Counties which are not metropolitan or metro. To be classified as metropolitan by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, a county must have an urban core of 50,000 or more in population, and the entire county must have a population of at least 100,000 (in New England, 75,000). (Office of Management, 2000) In academic literature, the term is often used interchangeably with “rural.”
Office of Management & Budget. (2000). Standards for defining metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas. Federal Register, 6(249),82228-82238. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from http://www.census.gov/population/www/metroareas/files/00-32997.pdf.