What is a Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA)?
A Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) is a type of metropolitan area defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a geographic region with a population of at least 1 million people. PMSAs are defined as a group of counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration with each other, as well as with the core urban area of the PMSA. PMSAs are used to collect and analyze demographic, economic, and other data for metropolitan areas in the United States. This data is used to inform public policy and planning decisions.
Examples of PMSAs
There are currently nine PMSAs in the United States:
- New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA
- Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH
- Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
- Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX
Benefits of PMSAs
PMSAs provide a valuable tool for understanding the demographic and economic characteristics of metropolitan areas. This in turn helps inform decisions about transportation, housing, economic development, and other public policies. PMSAs also provide a way to compare data across different metropolitan areas. For example, data on population trends, employment, and economic activity can be compared between different PMSAs to see how they are performing relative to each other.
Conclusion
Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas (PMSA) are an important tool for gathering and analyzing data about metropolitan areas in the United States. PMSAs provide a way to compare data across different metropolitan areas, helping inform decisions about public policies and planning.
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