Census Terms Flashcards
Area with an urban nucleus of 50,000 or more people. May or may not contain any individual cities of 50,000 or more.
Core with pop. density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile.
Term has been around since 1950.
2010: 71% of the Americans lived in 486 of these.
Urbanized Area
These areas have at least 2,500 people but less than 50,000 people.
Population density of 1,000 persons per square mile.
Term started in 2000.
2010: 9.5% of U.S. population lived in 3,087 of these.
Urban Cluster
Area with at least one city with 50,000 or more inhabitants or an urbanized area (of at least 50,000 inhabitants), and a total metropolitan population of at least 100,000
Metropolian Statistical Area (MSA)
Are with a population of more than 10,000 people and less than 50,000 people.
Includes a central county and adjacent counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration as measured by commuting.
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Equivelant of an incorporated place for data purposes.
THis is for settled concentrations of population that are not incorporated.
Census Designated Places
Made up of several PMSA’s.
Ex. Dallas-Fort Worth consolidated metropolitan area. Dallas and Fort Worth are each primary metropolitan statistical areas.
Consolidated MSA
Area defined by US Office of Management and Budget to provide data description for areas where there is a core area with at least 10,000 people that when combined with other adjacent communities is socially and economically integreated.
Core Based Statistical Area
Jean Gottmann (1961)
book about 300-mile-long urban area between Boston and Washington, D.C.
Many-centered, multi-city, urban area of more than 10 million inhabitants, generally dominated by low-density settlement and complex networks of economic speicalization.
AKA megacity
Megalopolis
Hierarchy of Census Geographic Entitites
Popoulation between 2,000-8,000
Smallest area where information is released
Census Tract
Smallest level at which the census data is collected.
Typically 400 housing units per “X”
Census Block
Group of census blocks.
600-3,000 people.
Used to present data and control block numbering.
Census Block Group
Unit only used in 29 states.
Usually corresponds to a municipality.
Minor Civil Division (MCD)
Alternative to Minor Civil Divisions.
Used in 21 states
Census County Divisions
Unit drawn by tribes that do not have a recognized land area.
Defined indpendently of the standard county-based census delineations.
Tirbal Designated Statistical Area
Term used to determine population elegibility for several government programs.
Ex. cities with a “X” must meet specific stormwater runoff standards or only cities with a “X” qualifty for CBDG funding.
Threshold Population
Data available through the American Community Survey (ACS)
Public Use Microdata Samaple
Public Use MIcrodata Areas
Questionnaire that replaced decennial census’ “long form” version in 2005.
Samples population (2.5%) and projects findings.
1/40 addresses AKA 3 million households.
Annual for cities with 65,000+. 2-3 years for smaller.
Asks for income over last 12 months (rolling basis) rather than just year preceding the census year.
Confidential for 72 years.
American Community Survey
Born 1946-1964
Baby Boomers
Born 1965-1976
Period of low birth rates.
Generation X
1977-2000
Children of Baby Boomers
Mainly considered those born in 80s and 90s
Generation Y
Echo Boom
Millennials
Born 2000-2009
Generation Z
2010-present
Generational Alpha
