Rural Statistical Areas:A Rural-Centric Approach to Defining

Geographic Areas

Michael Ratcliffe

Geography Division

U.S. Census Bureau

COPAFS Quarterly Meeting

December 2, 2011

What Are Rural Statistical Areas?

• A set of geographic areas defined using counties, county subdivisions, and/or census tracts as building blocks.

• Defined as part of a 3-year joint research project between the Census Bureau and the State Data Centers to tabulate and analyze ACS 1-year estimates for areas of 65,000 or more people.

• Goal was to create rural, or predominantly rural, sub-state areas of 65,000 or more people.

• Initial delineation focused on county-based areas.• As the joint research project progressed, county

subdivisions and census tracts also were used to define areas.

RSA Delineation Process

• State Data Center Steering Committee provided the initial concept– county groupings of 65,000 or more; focus on rural counties; counties of 65,000 or more people would be “standalone” RSAs.

• Geography Division used the USDA’s Urban Influence Codes to classify counties.

• Created an “aggregation net” to create initial grouping of counties, then modified interactively.

• SDCs reviewed and made additional changes.• SDCs made additional changes to boundaries and

building blocks as the 3-year joint project progressed.

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Urban Influence Codes (UICs)Metropolitan Counties

1 In Large Metro Area with Population > 1 million

2 In Small Metro Area with Population < 1 million

Non-Metropolitan Counties

3 Micropolitan Adjacent to Large Metro Area

4 Noncore Adjacent to Large Metro Area

5 Micropolitan Adjacent to Small Metro Area

6 Noncore Adjacent to Small Metro Area , with own town

7 Noncore Adjacent to Small Metro Area , without own town

8 Micropolitan NOT Adjacent to Metro Area

9 Noncore Adjacent to Micropolitan Area , with own town

10 Noncore Adjacent to Micropolitan Area, without own town

11 Noncore NOT Adjacent to Metro or Micropolitan Area, with own town

12 Noncore NOT Adjacent to Metro or Micropolitan Area, without own town

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Urban Influence Code

1 - 2 (Metropolitan)

3 - 4 (Adjacent to Large Metro)

5 - 7 (Adjacent to Small Metro)

8 - 12 (Not Adjacent to Metro)

Urban Influence Codes for Counties With Population Less Than 65,000

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State Boundaries Interstate Highways Major Rivers

Aggregation Net

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Problems Arising With Initial Aggregation

Urban Influence Code

1 - 2 (Metropolitan)

3 - 4 (Adjacent to Large Metro)

5 - 7 (Adjacent to Small Metro)

8 - 12 (Not Adjacent to Metro)

Stand Alone County

• County with UIC 8-12 completely surrounded by counties with different UICs

• Solution: aggregate county with other non-stand-alone counties

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Problems Arising With Initial Aggregation

Urban Influence Code

1 - 2 (Metropolitan)

3 - 4 (Adjacent to Large Metro)

5 - 7 (Adjacent to Small Metro)

8 - 12 (Not Adjacent to Metro)

Stand Alone County

• Completely surrounded by stand-alone counties

• Solution: aggregate with contiguous stand-alone county

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Problems Arising with Initial Aggregation

• Total population of aggregated counties within net is below 65,000

• Solution: combine areas across aggregation polygons

Urban Influence Code

1 - 2 (Metropolitan)

3 - 4 (Adjacent to Large Metro)

5 - 7 (Adjacent to Small Metro)

8 - 12 (Not Adjacent to Metro)

Stand Alone County

Aggregation Net

89,712

8,549

3,600

31,953

1 – 2 (Metropolitan)

3 – 4 (Adjacent to Large Metro)

5 – 7 (Adjacent to Small Metro)

8 – 12 (Not Adjacent to Metro)

Stand Alone County

Aggregation Net

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Rural Statistical Areas All Counties Included

Rural Statistical Areas: Alaska

Rural Statistical Areas: Hawaii

North Dakota RSAs

Oregon RSAs—2009 Proposal

Vermont Planning Regions– suggested as potential RSAs

Questions and thoughts that arose during the joint research project:• Should RSAs be contiguous?

– It might be valuable to define multiple, noncontiguous micropolitan statistical areas as a single RSA, separate from surrounding Outside CBSA counties

– “Rural” counties with similar demographic characteristics may not be contiguous, but for analytical purposes should be in the same RSA

• Can a variety of building blocks be used to form RSAs?– Group counties, county subdivisions, and census tracts, as

appropriate, to form meaningful areas

• Should counties of 130,000+ population be split into multiple areas?

Next Steps

• The State Data Center Steering Committee has requested that the Census Bureau adopt RSAs as a standard tabulation geography

• Review concept more widely within Census Bureau

• Prepare Federal Register notice with proposal for comment

• Think of a better term for these areas since some are obviously urban or predominantly urban

Thanks!

Comments, questions:

Michael Ratcliffe

Geography Division

Census Bureau

301-763-8977

michael.r.ratcliffe@census.gov