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FHWA and the Census Bureau differ in defining and describing urban and rural areas. The Census Bureau defines urban areas solely for the purpose of tabulating and presenting Census Bureau statistical data. A number of Federal agency programs use the Census definitions as the starting point (if not the basis) for implementing and determining eligibility for a variety of funding programs.According to 23 U.S.C. 101(a)(33), areas of population greater than 5,000 can qualify as urban, in contrast to the Census Bureau’s threshold of 2,500. There are also differences in the terminology used to describe sub-categories of urban areas. FHWA refers to the smallest urban area as a “small urban area”, while the Census Bureau refers to “urban clusters”. |