BEIJING, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of urban areas across the United States are turning into rural areas as the US Census Bureau is changing its definition of urban areas.

  According to the Associated Press, more than 1,300 small cities, towns and villages that were designated as urban areas 10 years ago will be considered rural under the new criteria.

Being defined as urban or rural matters for a region because of the different types of federal funding available to both.

  Some communities are concerned that the changes could affect clinics in rural areas, as well as transportation and education funding provided by federal programs.

But there are also some community leaders who think it won't make any difference.

  "We're rednecks, and we feel like we're rednecks. That's how we've identified," said Randy Reeg, a city administrator in Mauston, Wisconsin.

It is reported that the city of Moston is located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Madison and has a total of 4,347 residents.

  Groups such as the American Hospital Association say it is the biggest change to the definition of a city in decades and could create problems for people in rural areas who need medical care.

"Following the new definition could limit the number of rural clinics and negatively impact rural access to health care," said Shannon Wu, senior deputy director of policy at the Hospital Association.

  The U.S. Census Bureau is reportedly shifting the calculation of urban areas from population to housing.

Bureau officials said the change would make it easier to update the nation's demographics every 10 years.

According to old standards that have persisted for more than a century, a place must have at least 2,500 people to be a city.

By current standards, a place needs to have at least 2,000 homes to become a city, which is equivalent to 5,000 people.

A revised list of urban areas won't be released until later this year, but under the new criteria, one-third of areas considered urban 10 years ago will be classified as rural.

  While some communities are eligible for rural funding for certain programs, Kenneth Johnson, a senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire who studies rural issues, said any changes "would have an impact on many groups and communities. Significant impact".

  "Another concern that many rural communities may have is that if many existing urban areas are redefined as rural, there will be more competition for limited rural funding," Johnson said.