An Approach to the OMB recognized Geographic Need: "a territorially exhaustive classification that covers all of the United States and Puerto Rico"

Abstract

On January 19, 2021, in the Federal Register, the Office of Management and Budget (0MB) requested public comment on the recommendations it had received from the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Standards Review Committee for changes to OMB's metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area standards. The "Overview of Recommendations From the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Standards Review Committee" included: "(3) Research should be undertaken on an additional, territorially exhaustive classification that covers all of the United States and Puerto Rico." This paper presents an approach to single-layer coverage that adds value to the historic State and County alphabetically assigned FIPS codes with a geocode method that would be used for the substate district geography chosen by each State. The county, county equivalent or municipality Census geographies are the building blocks; thus, historical data will aggregate into the substate district framework. The geocoding method will enable the aggregating of analytical regions smaller or larger than any basic substate district within a State or any contiguous multi-State area. The proposal is based on the long-term success of the implementation of The Virginia Area Development Act of 1968 led to the delineation of 22 Planning Districts, as other States had done. It was unique in that a 1972 Executive Order required State Agencies that used sub-State districts for their management to realign them to an individual Planning District or multiples. Virginia's progress has been substantial due to the geographic alignment that flowed from this simple administrative action.