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This report is released to inform interested parties of research and to encourage discussion. The views expressed on statistical, methodological, or technical issues are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau.
More than 60 percent of all United States residents live inside incorporated places. As each state has its own laws governing the establishment and functioning of incorporated places, the number and nature of incorporated places (and the distribution of population living inside and outside of them) varies by state and region. Research by Census Bureau staff has shown that the proportion of population living inside incorporated places in 1990 and 2000 was higher in the Midwest and West regions, and lower in the Northeast and South regions (Johnson et al., 2004). This paper expands on that previous research by examining the distribution of population living inside and outside incorporated places, as well as the number of units of 