Bureau of the Census March 27, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) delineates urban areas after each decennial census for the purpose of tabulating and presenting data for the urban and rural population and housing within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas.\1\ The Census Bureau delineates urbanized areas \2\ and urban clusters \3\ primarily on the basis of residential population density measured at the census tract and census block levels of geography, but also based on additional criteria that account for patterns of non-residential development as outlined in the urban area criteria published in the Federal Register on August 24, 2011 (76 FR 53030).\4\ This Notice provides the list of urbanized areas and urban clusters that qualified based on results of the 2010 Census of Population and Housing for the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas, and comprise the urban population, housing, and territory in these areas; ``rural'' encompasses any population, housing, and territory not included in any urban area. Publication of this Notice constitutes the Census Bureau's official announcement of the list of qualifying urbanized areas and urban clusters for reference by all interested parties.