What are metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas?
Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (metro and micro areas) are geographic
entities defined by the U.S.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for use by Federal statistical agencies
in collecting, tabulating, and publishing Federal statistics. The term "Core
Based Statistical Area" (CBSA) is a collective term for both metro and micro
areas. A metro area contains a core urban area of 50,000 or more population,
and a micro area contains an urban core of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000)
population. Each metro or micro area consists of one or more counties and includes
the counties containing the core urban area, as well as any adjacent counties
that have a high degree of social and economic integration (as measured by commuting
to work) with the urban core.
For the most recent lists of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
and their component counties, see the current
definitions page. For additional information and data, visit the links
below.
More metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas information
Featured data products for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
- Decennial Census
- 2000 and 1990 population ranking tables:
- American FactFinder contains
more Census 2000 data for metropolitan areas as of June 1999
- Population Estimates
- Printed Reports
- P25-1136:Population Change in Central and Outlying Counties of Metropolitan Statistical Areas: 2000 to 2007 [PDF]
- P25-1135:
Domestic Net Migration in the United States: 2000 to 2004 [PDF]
- P25-1134:
Population Change in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas:
1990-2003 [PDF]
- CENSR-9:
Migration and Geographic Mobility in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan
America: 1995 to 2000 [PDF]
- P25-1133:
Population Trends in Metropolitan Areas and Central Cities: 1990-1998
[PDF]
Lists and maps of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
- Current
lists of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and their
component counties (June 2003 definitions and later)
- Historical
lists of metropolitan areas and components (before 2003)
- Wall maps of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas:
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2005 |
2004 |
2003
- State-based (page size) maps of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical
areas:
2004 | 2003
Uses of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas
While OMB recognizes that a number of agencies, both inside and outside the Federal
government, make use of the definitions of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical
areas for nonstatistical programmatic applications, OMB defines the areas for
statistical purposes only. In defining metropolitan and micropolitan statistical
areas, OMB does not attempt to anticipate or take into account any nonstatistical
uses that may be made of the definitions, nor will OMB modify the definitions
to meet the requirements of any nonstatistical program. Questions about how metropolitan
or micropolitan statistical areas are used within any particular nonstatistical
program should be directed to the agency that administers that particular program.
Other metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas resources
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