Rural Statistical Areas: A Rural-Centric Approach to Defining Geographic Areas

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Rural Statistical AreasA Rural-Centric Approach
to Defining Geographic Areas

• Michael Ratcliffe
• Geography Division
• U.S. Census Bureau
• COPAFS Quarterly Meeting
• December 2, 2011

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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.

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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 USDAs 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 Metropolitan Counties
1 In Large Metro Area with Population gt 1 million
2 In Small Metro Area with Population lt 1 million
Non-Metropolitan Counties 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 Codes for Counties With
Population Less Than 65,000
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(No Transcript)
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Problems Arising With Initial Aggregation

• 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

• 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

89,712
8,549
3,600
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
31,953
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Rural Statistical Areas
All Counties Included
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Rural Statistical Areas Alaska
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Rural Statistical Areas Hawaii
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North Dakota RSAs
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Oregon RSAs2009 Proposal
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Vermont Planning Regions suggested as
potential RSAs
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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?

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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

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Thanks!

• Comments, questions
• Michael Ratcliffe
• Geography Division
• Census Bureau
• 301-763-8977
• michael.r.ratcliffe_at_census.gov