Top 10 U.S. Metros Represent 22% of Nation’s Income.

Interep released a new research report entitled, “Marketing Within the Nation’s Largest Metros.” The report pinpoints the specific characteristics that distinguish the nation’s top 10 metropolitan regions from the total U.S., offering valuable information for national marketers who frequently target these large urban hubs.

The top 10 government defined metros are home to 20% of the nation’s population, and account for 22% of the country’s total Effective Buying Income(1). Additional statistics based on analysis of Mediamark 2000 data show that among adults in the Top 10 metropolitan regions are:

— Younger: 61% are 18-44 compared to 55% for the total U.S.

— More Ethnically Diverse: 57% more likely to be black, 69% more likely to be Hispanic and 57% more likely to be Asian compared to the total U.S. The metros house almost 1/3 of all U.S. adults in these 3 ethnic groups.

— Affluent: 50% more likely to live in $100,000 plus households. 31% of all households with $100,000 plus annual incomes are in the top 10 metros.

— Educated: 28% hold college degrees or more, compared to 22% for the U.S.

— Top 10 consumers also are more likely to be single, to rent rather than own their residence, and to live in apartments
rather than houses.

A media usage analysis of Mediamark 2000 data shows that within the top 10 metros:

— Adults in the 3 key ad demos – 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 – are heavier than average users of radio, magazines and the
Internet.

— Radio reaches 94% to 96% of all adults each week.

— Radio usage is augmented by heavy driving patterns; 3 out of the 10 metros show over 60% of adults driving more than 100 miles each week.

— News/Talk, Spanish and Urban Contemporary have the highest radio format shares, i.e. the greatest number of total listening hours per week for P12+.

Michele Skettino, VP/Marketing Communications, adds, “The report confirms that spot radio is an effective way to add weight in markets that account for a disproportionate amount of advertisers’ sales. It is also a perfect match with the demographic traits of the large metros, such as a younger skewing population and larger ethnic communities.”

(1) Total Effective Buying income is defined as money income less personal tax and non-tax payments according to Sales & Marketing Management’s 2000 Survey of Buying Power. The top 10 government metros are Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Detroit, Houston, Atlanta, Boston and Dallas. Within the Top 10 radio metros, San Francisco
replaces Atlanta.

For more information at http://www.interep.com.