Definition
Population refers to the totality of persons that conform to some designated specifications or live in a particular area.
In the United States, urban population is defined as persons living in places of 2,500 or more inhabitants incorporated as cities, villages, boroughs, or areas designated as such by the U.S. Census, with some exceptions.
Rural population is that part of the population not classified as “urban.”
Urbanized area or urbanized core refers to an area consisting of a central city or core together with contiguous, closely settled territories that have a combined total population of at least 50,000.
Census metropolitan area (CMA) is the main labor market area of an urbanized core having a population of at least 100,000. Each constituent municipality has at least 40 percent of its labor force working in the urbanized core.
A metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a freestanding metropolitan area surrounded by non-metropolitan counties, including a large central city or urbanized area of 50,000 or more people. Formerly known as standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA).
A primary metropolitan statistical area (PMSA) is an area of at least one million people that includes a large urbanized county or a group of counties that have strong economic and social ties to neighboring communities.
A consolidated metropolitan statistical area (or CMSA) is an area that contains two or more overlapping and/or interlocking primary metropolitan statistical areas.
References
- American Marketing Association, AMA Dictionary.