"We're looking at what's called an MPO, so we're looking at the urban area around the city of Columbia border trying to take into account the development that has taken place outside of the city limits," said Jill Lucht of the Community Policy Analysis Center.

The study looks at population, labor force, commuting, poverty, unemployment and retail sales among others. One goal of the study is to compare the city of Columbia with other communities with similar population and economy.

"The city wants to improve its ability to plan in the short and medium term so they'll know where and when infrastructure needs will be and how the economy will evolve," said data analyzer Tom Johnson.

So far the numbers show a 15,000 person increase in Columbia's population, and about a 900 person drop in unemployment by 2015.  The panel also predicts about 3,000 more people to own homes.While these numbers are just preliminary, the city panel hopes they will help leaders plan for the future. 

The panel will release the final results of the study this fall.