Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 153,990. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Metropolitan statistical area
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines a set of core based statistical areas (CBSAs) throughout the country. CBSAs are delineated on the basis of a central urban area or urban clusterin other words: a contiguous area of relatively high population density. CBSAs are composed of counties and county equivalents. The counties containing the core urban area are known as the "central counties" of the CBSA. A central county is a county in which 50% of its population lives in urban areas of at least 10,000 in population, or where a population of 5,000 are located in a single urban area of at least 10,000 in population where that urban area is split between more than one county. Additional surrounding counties, known as "outlying counties", can be included in the CBSA if these counties have strong social and economic ties to the central counties as measured by commuting and employment. Outlying counties are included in the CBSA if the employment interchange measure (total of in- and out-commuting) is 25% or more, although these numbers are estimates and exceptions are made. Some areas within these outlying counties may be rural in nature. All counties in a CBSA must be contiguous, and a county can only be included within one CBSA. In New England, towns have precedence over counties, so statistically similar areas are defined in terms of town-based units known as New England city and town areas (NECTAs).