A core-based statistical area (CBSA) is a
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
geographic area defined by the
Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
(OMB) that consists of one or more counties (or equivalents) anchored by an urban center of at least 10,000 people plus adjacent counties that are socioeconomically tied to the urban center by
commuting
Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regul ...
. Areas defined on the basis of these standards applied to the
2000 census data were announced by OMB in June 2003. These standards are used to replace the definitions of
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
s that were defined in 1990. The OMB released new standards based on the
2010 census on July 15, 2015.
Definition
The term "CBSA" refers collectively to both metropolitan statistical areas and
micropolitan areas. Micropolitan areas are based on Census Bureau-defined urban clusters of at least 10,000 and fewer than 50,000 people. The
map below shows the metropolitan areas (
medium green) and micropolitan areas (in
light green) for the CBSAs for the United States and
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
.
The basic definition of metropolitan areas has had slight changes made to it as well. A metropolitan area, as it did in 1990, requires a Census Bureau-defined urbanized area of at least 50,000 people. A metropolitan statistical area containing an urbanized area of at least 2.5 million people can be subdivided into two or more "metropolitan divisions", provided specified criteria are met. Metropolitan divisions are conceptually similar to the primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs) defined under previous standards.
![US Combined Statistical Areas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/US_Combined_Statistical_Areas.png)
By a similar token, there are now definitions for
combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
s (CSAs). These areas can be formed when adjoining CBSAs meet particular standards to become new areas. It does not matter which kind of areas they are; any combination of metro and micro areas may be used to form a CSA.
![NECTA Divisions](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/NECTA_Divisions.png)
Unlike in past years, the metropolitan areas in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
are currently county-based, consistent with those in the rest of the U.S. Previously, these were referred to by the Census Bureau as NECMAs (New England county metropolitan areas) and were separate from the normal census counts for the areas, which used
cities and towns as their basis. They have essentially swapped places now, with the city and town areas (or NECTAs, for
New England city and town area A New England city and town area (NECTA) is a geographic and statistical entity defined by the U.S. federal government for use in the six-state New England region of the United States. NECTAs are analogous to metropolitan statistical areas and micr ...
s) being the separate listings.
Despite there not being much change in the basic definition, 49 new metropolitan areas were formed as a result of the new rules for them. Over 550 other areas were classified as micropolitan. All told, the present rules have defined 935 CBSAs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Eleven of the CBSAs have metropolitan divisions, 29 in total. In comparison, the definition of metropolitan areas in 1999, the last year areas were formed based on the 1990 rules for them, there were 284 metropolitan areas, with 19 of the areas providing 76 primary metropolitan areas (the equivalent of divisions); almost three times the number of areas overall are now recognized by the OMB.
Map
See also
*
United States of America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
**
Outline of the United States
**
Index of United States-related articles
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the United States of America:
General reference
*Pronunciation:
* Abbreviations: USA or US
*Common English country name: United States
*Official English country n ...
**
*
Demographics of the United States
The United States had an official estimated resident population of 333,287,557 on July 1, 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This figure includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia but excludes the population of five unincorpor ...
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United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
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List of U.S. states and territories by population
The states and territories included in the United States Census Bureau's statistics for the United States (population, ethnicity, religion, and most other categories) include the 50 states and the District of Columbia ( Washington, D.C.). Sep ...
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List of metropolitan areas of the United States
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List of United States cities by population
This is a list of the most populous municipal corporation, incorporated places of the United States. As defined by the United States Census Bureau, an "Place (United States Census Bureau)#Incorporated place, incorporated place" includes a va ...
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List of United States counties and county-equivalents
This article lists the 3,243 counties and county equivalents of the United States. The 50 states of the United States are divided into 3,007 ''counties'', political and geographic subdivisions of a state; 236 other local governments and geographi ...
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United States Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...
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Statistical area (United States)
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Combined statistical area
Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...
(
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A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
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)
****Core-based statistical area (
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
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)
*****
Metropolitan statistical area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
(
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
)
*****
Micropolitan statistical area (
list
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
)
References
External links
United States Census Bureau2010 United States CensusUnited States Office of Management and Budget
{{USCensus Geography
Demographics of the United States
United States Census Bureau geography