Urban and rural are terms used to describe populated areas. The main differences between urban and rural areas are how many people live there and how built up the areas are. Here are some key points from the search results:
Urban
- Urban areas are places of high populations and high density, characterized by their built-up infrastructure.
- The Census Bureau’s urban areas represent densely developed territory, and encompass residential, commercial, and other non-residential urban land uses.
- Urban areas do not necessarily follow municipal boundaries. They are essentially densely settled territory as it might appear from the air.
- To qualify as an urban area, the territory identified according to criteria must encompass at least 2,000 housing units or have a population of at least 5,000.
Rural
- Rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2,500 residents.
- Rural encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area.
- Any area that is not urban is rural. The Census defines urban as Urbanized Areas (UAs) of 50,000 or more people; Urban Clusters (UCs) of 2,500 - 49,999 people.
- A county or school district is rural when the number of people per square mile within the county or school district is fewer than 291. Counties and school districts that have 291 people or more per square mile are considered urban.
It is important to note that there are different definitions of urban and rural, and the choice of definition should be based on the purpose of the application, whether that application is for research, policy analysis, or program implementation.
