The State and Metropolitan Area Data Book (SMADB) is described in the preface as ‘a convenient summary of statistics on the social and economic structure of the states, metropolitan areas, and micropolitan areas in the United States. It is designed to serve as a statistical reference and guide to other data publications and sources.’… State and Metropolitan Area Data Book is a source of statistics and a guide to other data sources. Highly recommended to academic and larger public library collections.

American Reference Books Annual

Three years ago the US Census Bureau stopped funding its Statistical Compendium program, which published the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the County and City Data Book, and the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book. Over the years, these volumes have provided a summary of statistics on the social and economic characteristics of the US as well as the sources for these statistics. The State and Metropolitan Area Data Book was an irregular publication that began in 1979. With its cessation in 2010, Bernan Press decided to publish the title. The data for this first Bernan Press edition were gathered from the 2010 Census and enhanced with the one-year and three-year estimates of the American Community Survey. Data on health insurance, commuting, union membership, and other topics are included. Bernan has added data on causes of death, the number of prisoners removed from death row, and more to this edition. The volume is divided into Parts A through D. Part A includes 1,362 data items for the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. Part B has 159 data items for 366 metropolitan areas and 29 metropolitan divisions. Part C has data for 50 data items for 1,100 counties and county equivalents under their respective metropolitan area or metropolitan division. Part D includes 13 data items for 576 micropolitan areas and their 688 component counties. At the end of the book, appendixes A-D provide source notes and explanations about the statistics and census geographies. Bernan Press's experience publishing the County and City Extra and recently the Statistical Abstract of the United States provides continuity for those who have relied on these compendiums over the years. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above; general readers.

Choice Reviews

This eminently useful compilation of statistics focuses on the metropolitan areas, their counties, and the states. For librarians and researchers familiar with the past offerings of the Government Printing Office, State and Metropolitan Area Data Book will seem like an old friend. For a long time, it was a staple of census research, but it is not currently produced in print by the GPO. In this new incarnation, there is more than plain data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey (annual). Additional information includes vital statistics, election counts, migration and commuting patterns, travel and tourism, school financing, and more. The tabular layout is similar to all census print publications and the Statistical Abstract of the United States (annual). Following more than 300 pages of tables are appendixes that feature source notes, explain the methodology and limits of the data, and offer definitions of census geography with maps, along with a state-by-state directory of where data for individual states can be found. Although this is available both online and in print, for many, tables like this are best understood in print. The price is reasonable enough to give it a place in any collection that deals with census data.

Danise Hoover, Booklist