New England County Metropolitan Area (NECMA)

New England county metropolitan areas (NECMAs) are defined as a county-based alternative to the city- and town-based New England metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and consolidated metropolitan statistical areas (CMSAs). The NECMA defined for an MSA or a CMSA includes: The county containing the first-named city in that MSA/CMSA title (this county may include the first-named cities of other MSAs/CMSAs as well), and each additional county having at least half its population in the MSAs/CMSAs whose first-named cities are in the previously identified county. NECMAs are not identified for individual primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSAs).

Central cities of a NECMA are those places in the NECMA that qualify as central cities of an MSA or a CMSA. NECMA titles derive from the names of these central cities. Each NECMA is assigned a four-digit Federal Information Processing Standards code.