Select Metros website ranks Philly’s $388B gross metro product and other stats with U.S. cities

From SelectMetros.com, a bar graph comparing percentage employment in STEM occupations among various metropolitan areas. Click to enlarge.

Last month, Select Greater Philadelphia launched Select Metros, a tool that lets you compare the Philadelphia region to other metropolitan areas using dozens of datasets on topics like employment, educational attainment and transit use.

But don’t say we didn’t warn you: don’t check it out while you’re at work. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole, which is to say it’s fascinating and there are seemingly endless datasets to play with on the site.

Visit Select Metros here.

Built by Washington, D.C. software developer Knoema, the tool was originally created for site selectors, organizations that help businesses decide where to relocate or expand their business. Datasets were culled from various sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Science Foundation. On the site, you can download data, comment on datasets and suggest more data sources.

Here’s a tip: head to the data catalog, choose what kind of data you’re interested in and then choose the “Views” tab on the tool bar. Rather than creating a custom table (unless that’s what you want to do), this tab lays out pre-made tables comparing the different kinds of available data.