U.S. Census Bureau statistics show that the economic impact of mandatory water restrictions in Prince George's County, Md., could be felt across the region. A majority of jobs in the affected area are held by workers who live more than 10 miles away, and nearly a quarter of the people who work in the area live more than 25 miles away. Additionally, more than 40 percent of workers who reside within the region covered by the restrictions commute to job sites that are more than 10 miles away.

The statistics, which will be highly useful to employers, workers, government officials and emergency managers, are captured on the Census Bureau's interactive OnTheMap tool (//onthemap.ces.census.gov). The information for Prince George's County was derived by overlaying the map of areas covered by the restrictions from the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission with local employment data collected by the Census Bureau and a state-federal partnership.

"We're grateful that Census Bureau data can help to document the potential impact of this emergency and to provide useful information about the people and businesses who are affected," said Nancy Potok, the Census Bureau's deputy director and chief operating officer. "OnTheMap is an online tool developed by the Census Bureau to help decision makers and service providers assess public needs during natural hazards and emergencies all over the U.S. The tool shows both the geographic location and the demographic characteristics of the impacted workers, from job location and commuting patterns to the demographic makeup of the workforce."

OnTheMap (//onthemap.ces.census.gov) uses data from the Census Bureau's Local Employment Dynamics partnership with 50 state governments, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The innovative tool allows quick analysis of emergency and economic events by combining Census Bureau and state job data. It was developed by the Center for Economic Studies at the Census Bureau under a program seeking to provide new dynamic information on workers, employers and jobs with state-of-the-art confidentiality protections and no additional data collection burden.

No news release associated with this product. Tip Sheet only.

-X-