Tracking metropolitan America into the 21st century - Population ...

18. Of the 22 metro areas under the old systemthat have combined in the new system,fully seven are located in the New Yorkregion.19. This change has brought recognition tolarge suburban economic centers and hasbrought places into titles that never wouldhave been able to qualify in the past (forinstance, Paradise, NV; Sandy Springs, GA;and Towson, MD).20. Additional principal cities within a metropolitanarea include any with more than250,000 people or 100,000 workers. Placeswith more than 50,000 can also be principalcities if the number of jobs locatedthere meets or exceeds the number ofemployed residents. Finally, principal citiesalso include places with more than 10,000people that are at least one-third the size ofthe largest place in the metro area, andthat have at least as many jobs as employedresidents.21. See, e.g., William H. Frey, “Melting PotSuburbs: A Census 2000 Study of SuburbanDiversity” (Washington: BrookingsInstitution, 2001); Alan Berube andWilliam H. Frey, “A Decade of MixedBlessings: Urban and Suburban Poverty inCensus 2000” (Washington: BrookingsInstitution, 2002); Audrey Singer, “TheRise of New Immigrant Gateways” (Washington:Brookings Institution, 2004).22. See Frey 2004b for a critique of employingthis practice to designate the suburbanpopulation.23. At the same time, many Brookings analyseshave employed a modified set of centralcities in the largest metropolitan areas, recognizingonly cities that appear within themetropolitan area name—and in somecases, only those that exceed certain populationthresholds. See, e.g., William H.Frey and Alan Berube, “City Families, SuburbanSingles: An Emerging HouseholdStory from Census 2000” (Washington:Brookings Institution, 2002); Roberto Suroand Audrey Singer, “Latino Growth in MetropolitanAmerica: Changing Patterns,New Locations” (Washington: BrookingsInstitution, 2002). This approach discountedsmall employment centers in largeregions, such as Frederick, MD (Washington–BaltimoreCMSA) and Port Huron,MI (Detroit CMSA); future Brookingsanalyses may employ a similar approachwith principal cities.24. There are some exceptions to this rule,where local opinion favored a differentname. See Discussion.25. According to the old standards, metropolitanarea names included the largest centralcity and each additional city with at least250,000 persons. Under the new standards,the names of the second and thirdlargest principal cities are included in metropolitanarea titles.26. Under the old standards, Austin and SanMarcos were the two central cities in theAustin, TX MSA. Round Rock was not acentral city because it did not have anemployment/residence ratio of at least 0.75and at least 40 percent of its employed residentsworking within the city. Under thenew standards, Round Rock qualifies as aprincipal city because its population is over50,000 and its employment/residence ratiois at least 1.0. Because San Marcos’ populationis less than 50,000, and it does nothave both an employment/residence ratioof at least 1.0 and a population of at leastone-third that of Austin’s, it did not qualifyas a principal city and was thus droppedfrom the metropolitan area title.27. State laws and regulations make use ofOMB-defined metropolitan areas as well,but we focus on federal policy here to keepthe scope reasonable, and to comment onpolicies potentially applicable to all metroareas.28. Many of these special designations affordrural hospitals additional reimbursement.29. In fact, CMS oversees a Medicare GeographicClassification Review Board toconsider special circumstances underwhich hospitals designated as “rural” canpetition to receive an “urban” designation,and vice versa.30. Federal Register 69 (96) (May 18, 2004):28249–28252.31. This is somewhat at odds with the notionthat as metro areas grow larger, theybecome eligible for more federal funds.See, e.g, Chris Poynter, “Louisville makesgains on federal map; Area’s growth opendoors for more funding, businesses.”Louisville Courier-Journal, June 10, 2003,p. 1A.32. Office of Management and Budget,“Update of Statistical Area Definitions andAdditional Guidance on Their Uses.” OMBBulletin No. 04-03 (February 18, 2004).33. One private-sector firm, ACCRA, hasalready adopted Metropolitan Divisions toanalyze cost-of-living differences amongU.S. metropolitan areas. ACCRA andFargo Cass County Economic DevelopmentCorporation, 2004. “ACCRA Cost ofLiving Index.”34. Haya El Nasser, “Metro area’s suburbsmake name for themselves.” USA Today,July 22, 2003, p. A3.35. Laurent Belsie, “Small rural towns get newname—and new attention.” Christian ScienceMonitor, June 20, 3003, p. 2.November 2004 • The Brookings Institution The Living Cities Census Series 29