MSA

Metropolitan Statistical Area

An area defined by the US government for use in grouping census data and other statistics. MSAs include a city of at least 50,000 people or an urbanized area of at least 100,000 people and the counties that include these areas. Not all areas of the US are in an MSA. The FCC used these area definitions to license cellular telephone service carriers. The FCC often uses the term MSA to mean Metropolitan Service Areas; they are the same geographic areas. There are 306 regions of the US designated as MSAs.