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Urban and Rural
Urban and Rural
The Census Bureau’s urban-rural classification is a delineation of geographic areas, identifying both individual urban areas and the rural area of the nation. The Census Bureau’s urban areas represent densely developed territory, and encompass residential, commercial, and other non-residential urban land uses. The Census Bureau delineates urban areas after each decennial census by applying specified criteria to decennial census and other data. Rural encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area.
For the 2020 Census, an urban area will comprise a densely settled core of census blocks that meet minimum housing unit density and/or population density requirements. This includes adjacent territory containing non-residential urban land uses. To qualify as an urban area, the territory identified according to criteria must encompass at least 2,000 housing units or have a population of at least 5,000.
For comparable information for 2010 urban areas, go to the Federal Register Notice webpage.
Geographic Data Available for 2020 Census Urban Areas
There are currently two ways to access the 2020 Census Urban Area TIGER/Line Shapefile:
- On the 2023 tab, select the FTP Archive by Layer option, select the UAC20 folder, and then download the tl_rd22_us_uac20.zip file.
- On the 2020 tab, select the FTP Archive option, select the UAC folder, and then download the tl_2020_us_uac20.zip file.
Additionally, the 2020 Census Tabulation Block TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain urban and rural information. There are currently two ways to access the 2020 Census Tabulation Block TIGER/Line Shapefiles:
- On the 2023 tab, using the FTP Archive by Layer option, select the TABBLOCK20 folder, and then download the tl_rd22_##_tabblock20.zip file where ## is the FIPS code for the state of interest.
- On the 2020 tab:
- Using the Web Interface, Select year: 2020 and Select a layer type: Blocks and then select the state(s) of interest.
- Using the the FTP Archive option, select the TABBLOCKS20 folder, and then download the tl_2020_##_tabblock20.zip file where ## is the FIPS code for the state of interest.
Access the 2020 Census Urban Area TIGER/Line Geodatabase on the 2020 tab, by selecting the Urban Areas National Geodatabase [507 MB].
Data Tool
Census Geocoder
Provides interactive & programmatic (REST) access to users interested in matching addresses to geographic locations and entities containing those addresses.
Data Tool
TIGERweb
TIGERweb and TIGERweb Decennial web-based applications allow visualization of TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) data.
Access the 2020 Census Urban Area relationship files on the 2020 tab.
Additional Census Urban Area Information
Release Schedule for 2020 Census Urban Area Products – Updated February 2023
- Cartographic Boundary Files – May 2023
- Additional Maps - Later in 2023
Contact Information
For questions regarding urban areas or the urban-rural classification, contact the Census Bureau by email at geo.urban@census.gov.
For more information about the history of Urban and Rural Classification, please see:
Urban and Rural References
- Urban Area Criteria in Federal Register Notices
- Brief: "Defining Rural at the United States Census Bureau" [PDF]
- Rural America: How Does the U.S. Census Bureau Define "Rural?" Interactive Story Map
- A Century of Delineating a Changing Landscape: The Census Bureau's Urban and Rural Classification, 1910 to 2010 [PDF]
Page Last Revised - April 19, 2023
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