U.S. Census Geography
(1990 Census)
(1990 Census)
State. In addition to the 50 states there are 7 "statistically equivalent areas" such as Puerto Rico. Pennsylvania consists of 67 counties and had 11,881,643 residents in 199O.
Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). Two or more metropolitan areas that share a common boundary and have strong commuting interconnections. The Census Bureau has identified 21 CMSAs. The individual metropolitan areas that make up a CMSA are each called a Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA). The Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley CMSA consists of five counties and in 1990 had 2,242,798 residents.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA). Comprised of counties with strong social and economic ties to the area's nucleus. The Census Bureau has identified 267 of these. In 1990 the Pittsburgh PMSA consisted of four counties (Allegheny, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland) which together had 2,056,705 residents. In 1993, Butler County was added to the Pittsburgh PMSA. The Sharon MSA consists of Mercer County and had 121,003 residents in 1990.
Urbanized Area. The built-up portion of a metropolitan area, comprised of the central city and its suburbs. Redefined after each census. Small areas are added to create a smooth boundary and to link densely populated areas that would otherwise be separate. The Census Bureau has identified 425 of these. In 1990 the Pittsburgh Urbanized Area had 1,678,745 residents.
County. Including "statistically equivalent areas," there are 3,248 of these. Allegheny County had 1,336,449 residents in 1990.
County Subdivision. There are 5,904 county subdivisions. They are usually minor civil divisions such as townships, boroughs, and cities; however, in 21 states it was necessary to define "census county divisions" to serve this purpose. The 1990 Census counted 14,816 people in Cranberry Township, Butler County.
Place. Usually an incorporated place; there are 19,365 of these. Some 4,440 unincorporated but closely settled population centers have been designated a "census designated place." The City of Pittsburgh had 369,879 residents in 1990, while the Borough of Sewickley Hills had 622.
Census Tract or Block Numbering Area. The Census Bureau has defined 50,600 of these. Tracts are statistical subdivisions of counties, while block numbering areas are basically the same thing in counties where tracts have not been established. These statistical units average 4,000 residents. Their boundaries and identification numbers are quite consistent from one census to the next. Tract 508 in Pittsburgh's Hill District had 636 residents in 1990, while tract 9122 in southwestern Cranberry Township had 2,247.
Block Group. Block groups are still smaller statistical units, averaging about 700 persons, that consist of a group of individual blocks. BG1 is usually made up of individual blocks with numbers beginning with the digit "1"; BG2 contains blocks with numbers starting with "2," and so forth. BG3 of tract 9122 in the southwesternmost corner of Cranberry Township had 1,327 residents.
Block. The Census Bureau has identified 7.0 million individual blocks covering the entire country. There appears to be one block for each closed polygon in the Bureau's TIGER line files. The median strip of Interstate-79 has been carefully divided into blocks! Block 310 of BG3, tract 9122 in Cranberry Township had 25O residents.
100% Housing Data. These data, down to the block level, include information on: tenure, value or rent, units in structure, rooms in unit, and vacancy.
17% Sampled Population Data. A sample of people also answered questions about: occupation, education, place of birth, citizenship, year of entry into the U.S., ancestry, language, migration since 1985, disability, fertility, and veteran status. These data will be available down to the block group level.
17% Sampled Housing Data. These data, down to the census tract or block group level, will include: year built, year moved into residence, number of bedrooms, plumbing and kitchen facilities, telephone, vehicles, heating fuel, source of water, method of sewage disposal, condominiums, farms, and shelter costs.
Go Back to List