US Census Bureau redefines ‘urban’ America

Almost 1,000 towns, hamlets and villages in the U.S. lost their status as urban areas as the U.S. Census Bureau released a new list of places considered urban based on revised criteria.

The new standards raise the population threshold from 2,500 to 5,000 people and add housing units to the definition. Around 3.5 million residents who live in the small cities, towns and villages that lost their urban designation were bumped into the rural category. The change matters because rural and urban areas often qualify for different types of federal funding for transportation…health care…and education.

There were 2,646 urban areas on the new list released today (Thursday). It pegs the Grand Forks statistical area population at 68,160 – with 31,492 housing units.