# Presentation: 745682

## IRS Migration Data & Profiles

- From the
- Missouri Census Data Center

## Track Migration Via Tax Returns

- IRS matches households across consecutive tax years
- Able to determine if a return that came from County A in year N comes from a different county the following year.
- If 500 returns filed from LA County, CA in 2004 are matched to returns in 2005 from Clark co, NV in 2005 – what does it mean?

## Background

- IRS has produced their county-to-county summary files for years.
- These are used by the FSCPE as a key input for the migration portion of the annual county estimates.
- Files are not freely available; IRS uses them as a cash cow.

## http://enterprise.star-telegram.com/ARCIms/Maps/clt/2007/irsmig.asp

- Charlotte Observer Creates online Access

**Notes:**
When we saw this web site (in early 2007)  we realized that these data could be published on the web. 

## Displayed Maps and Tables Like This 

## Inspired by the Charlotte Observer site...

- We (Missouri Census Data Center) contacted the IRS and placed our order for data back to 1999/2000 and thru 2004/2005.
- Paid several hundred $.  Received a cd-rom with lots and lots of Excel files.
- Two xls files per county: 1 for in-movers and 1 for out-movers.

**Notes:**
Examples of the original xls files are accessible 

## Access the resulting data  collection athttp://mcdc2.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/uexplore?/pub/data/irsmig

Original data in csv format saved here as well as the xls files -- for Mo only.
Usinmig9900 thru usinmig0506 are the huge datasets with inmigration.
Corresponding usoutmig datasets have out-migration data.

- Access the resulting data  collection at_[http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/uexplore?/pub/data/irsmig](http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/uexplore?/pub/data/irsmig)_
*Original data in csv format* saved here as well as the xls files -- for Mo only.
- Usinmig9900 thru usinmig0506 are the huge datasets with inmigration.
- Corresponding usoutmig datasets have out-migration data.

**Notes:**
Missouri-only subsets are out there as well.   
This is only of interest for those brave enough to use the uexplore program, and Dexter for extracting from the sas datasets.  

## Datasets are Nice But Reports...

- Are what everybody wants.  So we needed to create an application that would turn the raw data into something users could easily access and interpret.
- We created a profile application that displayed all relevant data for a single county – the “IRS Migration Profile”.

## Slide 9

**Notes:**
This is what one looks like.  This is for Los Angeles county, CA using the 2004/2005 data. 

## Profile Details

- Report title identifies the county; subtitle indicates the years.
- Each line of report summarizes implied migration “flows” both into and out of the profile county.
- The “Migration Flow Area” can be another county or some larger total (such as total or total domestic).

## The LA Migration Profile Tells Us...

- Under “*Migration Into.../ # Returns”* in first row we find *100,584* .  This is the total # of tax returns filed in LA county in 2005 that were NOT linked to a return in that county in 2004.  So this is a proxy for in-migration at the HH level.
- The 165,767 *# Exemptions* figure is just the total exemptions reported on those 100,584 returns.
- $23,179 was the median (middle) gross income fig for those 100,584 returns.

## Migration Out of Los Angeles CA

- These 4 items (rightmost columns of profile) track “out-migration”.
- Based on returns filed in LA county in 2004 that were found in a different county or country in 2005.
- It does not include people who did not file in 2005 (such as people who died).

## About the Report

- Only migration flows of 10 or more are reported on the IRS files and hence in these reports.
- A parm can be specified to raise this threshold.  I.e. you can specify you only want to see data for areas where there at least 40 total flows.
- Gross flows = #Returns Into + #Returns Out of.
- The report is sorted by descending Gross flows.

## Generating a Report

- Access the main menu page at _[http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/uexplore?/pub/data/irsmig/Migration_Profiles](http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/uexplore?/pub/data/irsmig/Migration_Profiles)__ _
- To locate this URL go to the Missouri Census Data Center home page and do a search on “IRS profile”; follow the “What’s New” link.
- Select a state first.  Then on the application page choose the county, the year(s) and, if needed, a higher threshold.
- Click the ***Generate Report*** button.

## Note Also...

***http://mcdc.missouri.edu/data/irsmig/Migration_Profiles***/    is an alternate URL.
-  If you fail to choose a county you will get a report showing state totals only – not very interesting.
-  You can also find a link to these reports using our **applinks** interface;  the URL is of the form:   **http://mcdc2.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/applinks?&st=<ss>&co=<ccc>** Where <ss> is the 2-digits fips state code  and <ccc> is the fips county code.     The _***irsmig_profile***_ entry will be the last on the resulting menu page.

## More Notes

- The latest year of data (based on tax years 2005 & 2006) did not have any data on gross income.  Not sure if gone forever.
- IRS was reluctant to sell us the 05/06 data (because we were putting it on the web.)
- See article by Emily Groos, IRS, at _***http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/05gross.pdf***__*** ***_

**Notes:**
We had to wait over a month to await a decision by the folks at the IRS on whether or not they would fill our order for the latest data.   We have not seen anything from the Charlotte Observer that uses the latest data, althought their web site with the 04-05 data is still active.   

## Questions?

-         John Blodgett
- _[blodgettj@umsystem.edu](mailto:blodgettj@umsystem.edu)__ _