1 Census Bureau Geographic Entities and Concepts

2 Why is geography important? 281,421,906 5,296, ,628 4,796,183 14,538 90, U.S. population, Census 2000 Maryland population, Census 2000 Prince George’s County, MD population Washington, DC metro area Howard County, MD residents who work in Prince George’s County Young, single, college educated who moved to DC MSA Guerra, TX CDP population U.S. percent urban, Census 2000

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4 Miami and Vicinity, 1990 and 2000 Miami-Hialeah Fort Lauderdale West Palm Beach Miami Total pop: 3,947,642 Pop: 3,952,501 Pop: 4,919,036 Census 2000 definition 1990 Census definition Census 2000 criteria applied to 1990 data

5 Pink- Block Groups Green – TAZs Potential Disclosure Concerns: Traffic Analysis Zones, downtown San Francisco

6 Census Geographic Concepts Legal/Administrative Areas Examples: States Counties Minor civil divisions Incorporated places Congressional districts Legislative areas School districts Statistical Areas Examples: Census county divisions Census designated places Census tracts Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas Urban areas Public Use Microdata Areas Traffic Analysis Zones

7 Hierarchy of Census Geographic Entities

8 Blocks, Block Groups, and Census Tracts

9 County Subdivisions

10 Places Incorporated Places Legally bounded entity Referred to as cities, boroughs, towns, or villages, depending on the state Census Designated Places (CDPs) Statistical entity Created to present census data for an area with a concentration of population, housing, and commercial structures that is identifiable by name, but not within an incorporated place Example: Columbia, MD; Paradise, NV

11 Maryland Places

12 Paradise, NV CDP Paradise CDP Las Vegas CDP capturing an Economic Center

13 Vado CDP & La Mesa, Doña Ana County, NM La Mesa

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16 Urban Area Classification: Census 2000 Urbanized Areas of 50,000 or more people. Urban Clusters of 2,500 up to 50,000 people. Both defined based on population density at the census block and block group levels.

17 Urbanized Areas and Urban Clusters

18 Core Based Statistical Area Classification Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) – refers to both metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas; county-based areas, defined based on commuting patterns Metropolitan Statistical Area - must have at least one UA Micropolitan Statistical Area - must have at least one UC of at least 10,000 Metropolitan Division – subdivision of a metropolitan statistical area Combined Statistical Area – represents a grouping of adjacent CBSAs. New England City and Town Area – a city- and town-based equivalent to the county-based CBSAs.

19 Metropolitan Areas, 1999

20 Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, 2003

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Questions? Geographic area concepts, criteria, codes, and attributes: Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch: x Geographic products: Geographic Products Management Branch: x3-1128