Chapter 12
The Urban and Rural Classifications
The Bureau of the Census defines urban as comprising all territory, population, and housing units located in urbanized areas and in places of 2,500 or more inhabitants outside of UAs. The term urban refers to both kinds of geographic entities. The terms urban, urbanized area, and rural are the Census Bureau’s definitions; other Federal agencies, State agencies, local officials, and private groups may use these same terms to identify areas based on different criteria.
A UA is a continuously built-up area with a population of 50,000 or more. It comprises one or more places—central place(s)—and the adjacent densely settled surrounding area—urban fringe—consisting of other places and nonplace territory.
Outside of UAs, an urban place is any incorporated place or census designated place (CDP) with at least 2,500 inhabitants. A CDP is a densely settled population center that has a name and community identity, and is not part of any incorporated place (see Chapter 9, “Places”).
Territory, population, and housing units that the Census Bureau does not classify as urban are classified as rural. For instance, a rural place is any incorporated place or CDP with fewer than 2,500 inhabitants that is located outside of a UA. A place is either entirely urban or entirely rural, except for those designated as an extended city.
An extended city is an incorporated place that contains large expanses of sparsely populated territory for which the Census Bureau provides separate urban and rural population counts and land area figures.
Urban and Rural Classifications12-1
