---
pretty_name: Flu MetroCast Hub — sub-state flu hosp forecast target
license: cc-by-4.0
size_categories:
- 10K<n<100K
tags:
- cadence-weekly
- geo-us
- surveillance-respiratory
- pathogen-influenza
- tier-2
- availability-open
schema_version: '0.1'
source_id: flu-metrocast-hub
source_url: https://reichlab.io/metrocast-dashboard/
manifest_section: §4.6
surveillance_category: respiratory
pathogens:
- influenza
availability: open
availability_notes: null
access_type: github
tier: 2
cadence: weekly
geography_levels:
- subnational-city
geography_countries:
- US
gold_standard_for: []
vintaged_version_of: null
succeeds: null
derived_from: []
value_columns:
- name: value
  unit: admissions/week
  value_type: incident
  description: Flu hospital admissions / ED visits for the metro area
  aggregation: sum
notes:
  extra_columns:
  - column: target
    description: Hubverse target identifier (e.g. 'wk inc flu hosp metro').
  - column: location_name
    description: MetroCast metro identifier (city / county). `location_id` is `US-METRO-<id>` synthetic.
  interpretation_caveats:
  - column: value
    caveat: 'Metro definitions vary by jurisdiction (NYC = 5 boroughs; LA = LA County; etc.).

      Don''t sum metros to recover state — they don''t tile cleanly.

      '
  general: 'Truth-only ingest, model forecasts handled separately.

    '
extra:
  schema_proposal: '`subnational-city` location level needed a synthetic prefix (`US-METRO-`) because the

    schema''s regex for that level is permissive but un-anchored to a registry. Worth

    formalising: maintain a `metro_registry.yaml` with city codes and human names.

    '
computed:
  last_ingested: '2026-04-26T12:48:50Z'
  row_count: 132242
  time_coverage:
  - start: '2024-08-03'
    end: '2026-04-18'
  geography_unit_count: 77
  observed_cadence_days: 7
  missing_gaps: []
  data_hash: 9b5355d031f000d2
---

# Flu MetroCast Hub — sub-state flu hosp forecast target

Truth-only ingest, model forecasts handled separately.

**Source:** <https://reichlab.io/metrocast-dashboard/>

## Coverage

- **Time:** 2024-08-03 → 2026-04-18
- **Cadence:** `weekly` (observed median spacing: 7 days)
- **Geography levels:** `subnational-city` — 77 unique location IDs
- **Countries:** US
- **Pathogens:** `influenza`
- **Surveillance category:** `respiratory`
- **Rows:** 132,242

## Columns

| Column | Unit | value_type | Aggregation | Description |
|--------|------|------------|-------------|-------------|
| `value` | admissions/week | `incident` | `sum` | Flu hospital admissions / ED visits for the metro area |

### Additional data columns

- **`target`** — Hubverse target identifier (e.g. 'wk inc flu hosp metro').
- **`location_name`** — MetroCast metro identifier (city / county). `location_id` is `US-METRO-<id>` synthetic.

## Interpretation caveats

Things that may differ from how other sources define a similar measure. If you're combining this dataset with another, read these first.

- **`value`** — Metro definitions vary by jurisdiction (NYC = 5 boroughs; LA = LA County; etc.).
Don't sum metros to recover state — they don't tile cleanly.


## Access

- **Availability:** `open`
- **Access type:** `github`
- **License:** cc-by-4.0
- **Tier:** 2

---

*Schema version `0.1` · Last ingested 2026-04-26T12:48:50Z · `source_id: flu-metrocast-hub` · Manifest section §4.6*