Guide to the
2002 Economic Census
Definitions of Geographic Concepts
| States | Counties | Places | Metro Areas | ZIP Codes | Outlying Areas | Special-Purpose Areas | Maps |
States
States are the primary governmental divisions of the United
States. The District of Columbia is treated as a statistical equivalent of a State
for census purposes.
(Statistics for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa
and the Northern Mariana Islands are published only in the separate 2002 Economic
Census of Puerto Rico and the Island Areas, and are not included in any United
States totals.)
Each State and equivalent is assigned a two-digit numeric Federal
Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code (ST) in alphabetical order by State
name (e.g., Alabama=01, Wyoming=56). In files for Mining, additional codes appear
in the state field for offshore areas (codes 80-83).
In files for Construction, codes 91 to 94 are used in the state code field to
identify census regions. See Maps. Counties Counties and their equivalents
are the primary political and administrative divisions of States. These areas
are called parishes in Louisiana. In Alaska, 27 boroughs and "census areas" are
treated as county equivalents for census purposes. Several cities (Baltimore,
MD, St. Louis, MO, Carson City, NV, and 40 cities in Virginia) are independent
of any county organization and, because they constitute primary divisions of their
States, are accorded the same treatment as counties in census tabulations. That
part of Yellowstone National Park in Montana is treated as a county equivalent.
The District of Columbia has no primary divisions, and the entire area is considered
equivalent to a county for statistical purposes. Kalawao County, HI, is combined
with Maui County for statistical purposes.
Counties are identified by a 3-digit Federal Information Processing
Standards (FIPS) code, which is sequenced alphabetically within state, except
for the independent cities, which follow the listing of counties within state. See Maps. Places Incorporated Places -- The 2002 Economic Census
provides information for legally defined, incorporated municipalities (cities,
towns, villages, and boroughs) with 2,500 or more inhabitants as of the 2000 population
census or a subsequent population estimate. Hawaii does not have incorporated
places that are recognized for census purposes, so data there are provided for
census designated places (CDP's) with 2,500 or more inhabitants.
Selected Towns and Townships -- Some county subdivisions, such as towns
and townships, are not classified as incorporated places for census purposes.
Statistics are presented in the 2002 Economic Census for towns in the six New
England states, New York, and Wisconsin, and townships in Michigan, Minnesota,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania with a 2000 census population of 10,000 or more.
These
towns and townships are presented in the same tables as places.
The place code is a five-digit FIPS code assigned to places
(including independent cities) in alphabetic sequence within a state. Its use
largely replaced that of the 4-digit census place code used in 1987 and earlier
censuses.
All incorporated municipalities with populations of fewer than 2,500, town
and townships not qualifying as noted above, and the remainders of counties
outside places are categorized as "Balance of county" and assigned a place code
of "99999". See Maps.
Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas The 2002 Economic Census provides data
for the following types of statistical areas in the United States and Puerto
Rico: Micropolitan Statistical Areas
-- Micro areas, a new feature for 2002 data, 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 Divisions -- If 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. Combined Statistical Areas
-- If specified criteria are met, adjacent Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical
Areas, in various combinations, may become the components of a new set of 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. The areas
that combine retain their own designations as Metropolitan or Micropolitan Statistical
Areas within the larger Combined Statistical Area. 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.
Metropolitan and Micropolitan
Statistical Areas and Metropolitan Divisions are defined in terms of whole counties
(or equivalent entities), including in the six New England States. The 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)
used in these definitions are those that were in
existence as of January 1, 2000, with the exception of Broomfield County, Colorado.
• Metropolitan Statistical Areas
• Micropolitan Statistical Areas
• Metropolitan Divisions
• Combined Statistical Areas
Metropolitan Statistical Areas -- Metro 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.
Metropolitan, micropolitan, and combined statistical areas are defined under the auspices of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). That agency also identifies New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs), but NECTAs are not published in the Economic Census. The metro and micro areas published in the 2002 Economic Census are those defined as of June 6, 2003. (A December 2003 announcement defined 13 additional micro areas, 9 additional combined areas, and 7 title changes to existing areas, but these are not reflected in 2002 Economic Census reports.)
Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas together include about 93 percent of the U.S. population – about 83 percent in metropolitan statistical areas and about 10 percent in micropolitan statistical areas. (Previously, the metropolitan classification included about 80 percent of the U.S. population.) Of 3,142 counties in the United States (the 3,141 counties at the time of the 2000 decennial census plus Broomfield, Colorado, which became a county in November 2001), 1,090 are in the 362 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States and 674 counties are in micropolitan statistical areas (1,378 counties remain outside either classification). Previous metropolitan statistical areas included 847 counties.
See the
lists defining the new metropolitan, micropolitan, and combined statistical
areas.
See Maps.
ZIP Codes
ZIP Codes are administrative entities of the U.S. Postal Service. Limited statistics are summarized for individual five-digit ZIP Codes in manufacturing, retail trade, and several of the service sectors. These statistics are generally limited to a count of the establishments in each industry or kind of business, further classified by size. In addition, statistics on employment, payrolls, and sales or receipts are presented for nonmanufacturing businesses by sector businesses within a ZIP Code, not by individual kind of business.
ZIP Codes generally do not coincide with the Census Bureau's geographic or political areas, and they change according to postal requirements. Most ZIP Codes do not have specific boundaries, and their implied boundaries do not necessarily follow clearly identifiable physical features. At the time of the 1997 Economic Censuses, there were about 40,000 ZIP Codes, although several thousand had no business activity and were not included in files.
The areas presented in the Economic Census are actual ZIP Codes as reported by businesses or coded from addresses, not the ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) published from Census 2000.
Puerto Rico and Island Areas
The 2002 Economic Census in Puerto Rico and Island Areas provides data for--
Special-Purpose Areas
Offshore Areas. The Economic Census for the mining sector
presents some statistics on petroleum and natural gas industries for selected
offshore areas (as well as by State).
Regions. Census regions are groupings of States that subdivide the United
States for the presentation of data. Data are summarized by region only for
construction industries. There are four regions--Northeast, Midwest, South,
and West. Each of the four census regions is divided into two or more census
divisions. Prior to 1984, the Midwest region was named the North Central region.
Regions (nonstandard) The Current Industrial Report series presents
selected statistics for other nonstandard regions--for example, "brick industry
regions" and "lumber industry regions" in appropriate reports. Major Retail Centers (MRC's) and Central Business Districts (CBD's).
MRC's and CBD's were large concentrations of retail stores within metropolitan
areas, reported in the census of retail trade from 1948 to 1982. This series
of reports was discontinued because of the high cost of defining the areas.
For some purposes, the statistics for ZIP Codes can substitute for the discontinued
MRC and CBD statistics.
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