Rural-urban continuum codes for metro and nonmetro counties, 1993

50 Pages·1994·3.2 MB·English

by  Butler, Margaret A

Historic, archived document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

ted States
Rural-Urban Continuum
)artment of
culture
Codes for Metro and
economic
Research
Service
Nonmetro Counties,
Agriculture and
Rural Economy
Division 1993
Margaret A. Butler
Calvin L. Beale
USD.\, !'"! Agncuitural Library
NAL Bidg
10301 B.S'.innore Blvd
Qeltsvill©, JVip 20705-2351
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its pro¬
grams on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political be¬
liefs, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program in¬
formation (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA Office of Commu¬
nications at [phone] (voice) or [phone] (TDD).
To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, DC 20250, or call [phone] (voice) or [phone] (TDD). USDA
is an equal employment opportunity employer.
Rural-Urban Continuum Codes for Metro and Nonmetro Counties,
1993. By Margaret A. Butler and Calvin L. Beale. Agriculture
and Rural Economy Division, Economic Research Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Staff Report No. AGES 9425.
Abstract
This report provides a one-digit code for each of 10
classifications for all U.S. counties. The classifications
describe counties by degree of urbanization and nearness to a
metro area. These codes allow researchers to break county data
into finer residential groups than the standard metro-nonmetro
classification.
Keywords: County, metro, nonmetro, rurality, urbanization,
adj acent
Acknowledgments
Appreciation is extended to Alma Young for her assistance and
Letricia Womack for helping to type this report.
This report was reproduced for limited distribution to
the research community outside the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and does not reflect an official position of
the Department.
1301 New York Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20005-4788 September 1994
111
C has oxJ»H toJ esi^oD myi/tJ ftadO r*fc iiU-Ibiu3
^U ’'’nA ..^it: •.'T ..J .ii I ,A :,K
3
- U , -■. ox/ngrto^?* . lijxti/'vio Y’'< f6"tc‘*7
’^^T’A oM ♦Ifo^TvtA tipA X i '
6 i.‘5r»/vrn3 moigi
r' » 1 ■* 1
V* r V ,#i--l ‘ L- ■^li6 t
! /. .' 'J '" ’tX . t;6b vd
Y ^ ''•■;■' "* T,' “ ‘ *t. ‘i /’ ^ - ; X f)r,^ ^ 1 •w i^fioa ;
Ij.1 - '' *; '•T' * ?£|b r, .f'
t
y «f lo J. i J X a a &I o-
'1
’< . ^ K^S^*
t
^' r »- 1M ^ * t» AT
H *
Vij- T♦
,a-* wi? n 4 ^ouji
»
■A
■j;
• • 1 : fj,-* 4’A|^2> ‘v^ ex rtox^siie* iqqfA
^ <f -r
,‘ 'I -i^»-Wru r-''J
not 7lo&mo>i pAoIiX^i
'■sA
4 V “ ' Jl ■-’.
J xw* ’ JL Toi b^'>iiJbot qsj aisw ^^ttciqoi ai.ilT
-fo>mXT4qi.^a fc.g »tu c>«>iia*tDo Y,tlitu*rMroo rto'tS3ia&i sOJ
ffo^-tjcaoq -it*jtoi - ! • fln Jx^ix ai3H3i^ ISok »xitJluoX~X'^A
.Stz&ni JXbiiaQ oqS
%^ic: *H ¥tV* ' »^i !in fwiV'
\ ^ i Afjity to# - dl*U(V'V
4- . - IMI» X0tr<‘.|l^PMfc4. IgtJil f^r; ijfj
>*4/ >*v ^.XTu»'>v-;n'Mrr,
. f -,% .t/ ‘ r* iTkq tss k'’5*1^ #4
\ f‘' >^3-. (Tctfij.' , -• : .-^jg
^ .r,1- ' \
', \0^ ■
■ ^-. r f; *
•*<■ V:
,^i,:g. A 3<ro*'' tf:-: ip^I'
.^'4
'
ii^ei i ^
":fj . iii.-tpii:,V'<6W
'irrr^'
*
.* •
.A
Rural-Urban Continuum Codes for Metro and
Nonmetro Counties, 1993
Margaret A. Butler and Calvin L. Beale
The 1993 rural-urban continuum codes, updated by Calvin Beale,
form a classification scheme that distinguishes metropolitan
counties by size, and nonmetropolitan counties by degree of
urbanization and proximity to metro areas. The standard Office
of Management and Budget metro and nonmetro categories have been
subdivided into four metro and six nonmetro categories, resulting
in a 10-part county codification. This scheme was originally
developed in 1975.^ The codes were updated in 1983 and slightly
revised in 1988. The 1988 revision was first published in
1990.^ This scheme allows researchers to break county data into
finer residential groups, beyond metro and nonmetro, particularly
for the analysis of trends in nonmetro areas that are related to
population density and metro influence.
All U.S. counties and county equivalents are grouped according to
the official metro status announced by the Office of Management
and Budget in June 1993, when the current population and
commuting criteria were first applied to results of the 1990
Census of Population.^ Metro counties are further distinguished
by the population size of the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
of which they are a part, with counties in MSA's of 1 million or
more divided by whether they are central or fringe counties.
Nonmetro counties are classified according to the aggregate size
of their urban populations. Within the three urban size
categories, counties adjacent to an MSA are identified. Adjacent
counties 1) are physically adjacent to one or more MSA's and 2)
have at least 2 percent of the employed labor force in the
^See Fred K. Hines, David L. Brown, and John M. Zimmer, Social and Economic
Characteristics of the Population in Metro and Nonmetro Counties, 1970, AER-
272, U.S. Dept. Agr., Econ. Res. Serv., March 1975.
^See Margaret A. Butler, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes for Metro and Nonmetro
Counties, AGES-9028, U.S. Dept. Agr., Econ. Res. Serv., April 1990.
^A Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is a county or a group of contiguous
counties that contains at least one city with a population of 50,000 or more
or includes a Census Bureau-defined urbanized area of at least 50,000 with a
total metro population of at least 100,000. In addition to the county
containing the main city or urbanized area, an MSA may include other counties
having strong ties to the central city. For a more thorough definition of
metropolitan, see U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, State and
Metropolitan Area Data Book, 1991.
1
nonmetro county commuting to central metro counties. Nonmetro
counties that do not meet the above criteria fall into the "not
adjacent" category.
Overall, the rural-urban continuum code scheme includes 813 metro
counties and 2,288 nonmetro counties. In Virginia, independent
cites are combined with their counties of origin. Table 1 shows
the regional distribution of the 10 groups of counties. Figure 1
shows the^hational distribution of metro and nonmetro counties,
with nonmetro adjacent counties distinguished.
Table 1--Regional distribution of metro and nonmetro counties. 1993
Code U.S. Northeast Midwest South West
Number
Metro 813 122 221 379 91
0 167 41 41 53 32
1 132 16 47 61 8
2 315 46 69 174 26
3 199 19 64 91 25
Nonmetro 2,288 95 834 1,008 351
4 133 19 42 51 21
5 113 6 34 37 36
6 608 38 199 326 45
7 654 20 236 272 126
8 248 7 68 143 30
9 532 5 255 179 93
Total 3,101 217 1,055 1,387 442
Rural-urban continuum codes
Metro counties:
0 Central counties of metro areas of 1 million population or more
1 Fringe counties of metro areas of 1 million population or more
2 Counties in metro areas of 250,000 to 1 million population
3 Counties in metro areas of fewer than 250,000 population
Nonmetro counties:
4 Urban population of 20,000 or more, adjacent to a metro area
5 Urban population of 20,000 or more, not adjacent to a metro area
6 Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, adjacent to a metro area
7 Urban population of 2,500 to 19,999, not adjacent to a metro area
8 Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, adjacent to a
metro area
9 Completely rural or less than 2,500 urban population, not adjacent
to a metro area
2
3
9
9
1

,
s
e
i
t
n
u
o
c

t
n
e
c
a
j
d
a

o
r
t
e
m
n
o
N
-
-
1

e
r
u
g
i
3
F
%
Alabama 077 LAUDERDALE 3
079 LAWRENCE 3
Abbreviation: AL 081 LEE 4
083 LIMESTONE 2
Census State Code; 01 085 LOWNDES 8
087 MACON 6
Census Rural 089 MADISON 2
County County Urban 091 MARENGO 7
Code Name Code 093 MARION 7
095 MARSHALL 4
001 AUTAUGA 2 097 MOBILE 2
003 BALDWIN 2 099 MONROE 7
005 BARBOUR 6 101 MONTGOMERY 2
007 BIBB 6 103 MORGAN 3
009 BLOUNT 2 105 PERRY 7
on BULLOCK 6 107 PICKENS 6
013 BUTLER 7 109 PIKE 6
015 CALHOUN 3 111 RANDOLPH 7
017 CHAMBERS 5 113 RUSSELL 2
019 CHEROKEE 6 115 ST.CLAIR 2
021 CHILTON 6 117 SHELBY 2
023 CHOCTAW 9 119 SUMTER 7
025 CLARKE 7 121 TALLADEGA 4
027 CLAY 9 123 TALLAPOOSA 6
029 CLEBURNE 6 125 TUSCALOOSA 3
031 COFFEE 4 127 WALKER 6
033 COLBERT 3 129 WASHINGTON 8
035 CONECUH 7 131 WILCOX 9
037 COOSA 8 133 WINSTON 6
039 COVINGTON 7
041 CRENSHAW 6
043 CULLMAN 6 Alaska
045 DALE 3
047 DALLAS 4 Abbreviation: AK
049 DEKALB 6
051 ELMORE 2 Census State code: 02
053 ESCAMBIA 6
055 ETOWAH 3 Census Rural
057 FAYETTE 6 County County Urban
059 FRANKLIN 6 Code Name Code
061 GENEVA 6
063 GREENE 8 013 ALEUTIANS EAST 9
065 HA.LE 6 016 ALEUTIANS WEST 7
067 HENRY 6 020 ANCHORAGE 3
069 HOUSTON 3 050 BETHEL 7
071 JACKSON 6 060 BRISTOL BAY 9
073 JEFFERSON 2 068 DENALI 9
075 LAMAR 9 070 DILLINGHAM 9
4