Overview
The 2003 Rural-urban Continuum Codes form a classification
scheme that distinguishes metropolitan counties by size
and nonmetropolitan counties by degree of urbanization and
proximity to metro areas. The standard Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) metro and nonmetro categories have been
subdivided into three metro and six nonmetro categories,
resulting in a 9-part county codification. This scheme was
originally developed in 1974. The codes were updated in
1983 and 1993, and slightly revised in 1988. The 1988 revision
was first published in 1990. This scheme allows researchers
to break county data into finer residential groups, beyond
metro and nonmetro, particularly for the analysis of trends
in nonmetro areas that are related to population density
and metro influence. See the Rural-Urban
Continuum Code Chapter in the measuring rurality briefing
room for more information.
Data Files
Release Date
August 2003.
Instructions/Helpful Hints
The 2003 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes are not directly comparable
with the codes from previous years because of the new methodology
used in developing the 2003 Metropolitan areas.
Related Resources
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| For more information, contact:
Tim Parker
|
Web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov |
| Updated date:
November 3, 2004
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