Skip to main content
Skip to main content

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes

  • Rural Classifications
  • Rural Economy & Population
A map shows U.S. metropolitan (metro) counties by the population size of their metro area, and nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties by their degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area.

Download chart image

The 2023 Rural-Urban Continuum Codes distinguish U.S. metropolitan (metro) counties by the population size of their metro area, and nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) counties by their degree of urbanization and adjacency to a metro area. The division of counties as either metro or nonmetro, based on the 2023 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delineation of metro areas, is further subdivided into three metro and six nonmetro categories. Each county and census-designated county-equivalent in the United States, including those in outlying territories, is assigned one of these nine codes.

Like this chart?

You may also like Charts of Note.

Check it out