Classification Overview |
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Classification Overview |
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Classification Overview |
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Classification Overview |
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Decision-Making Information
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• Estimates & Projections• CommunityViewer GIS • Applications Gallery • Ranking Tables • GeoBase -- geographic base files • Metropolitan Areas • K-12 Schools & School Districts • Census 2010 ... Census 2000 • American Community Survey |
•Metropolitan Statistical Areas (including Metropolitan Divisions, where applicable)
•Micropolitan Statistical Areas
•Combined Statistical Areas
•New England City and Town Areas (including New England City and Town Area Divisions, where applicable)
•Combined New England City and Town Areas
Metropolitan Statistical Areas have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. Micropolitan Statistical Areas – a new set of statistical areas – have at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas are defined in terms of whole counties (or equivalent entities), including in the six New England States. If the specified criteria are met, a Metropolitan Statistical Area containing a single core with a population of 2.5 million or more may be subdivided to form smaller groupings of counties referred to as Metropolitan Divisions.
94 Percent of the Population in Metros
As of December 2009, the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas classification included about 94 percent of the U.S. population – about 84 percent in metropolitan statistical areas and about 10 percent in micropolitan statistical areas. Of 3,142 counties in the United States, 1,100 are in the 366 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States and 688 counties are in the 576 micropolitan statistical areas (1,354 counties remain outside the classification). (Under the 1990 standards, the classification as of June 1999 included 847 metropolitan counties and about 80 percent of the U.S. population.)
In view of the importance of cities and town in New England, the 2000 standards also provide for a set of geographic areas that are defined using cities and towns in the six New England states. The New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs) are defined using the same criteria as Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and are identified as either metropolitan or micropolitan, based, respectively, on the presence of either an urbanized area of 50,000 or more population or an urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population. If the specified criteria are met, a New England City and Town Area containing a single core with a population of at least 2.5 million may be subdivided to form smaller groupings of cities and towns referred to as New England City and Town Area Divisions.
If specified criteria are met, adjacent Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, in various combinations, may become the components of a new set of complementary areas called Combined Statistical Areas. For instance, a Combined Statistical Area may comprise two or more Metropolitan Statistical Areas, a Metropolitan Statistical Area and a Micropolitan Statistical Area, two or more Micropolitan Statistical Areas, or multiple Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas that have social and economic ties as measured by commuting, but at lower levels than are found among counties within Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. The geographic components of Combined New England City and Town Areas are individual metropolitan and micropolitan NECTAs, in various combinations. The areas that combine retain their own designations as Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical Areas (or
NECTAs within the larger Combined Statistical Area (or Combined NECTA). Combinations for adjacent areas with an employment interchange of 25 or more are automatic. Combinations for adjacent areas with an employment interchange of at least 15 but less than 25 are based on local opinion as expressed through the Congressional delegations. Combined Statistical Areas can be characterized as representing larger regions that reflect broader social and economic interactions, such as wholesaling, commodity distribution, and weekend recreation activities, and are likely to be of considerable interest to regional authorities and the private sector.
OMB’s standards provide for the identification of one or more principal cities within each Metropolitan Statistical Area, Micropolitan Statistical Area, and NECTA. (The term “principal city” replaces “central city,” the term used in previous standards.) Principal cities encompass both incorporated places and census designated places (CDPs). The decision to identify CDPs as principal cities represents a break with practice in previous standards that (with some exceptions) limited potential central city identification to incorporated places. In addition to identifying the more significant places in each Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area or NECTA in terms of population and employment, principal cities also are used in titling Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Metropolitan Divisions, Combined Statistical Areas, NECTAs, NECTA Divisions, and Combined NECTAs.
The geographic components of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Divisions are counties and equivalent entities (boroughs and census areas in Alaska, parishes in Louisiana, municipios in Puerto Rico, and independent cities in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia). The counties and equivalent entities used in the definitions of the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas are those that were in existence as of January 1, 2008.
The 2000 standards do not provide for the categorization of the areas based on total population comparable to Levels A – D under the 1990 standards.
This appendix includes the following nine lists that provide information on the statistical areas that are recognized under the 2000 standards using data from Census 2000 and Census Bureau population estimates for 2007 and 2008:
•List 1 is an alphabetical list by title of 955 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Micropolitan Statistical Areas.
•List 2 provides titles, definitions, principal cities, and Metropolitan Divisions for 374 Metropolitan Statistical Areas
(366 in the United States and 8 in Puerto Rico).
•List 3 provides titles, codes, and definitions for the 29 Metropolitan Divisions within their respective Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
•List 4 presents the titles, definitions, and principal cities for 581 Micropolitan Statistical Areas (576 in the United States and 5 in Puerto Rico). The two new Micropolitan Statistical Areas are identified on the list.
•List 5 identifies 128 Combined Statistical Areas and their 358 component Metropolitan and/or
Micropolitan Statistical Areas. One new Combined Statistical Area is identified in the list.
•List 6 identifies in each state the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Metropolitan Divisions, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas.
•List 7 provides titles, definitions, principal cities, and New England City and Town Area Divisions for 43 New England City and Town Areas.
•List 8 provides titles and definitions for 10 Combined New England City and Town Areas and their 27 component New England City and Town Areas.
•List 9 identifies in each state the New England City and Town Areas, the New England City and Town Area Divisions, and the Combined New England City and Town Areas.
Guidance on Presenting Data for Metro Areas
Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas represent the basic set of county based areas defined under this classification. If specified criteria are met, Metropolitan Divisions are defined within Metropolitan Statistical Areas that have a single core with a population of at least 2.5 million. Not all Metropolitan Statistical Areas with urbanized areas of this size will contain Metropolitan Divisions. The criteria used to determine what counties are included in a Metropolitan Statistical Area are different from the criteria that are used to group counties in Metropolitan Divisions, which represent the subdivisions of (larger) Metropolitan Statistical Areas. As a result, it is generally not appropriate to rank or directly compare Metropolitan Divisions (or NECTA Divisions) with Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (or Metropolitan and Micropolitan NECTAs). However, because of the large population concentrations represented by Metropolitan Divisions, it may be desirable for some analyses, for example, to include Metropolitan Divisions in a table in which Metropolitan Statistical Areas are ranked. It would, of course, be appropriate to rank and compare Metropolitan Divisions. Even though Metropolitan Divisions represent subdivisions of (larger) Metropolitan Statistical Areas, they often function as distinct areas within Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Researchers analyzing demographic and economic patterns, trends, and processes within large Metropolitan Statistical Areas should also take into consideration data for specific Metropolitan Divisions. Research and analyses that previously made use of data for Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas should now use data for Metropolitan Divisions.
Because Combined Statistical Areas represent groupings of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas (in any combination), they should not be ranked or compared with individual Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas.
Because Combined New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs) represent groupings of Metropolitan and Micropolitan NECTAs (in any combination), they should not be ranked or compared with individual Metropolitan and Micropolitan NECTAs.
Codes for Metro Areas
Codes for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Metropolitan Divisions, NECTAs, and NECTA Divisions will be 5 digits in length. This replaces the 4-digit code previously used. Codes for Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Divisions fall within the 10000 to 49999 range and are assigned in alphabetical order by area title. Metropolitan Divisions are distinguished by a 5-digit code ending in “4.” NECTA and NECTA Division codes fall within the 70000 to 79999 range and are assigned in alphabetical order by area title. NECTA Divisions will be distinguished by a 5-digit code ending in “4.”
Combined Statistical Area and Combined NECTA codes will be 3 digits in length. Combined Statistical Area codes will fall within the 100 to 599 range. Combined NECTA codes will fall within the 700 to 799 range.