Counties in a metropolitan area that qualify to directly receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding because they meet a population threshold. In general, the population threshold is 200,000, and it must exclude the population in the county’s Metropolitan Cities. A county that has a minimum population of 200,000 may also qualify as an Urban County if its unincorporated areas and participating units of general local government (UGLGs), in total, contain the majority of low and moderate income residents in the county (called the “preponderance test”). See Section 102(a)(6) of the Housing and Community Development Act (HCDA) of 1974, as amended, for the official definition of an Urban County.

Urban Counties are entitlement communities under the CDBG Entitlement Program, and must be qualified by HUD every three years in accordance with:

• Section 102(d) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (HCDA) (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) and
• 24 CFR § 570.307(d) of the CDBG regulations.

There are currently 197 Urban Counties.

1. CDBG Entitlement Program
2. HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program (if the county receives HOME funding)
3. Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) Program (if the county receives ESG funding)

In general, Urban Counties function the same as Metropolitan Cities, the other type of CDBG Entitlement community. Two key differences are: 1) Urban Counties operate at a larger geographic scale (county-wide) and 2) Urban Counties are made up of the county government itself, its unincorporated areas, and units of general local government (UGLGs) in the county that choose to participate in the Urban County.

Urban Counties may carry out community development and housing assistance activities in unincorporated areas of the county and in participating UGLGs (by executing a “cooperation agreement” with UGLGs).

Urban Counties may choose to award CDBG funds to participating UGLGs to independently carry out eligible activities in their UGLG or the Urban County may carry out activities on behalf of the UGLG. As an Entitlement grantee, Urban Counties have all the rights and responsibilities for administering their CDBG grant according to the HCDA of 1974 and CDBG regulations at 24 CFR § 570.501(b).

At this time, we are not issuing an FY 2025 Urban County Notice. However, if your county is a potential new Urban County or your Urban County is requalifying in FY 2025 (for FYs 2026–28), you should begin the qualification or requalification process immediately. Do not wait for an FY 2025 Urban County Notice.

Use the documents below as guidance for FY 2025. You may also consult the FY 2024 Urban County Notice for additional guidance on the process in general.

• Step-by-Step Diagram: FY 2025 Urban County Qualification Process
• FY 2025 Deadlines Graphic: Urban County Qualification and Requalification
• FY 2025 Urban County Lists (Excel Spreadsheets)
  1. All Currently Qualified Urban Counties.xlsx
  2. Urban Counties Requalifying in FY 2025.xlsx
  3. Urban Counties Requalifying in FY 2026.xlsx
  4. Urban Counties Requalifying in FY 2027.xlsx
  5. Counties Qualified through FY 2026 or FY 2027 Containing Non-Participating Comunities.xlsx
  6. Counties That May Qualify as Urban Counties if Metropolitan Cities Relinquish Entitlement Status.xlsx
  7. Counties Previously Determined Eligible But Not Accepting Urban County Status.xlsx

We will publish the list of FY 2025 Joint Agreements when we announce FY 2025 CDBG allocations (pending FY 2025 appropriations). To view the list of FY 2024 Joint Agreements, go to the last page of the FY 2024 Urban County Notice.

NOTE: Joint Agreements are legal agreements between an Urban County and a Metropolitan City in the Urban County. A joint agreement allows an Urban County to manage and administer the Metropolitan City’s CDBG grant, in addition to the county’s own CDBG grant.

• Read the FY 2024 Urban County Notice
• Read previous year Urban County Notices (CDBG Notices)
• Read CDBG FAQs (filter by Urban County)

Contact Gloria Coates at gloria.l.coates@hud.gov or 202-402-2184. Ms. Coates is a Senior CPD Specialist in the Entitlement Communities Division at HUD Headquarters.

Content current as of March 18, 2025.