Attachment 101: Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)/Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) Codes

This attachment provides the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)/Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) coding scheme used for NLSY97 geocode variables.

The following tables are available as PDFs:

• MSAs, Rounds 1-5
• CMSAs and associated PMSAs, Rounds 1-5
• MSAs, Rounds 6-7
• CMSAs and Associated PMSAs, Rounds 6-7
• CBSAs, Rounds 8 and up 
  • Note: Please read the important information at the end of this page before using the CBSA list.

In rounds 1-7, the NLSY97 use the MSA code scheme from the 1994 County and City Data Book. These codes are slightly different than the standard government-assigned codes provided on the Census Bureau's website and in OMB Bulletin 98-06. The first section simply lists the name and code of each MSA for the data from rounds 1-5. For those MSAs that are also part of a Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area, the CMSA code is provided. Users should note that New England Consolidated Metropolitan Area (NECMA) codes, not MSA codes, are used for the New England states. Although NECMA codes are not listed separately in this document, they can be easily identified because they end in "3" rather than "0." The second part of this attachment lists the code and name of each CMSA for rounds 1-5, followed by an enumeration of each of the Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas (PMSAs) which comprise the CMSA. Since the MSA codes changed slightly in round 6, the third part of this attachment provides the MSA codes used in rounds 6 and 7.

Beginning in round 8, new Census standards were used in the creation of this variable. Rather than MSAs, the Census Bureau now defines Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSA) statistical geographic entities consisting of the county or counties associated with at least one core (urbanized area or urban cluster) with a population of at least 10,000, plus adjacent counties having a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties with the counties containing the core.

Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are the two categories of CBSAs. Metropolitan statistical areas have at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. Micropolitan statistical areas are a new set of statistical areas that have at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas are defined in terms of whole counties or county equivalents, including the six New England states. As of June 6, 2003, there are 362 metropolitan statistical areas and 560 micropolitan statistical areas in the United States.

The NLYS97 Rounds 8 and up use CBSA codes updated in January 2006.

Note: Incarcerated respondents will have a -3 (invalid skip) on this variable while they are incarcerated as well as the interviews immediately before and after the incarceration spell.

Important updates to the CBSA codes

The following changes have been made to the CBSA codes since 2006 and are not reflected in the PDF.