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Cartographic Boundary Files Descriptions and Metadata Geographic Area Descriptions | Metadata
Geographic Area Description A public use microdata area (PUMA) is an area with a decennial census population of 100,000 or more people for which the U.S. Census Bureau provides specially selected extracts of raw data from a small sample of long-form census records screened to protect confidentiality. These extracts are referred to as "public use microdata sample (PUMS)" files. Data users can use these files to create their own statistical tabulations and data summaries. For Census 2000, there are state-level and national PUMS files. The U.S. Census Bureau first provided PUMS information in conjunction with the 1960 census data tabulations. For Census 2000, state, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Island Area participants, following U.S. Census Bureau criteria, delineated two types of PUMAs within their states. PUMAs of one type comprise areas that contain at least 100,000 people. The PUMS files for these PUMAs contain a 5-percent sample of the long-form records. The other type of PUMAs, super-PUMAs, comprise areas of at least 400,000 people. The sample size is 1 percent for the PUMS files for super-PUMAs. PUMAs cannot be in more than one state or statistically equivalent entity. The larger 1-percent PUMAs are aggregations of the smaller 5-percent PUMAs. PUMAs of both types, wherever the population size criteria permit, comprise areas that are entirely within or outside metropolitan areas or the central cities of metropolitan areas. Each PUMA is identified by a five-digit numeric census code. Return
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division,
Cartographic Products Management Branch
Created: July 18, 2001
Last Revised: April 19, 2005 at 05:18:35 PM
