Simulation Parameters

This page contains a list of the Microlandia simulation parameters, the sources we used for the values, and how they’re applied in the game.

This is a live document auto-generated from the game code, and we are constantly refining or correcting them. If you think something is off, we would greatly appreciate if you reach us to let us know.

GENERAL

FERTILITY_RATE: 2.2

The average number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years. When cities have enough hospital capacity, this is the rate at which new citizens are born to existing citizens in the city.

Source: World Bank

ROAD_MAINTENANCE_COST: $27

Monthly maintenance cost per road segment built (20 meters)

Source: Reason - 28th Annual Highway Report

CITIZEN_RETIREMENT_AGE: 65

The age at which citizens are considered retired and start receiving a monthly pension from the city, which can be set in the fiscal policies.

Source: OECD

POLICE_OFFICER_MONTHLY_SALARY: $8,000

The monthly salary paid to each police officer or policewoman. This amount is deducted from the city’s funds each month for every active police officer. Each police station has 8 officers hired.

Source: CBCNY

FIREFIGHTER_MONTHLY_SALARY: $5,164

The monthly salary paid to each firefighter. This amount is deducted from the city’s funds each month for every active firefighter. Each fire station has 4 firefighters hired.

Source: FDNY

ECONOMICS

MEAN_STARTING_CAPITAL_NEW_COMPANY: $25,000

Mean starting capital for newly created companies, used in an exponential distribution to determine actual starting capital. New companies are created every day in the city but the starting capital will determine how quickly they can grow and hire workers.

Source: Small Business Administration

GROSS_MARGINS_BY_INDUSTRY

Revenue of companies has a random component and a value weighted by its size and industry sector gross margin. Companies operating at lower margins take longer to become profitable and grow.

Source: NYU - Margins by Sector (US)

WEEKLY_EARNINGS_BY_INDUSTRY

The weekly income of citizens working in different industry sectors. Paid from the company balance to employed citizens after income taxes are deducted as set in the fiscal policies panel.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

EMPLOYMENT_BY_INDUSTRY

Weights applied to the random selection of companies created in the city. Industries with higher employment have a higher chance of appearing as they have more demand for workers.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

CITIZEN_COST_OF_LIVING: $1,366

Monthly costs for a single person, excluding rent and taxes. This figure includes expenses such as food, transportation, healthcare, and other essentials. It is deducted monthly from each citizen’s balance if they have funds. When citizens can’t cover their cost of living, it will be reflected in the happiness index metric.

Source: Numbeo

HOMELESS_EMPLOYMENT_BARRIER: 0.42

The employment barrier for homeless citizens, reflecting their reduced likelihood of being employed compared to non-homeless citizens. This barrier is applied as a multiplier when citizens search for jobs.

Source: census.gov

AVERAGE_SPEND_PER_TOURIST_PER_DAY: $400

Average amount of money spent by each tourist per day in the city. This includes expenses such as accommodation, food, transportation, entertainment, and shopping.

Source: Budget Your Trip - New York City

ANNUAL_RATE_OF_NEW_EMPLOYER_BUSINESSES: 0.15

The annual rate of new companies per 100k inhabitants that employ at least one person. Used to cap the maximum number of new companies created in the city each year.

Source: Kauffman Indicators of Entrepreneurship

HEALTH

HOSPITAL_INPATIENT_OUTPATIENT_MULTIPLIER: 15

Ratio of outpatients to inpatients in hospitals. Inpatients are those admitted overnight, and will take up capacity in the hospital for the time defined in AVERAGE_LENGTH_OF_STAY_DAYS. Outpatients are those who visit the hospital for treatment but do not stay overnight.

⚠️ Source pending

AVERAGE_LENGTH_OF_STAY_DAYS: 5

Average length of stay in days for inpatients in hospitals.

Source: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)

HOMELESS_SICKNESS_MULTIPLIER: 6

Multiplier applied to the sickness probability of homeless citizens, reflecting their increased vulnerability to illness due to factors such as lack of shelter, nutrition, and mental health.

Source: CDC

COST_PER_BED_MONTH: $38,000

Monthly operating cost per hospital bed, including expenses related to personnel, equipment usage, and other operational costs associated with patient care. Average total health spend per capita (2022) ≈ USD PPP $5,000/year. Hospitals take ~39% of health spending on average.

Source: OECD Health Statistics 2023

LIFE_EXPECTANCY_YEARS: 80.3

The average number of years a person in a given population is expected to live, based on current mortality patterns.

Source: OECD

LIFE_EXPECTANCY_HOMELESS_PENALTY_YEARS: 17

The reduction in life expectancy for homeless individuals compared to the general population, reflecting the adverse health impacts associated with homelessness.

Source: United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

EDUCATION

CITIZENS_WITH_BACHELORS_DEGREE_OR_HIGHER: 0.44

Percentage of working-age adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher. This is the ratio of immigrants who hold a bachelor’s degree and the ratio of high school graduates who go on to college when all the educational infrastructure is available in the city.

Source: NYC Future

HIGH_SCHOOL_COST_PER_STUDENT_MONTH: $2,993

Monthly cost of educating a single student in public high schools. This cost includes expenses related to teacher salaries, facilities, materials, and other operational costs associated with running public high schools. It will be deducted from the city’s funds monthly based on the number of students enrolled in high schools.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

CRIME

CLEARANCE_RATE: 0.39

The percentage of reported crimes that are solved by the police, when all the ideal conditions are met. This means that up to 39% of crimes result in an arrest, and the remainder will be unsolved, leaving the criminal in the city to commit more crimes.

Source: NYPD

CRIME_VICTIM_RELOCATION_RATIO: 0.19

The ratio of crime victims who are moving out of the city after experiencing a crime.

Source: Alliance for Safety and Justice

DISTANCE_PATROLED_BY_POLICE_OFFICERS_PER_SHIFT: 5000

The distance a police unit (2 officers) can effectively patrol during a single shift (8 hours). This affects the area that is covered daily by each police station in the city.

Source: ICMA Center for Public Safety Management

INCIDENTS_PER_POLICE_OFFICE_SHIFT: 1

Number of crime incidents that a single officer can be dispatched to and handle during a single shift (8 hours).

Source: NYPD

CRIMINALITY_RATE: 0.01

Percentage of citizens without a job and money who will become criminals each year.

Source: CEPR

INMATE_HOUSING_COST_PER_INMATE: $47,000

Annual incarceration cost per inmate, charged upfront when a criminal is caught. Covers the full year’s cost of housing, personnel, food, and healthcare.

Source: Vera Institute

PARKS_AND_RECREATION

MAINTENANCE_PARK_PRICE: $600

The cost of maintaining a 20x20 meters plot of parkland per month. This cost includes expenses related to landscaping, cleaning, security, and other operational costs associated with park maintenance.

Source: New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO)

MAINTENANCE_PARK_TREES_PRICE: $10

Estimated monthly maintenance cost for one mature street/park tree, covering general care, pruning allowance, and pest control. This is based on budgeting $120/year for proactive tree management.

Source: NYC.gov Street Tree Overview (Air Quality Value)

MAINTENANCE_PARK_PLAYGROUND_PRICE: $250

Monthly maintenance cost for a 20x20 meter playground area. This cost is calculated as 5% of the estimated total construction cost per year, covering routine inspection, cleaning, minor equipment repairs, and safety surfacing upkeep.

Source: Ongoing Playground Costs & Maintenance Guide

MAINTENANCE_PARK_MAZE_PRICE: $500

Estimated monthly maintenance cost for a 20x20 meter maze park zone. Higher than general parkland due to the specialized labor required for detailed path maintenance and hedge/plant trimming.

Source: Understanding the Cost of Parks (Mini Park Maintenance Range)

MAINTENANCE_PARK_FOUNTAIN_PRICE: $300

Estimated monthly maintenance cost for a park fountain, including water system cleaning, chemical balancing, and minor pump/electrical checks. This accounts for specialized commercial service.

Source: Outdoor Water Fountain Installation Cost (Labor/Plumbing Factors)

BASKETBALL_COURT_MAINTENANCE_COST_MONTH: $1,000

Monthly maintenance cost for a full-sized basketball court’s upkeep

Source: NYC Parks & Recreation

TRAFFIC

CAR_SPEED_LIMIT_KM_H: 40

The speed limit for cars on roads, expressed in kilometers per hour. This affects the road capacity and probability of traffic congestion.

⚠️ Source pending

FIRE

FIRE_RESPONSE_COST: $25,000

Average cost incurred by fire departments for responding to a single fire incident. This cost includes expenses related to personnel, equipment usage, and other operational costs associated with firefighting efforts.

⚠️ Source pending

FIRE_RATE_MONTH: 0.022

Monthly probability of a random building catching fire. This rate is used to simulate fire incidents in the city. Fire departments will respond to these incidents and prevent buildings from burning down.

Source: Fire Department of New York City (FDNY)

WASTE

DAILY_WASTE_PER_CITIZEN_KG: 2

Amount of solid waste generated by each citizen per day.

Source: NYC Department of Sanitation

WASTE_COLLECTION_COST_TON: $566

Cost of collecting and processing one ton of solid waste. This cost includes expenses related to labor, equipment, transportation, and disposal fees. It will be deducted from the city’s funds daily based on DAILY_WASTE_PER_CITIZEN_KG

Source: NYC Department of Sanitation

CONSTRUCTION_PRICES

SHELTER_CONSTRUCTION_COST: $50,000,000

State of Maine Homeless Shelter Cost Study

Source: Shelter Cost Study 2025

SHELTER_ANNUAL_MAINTENANCE_COST: $7,000,000

State of Maine Homeless Shelter Cost Study

Source: Shelter Cost Study 2025

PARK_CONSTRUCTION_PRICE: $8,612

Cost to construct a 20x20 meter general park zone (natural grass). Based on NYC sod installation costs of $1-3/sq ft, averaging $2/sq ft ($21.53/m²).

Source: Angi.com - NYC Sod Installation Costs

PARK_TREES_CONSTRUCTION_PRICE: $3,300

Average cost of NYC tree planting per unit. Based on FY24 and the Parks Department.

Source: It costs the city $3,300 to plant a tree. Here’s why

PARK_PLAYGROUND_CONSTRUCTION_PRICE: $35,000

Cost to construct a 20x20 meter playground zone. Based on playground equipment costs of $15,000-50,000 plus surfacing costs of $3-14/sq ft, totaling approximately $35,000 for 400 m².

Source: Mass Initiative - Playground Construction Costs

PARK_MAZE_CONSTRUCTION_PRICE: $8,612

Cost to construct a 20x20 meter maze park zone. Based on natural grass installation costs plus maze design elements (hedges/plants).

Source: Angi.com - NYC Sod Installation Costs

PARK_FOUNTAIN_CONSTRUCTION_PRICE: $4,300

Cost to construct a park fountain zone. Based on water fountain installation costs.

Source: How Much Does a Water Fountain Cost in 2025? - Lawn Love

ROAD_CONSTRUCTION_PRICE: $50,000

Cost to construct a 20x20 meter road segment. Based on urban road construction costs in the United States.

⚠️ Source pending

TRANSPORTATION

GAS_CAR_PRICE: $26,000

Average purchase price of a new car. Citizens buy cars when they can afford it and can use it to commute to work, and sell them when they need money.

Source: Numbeo

DIESEL_COST_PER_LITER: $1

Cost of diesel fuel per liter. This cost is used to calculate the operating expenses of diesel and hybrid buses in the city’s public transportation system.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

ELECTRICITY_COST_PER_KWH: $0.13

Cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This cost is used to calculate the operating expenses of electric and hybrid buses in the city’s public transportation system.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

BUS_DRIVER_SALARY_HOUR: $29

Hourly salary paid to bus drivers operating in the city’s public transportation system. This amount is deducted from the city’s funds for each hour a bus is in operation.

Source: NYC MTA