Basic statistical spatial units - USPAT

The first level of basic statistical spatial units (USPAT1) allows a detailed analysis of the territory. These units are stable over time, meaning that they are not affected by municipalities’ mergers. In rural areas, they make it possible to distinguish between urbanised areas which generally have more than 250 inhabitants or more than 250 jobs and 20 establishments or more than 125 dwellings belonging to the same municipality. Urban areas with more than 15 000 inhabitants are further subdivided into urban sectors which generally have between 7500 and 15 000 inhabitants.

Second level basic statistical spatial units (USPAT2) of around 10 000 inhabitants are formed by grouping together USPAT1s or municipalities. These units make it possible to analyse the Swiss territory as a whole on the basis of entities of similar population size. Their size has been defined in such a way as to be able to potentially produce results of surveys with sufficient sample size.