2010 Urban and Rural Classification Main Page

U.S. Department of Commerce

2010 Urban Area Relationship Files

The 2010 urban area relationship files provide simple relationships between the 2010 urban areas and other 2010 Census tabulation geography: counties, county subdivisions (in states with governmental minor civil divisions only), places (incorporated places and census designated places), metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, New England city and town metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (NECTAs), and ZIP Code tabulation areas (ZCTAs). A 2010 urban area relationship file also describes the relationship between 2010 and Census 2000 urban areas. From these files, data users may determine which urban areas exist within the other geographies and vice versa.

The urban area relationship files are nation-based, comma-delimited ASCII files and include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas.

These files represent the full extent of both the urban areas and the related geography. They contain separate records for (a) the territory of intersection between the urban areas and the related geographic entities, (b) the territory within the urban areas but outside the related geographic entities, and (c) the territory outside any urban area but within the related geographic entities.

For example, consider the hypothetical situation where the Fairview urbanized area may overlap part of Pine Grove incorporated place. The urban area to place relationship file will include a record that contains the population, housing count, land area, and total area for the territory of overlap between Fairview and Pine Grove; a record that contains the population, housing count, land area, and total area for the territory within Fairview but outside Pine Grove (if it exists); and a record that contains the population, housing count, land area, and total area for the territory outside Fairview but within Pine Grove (if it exists).

In addition to the population, housing count, land area, and total area for the parts of an urban area and a related geographic entity, each record also includes population, housing count, land area, and total area for the whole urban area and related entity and the percent population, housing count, land area, and total area that the parts represent of the whole.

For more information on specific Geographies, please utilize the following links: