Public Use Micro Data Sample Area
Encyclopedia
Public Use Micro Data Sample Areas, or PUMAs, is a division of US States into census
area which each contain around 100,000 people. All such areas are non overlapping and partition a State. There are a total of 2,071 PUMAs. The State governments drew the PUMA boundaries for the 2000 Census
, to allow reporting of detailed data for all areas. For example the American Community Survey
publishes detailed data every year, but due to their sampling procedure only publishes data for census area that have more than 65,000 People. PUMAs allow the publishing of census data for most sub-state areas. For example, only seven of the 55 counties of West Virginia are large enough to receive estimates from the 2006 ACS. In contrast, all 12 PUMAs that partition West Virginia will receive 2006 ACS estimates.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
area which each contain around 100,000 people. All such areas are non overlapping and partition a State. There are a total of 2,071 PUMAs. The State governments drew the PUMA boundaries for the 2000 Census
2000 Census
The following countries conducted a census of the general population in 2000:* Costa Rica, the ninth federal census, conducted at irregular intervals* Indonesia* United States, the 22nd decennial federal census...
, to allow reporting of detailed data for all areas. For example the American Community Survey
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey is an ongoing statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, sent to approximately 250,000 addresses monthly . It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census...
publishes detailed data every year, but due to their sampling procedure only publishes data for census area that have more than 65,000 People. PUMAs allow the publishing of census data for most sub-state areas. For example, only seven of the 55 counties of West Virginia are large enough to receive estimates from the 2006 ACS. In contrast, all 12 PUMAs that partition West Virginia will receive 2006 ACS estimates.