Dan:
The following location has census definitions which have been copied
here.
http://www.census.gov/main/www/acr-glos.html
Basically, (and I hope I get this right) the Census Bureau started with
MAs or MSAs such as the Baltimore MSA and the Washington, MSA (or Dallas
and Fort Worth or any of a number of similar situations). With growth
in urban areas many of these areas have expanded so far out that they
may now have merged into another MSA as in the case of Baltimore and
Washington. Presently there is data for the Baltimore-Washington CMSA
which is made up mostly of the old Baltimore MSA and the Washington
MSA. There is still data available for the Baltimore and Washington
subsets of the CMSA. They are now known as the Baltimore PMSA and
Washington PMSA. Metropolitan areas which are not part of a larger CMSA
such as Charlottesville, VA are still referred to with the MSA
designation.
Of course I am in an area which will likely never be part of a PMSA,
CMSA, or MSA so I could be totally off here.
Here are definitions from that census site:
CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area) An area defined by the
Office of Management and Budget as a Federal statistical standard. In
metropolitan areas where Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas (PMSAs)
are defined, the larger area of which the PMSAs are components is
designated a CMSA.
MA (Metropolitan Area) The MA classification is a statistical standard
developed for use by Federal agencies in the production, analysis, and
publication of data on MAs. The MAs are designated by the Office of
Management and Budget.
Metropolitan Areas can be classified as a Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA) or as a Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA), that is
a MA divided into Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas (PMSAs.) See
also MSA/CMSA/PMSA.
MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) An area defined by the Office of
Management and Budget as a Federal statistical standard. An area
qualifies for recognition as an MSA if it includes a city of at least
50,000 population or an urbanized area of
at least 50,000 with a total metropolitan area population of at least
100,000. See also (MA).
PMSA (Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area) An area defined by the
Office of Management and Budget as a Federal
statistical standard, comprised of one or more counties (county
subdivisions in New England), within a metropolitan area, having
a population of 1,000,000 or more. When PMSAs are established, the
larger area of which they are component parts is
designated a Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Tom Brockenbrough
Accomack County, VA
Dept. of Building, Planning, & Zoning
Dan Munson wrote:
> Hello Mapheads! Can anyone explain the difference to me? Does anyone
> know where I can find the "OFFICIAL" definitions?
>
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