2003 Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas Cartographic Boundary Files Descriptions and Metadata

Boundary File Titles	2003 Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas
	2003 New England City and Town Areas

Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Related Statistical Areas

Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (referred to generically as "core based statistical areas" or CBSAs) are statistical geographic areas defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), following a set of official standards published in the Federal Register. To meet the needs of various users for standard units at various geographic scales, OMB's standards provide for a flexible framework of area definitions that includes, in addition to metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, combined statistical areas, New England city and town areas (NECTAs), NECTA divisions, and combined NECTAs. Documentation of the metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area standards and how they are applied is available on the Census Bureau's website or from the Population Distribution Branch, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-8800, telephone (301) 763-2419.

Each metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area consists of a core area containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core. Metropolitan statistical areas contain at least one U.S. Census Bureau-defined urbanized area of 50,000 or more population; micropolitan statistical areas contain at least one Census Bureau-defined urban cluster of at least 10,000 and less than 50,000 population. If specified criteria are met, a metropolitan statistical area containing a single urbanized area with a population of 2.5 million or more may be subdivided into metropolitan divisions, which function as distinct social and economic areas within the larger metropolitan statistical area.

The territory, population, and housing units in metropolitan statistical areas are referred to as "metropolitan." The metropolitan category is subdivided into "inside principal city" and "outside principal city." The territory, population, and housing units located outside territory designated "metropolitan" are referred to as "nonmetropolitan;" the latter designation also include micropolitan statistical areas. These categories do not equate to an urban/rural classification; indeed, all metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and territory located outside CBSAs contain a mixture of urban and rural territory, population, and housing units. While it is the case that the populations of metropolitan statistical areas tend to be predominantly urban, according to Census 2000 data, over 50 percent of the U.S. rural population resides within metropolitan statistical areas.

Combined statistical areas are groupings of adjacent metropolitan and/or micropolitan statistical areas that have social and economic ties as measured by commuting to work, but at lower levels than are found among counties within individual metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. Combined statistical areas can be characterized as representing larger regions that reflect broader social and economic interactions, such as wholesaling, commodity distribution, and weekend recreation activities, and are likely to be of considerable interest to regional authorities and the private sector.

In view of the importance of cities and towns in New England, OMB's standards also provide for a set of geographic areas that are defined using cities and towns in the six New England states. New England city and town areas (NECTAs), NECTA divisions, and combined NECTAs provide a city- and town-based set of areas conceptually similar to the county-based metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, metropolitan divisions, and combined statistical areas.

OMB's standards provide for the identification of one or more principal cities within each metropolitan statistical area, micropolitan statistical area, and NECTA. (The term "principal city" replaces "central city," the term used in previous standards.) Principal cities encompass both incorporated places and census designated places (CDPs). In each metropolitan statistical area, micropolitan statistical area, and NECTA the largest place and, in some cases, additional places are designated as "principal cities" under the official standards. A principal city does not include any part of that place that extends outside the metropolitan statistical area, micropolitan statistical area, or NECTA boundary.

The title of a metropolitan statistical area, micropolitan statistical area, or NECTA contains the name of its largest principal city and the names of up to two additional principal cities. The title of a metropolitan division or NECTA division may contain the names of up to three principal cities, as determined above, or the names of up to three counties (or cities and towns in the case of a NECTA division), sequenced in order of descending population size. The title of each combined statistical area or combined NECTA contains the names of the largest principal cities in the combination, provided the title does not duplicate the title of a metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area or NECTA. Regional names are permitted, and local opinion is considered, when identifying the title of a combined statistical area or combined NECTA. The titles for all metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas also contain the U.S. Postal Service's abbreviation for the name of each state in which the area is located.

Each metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area, metropolitan division, NECTA, and NECTA division is assigned a five-digit code, in alphabetical order nationwide. Metropolitan divisions and NECTA divisions are distinguished by a code ending in "4." Codes for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and metropolitan divisions fall within the 10000 to 59999 range. NECTA and NECTA division codes fall within the 70000 to 79999 range. Each combined statistical area and combined NECTA is assigned a three-digit code, in alphabetical order nationwide. Codes for combined statistical areas fall within the 100 to 599 range. Codes for combined NECTAs fall within the 700 to 799 range

Title	Core Based Statistical Areas (June 2003 - original)
Location	http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/mmsa2003.html
Geography	National File
Vintage	June 6, 2003
Formats	ARC/INFO Export (.e00), Arcview Shapefile, and ARC/INFO Ungenerate (ASCII)
Projection	Geographic (Lat/Lon)
Datum	NAD83
Distributor	Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Geography Division
Originator	Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, Geography Division