Community Survey and historical Decennial Census records, the PCIT performs a cluster analysis to identify groups of similar cities along economic, demographic, social, and housing dimensions. The PCIT-960 includes 960 places from around the United States that meet one of the following criteria: These places were incorporated, with at least 25,000 population by the 1960 census; Or these places were incorporated, with at least 50,000 population by the 2010 census. How to use the tool Enter a city name in the search bar, or click directly on the map. Select one of four themes off which to base the clustering: Equity, Affordability, Resilience and Outlook. The selected city and its peers, which usually number between five and fifteen, then appear highlighted on the map. The PCIT will also present the user with data from the peer cities and a table of key variables that were used to identify the group. In addition, the tool generates peer group median values for each variable, as well as the median for all cities in the dataset, enabling comparison across and within the cities. This perspective can provide further context, especially in identifying areas in which the subject city might deviate from its peers, which can serve to highlight particular challenges or opportunities. Users can also select variables to graph or chart, providing a useful visual. All data and images can be exported, and the full underlying dataset of 960 cities and 28 indicators is available for download. Select additional variables can be added by checking one or more of the boxes from the list that appears below the data table. This simply adds the data for the selected city and its peers; it does not change the peer cities. For a data dictionary, overview of the methodology used, and other resources and tools, please click here.