[美国]美国的MCD（县下次级分区） [复制链接]

from wiki
县下次级分区（Minor civil division，MCD）指美国人口普查局用来划定县下的政府或者行政分区，如乡（civil township）、选区（precinct）或者分区（magisterial district）。MCD存在于28个州和哥伦比亚特区。

在20个州，所有的或者多数MCD是一般目的的政府单元，如康涅狄格州、伊利诺伊州、印第安纳州、堪萨斯州、缅因州、马萨诸塞州、密歇根州、明尼苏达州、密苏里州、内布拉斯加州、新罕布什尔州、新泽新州、纽约州、北达科他州、俄亥俄州、宾夕法尼亚州、罗德岛州、南达科他州、佛蒙特州和威斯康辛州。这些MCD多数是乡或者镇。

根据政府作用的不同，MCD可以从无政府、弱政府排列到建制市镇。因为MCD在分类上不同于建制区域，而有的MCD有强政府，如密歇根州、新英格兰各州、新泽西州、纽约州和宾夕法尼亚州，所以经常引起混淆。

在那些没有MCD的州，人口普查局划定人口普查区（Census County Divisions）。在那些有MCD的州，有些部分没有被MCD覆盖，则人口普查局会创制未建制区域（Unorganized territory），在统计上同MCD相当。

Minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau to designate the primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county, such as a civil township, precinct, or magisterial district. MCDs exist in 28 states and the District of Columbia.

In 20 states, all or many MCDs are general-purpose governmental units: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Most of these MCDs are legally designated as towns or townships.

The type of government may range from inoperative, to weak governmental authority, to incorporated municipalities. Since MCDs appear in a different category than incorporated places, this has caused some confusion in states where the MCDs have strong governments, such as in Michigan, the New England states, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

In states that do not have MCDs, the Census Bureau designates Census County Divisions (CCDs). In states that use MCDs, when any portion of the state is not covered by an MCD, the Census Bureau creates additional entities as unorganized territories, that it treats as equivalent to MCDs for statistical purposes.