PITTSBURGH — More than 140 cities in the United States, including several in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, are in danger of losing their status as metropolitan areas.
Under the new proposal, a metro area would have to have at least 100,000 people in its core city to count as a metropolitan statistical area, double the 50,000-person threshold that has been in place for the past 70 years, The Associated Press reported. Cities formerly designated as metros with core populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people would be changed to “micropolitan” statistical areas instead.
If approved, Pennsylvania cities including Gettysburg and State College would be impacted, as would Morgantown and Wheeling in West Virginia.
Pittsburgh would not be affected.
Officials worry this could change economic development opportunities, as well as federal funding. Several housing, transportation and Medicare reimbursement programs are tied to metro areas.
A committee of representatives from federal statistical agencies recently made the recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget, saying it’s purely for statistical purposes and not to be used for funding formulas, according to The Associated Press. As a practical matter, however, that is how it’s often used.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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