654.4—Definitions.
(a)
Assistant Secretary shall mean Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, U.S. Department of Labor.
(1)
Cities of 25,000 or more population on the basis of the most recently available Bureau of the Census estimates; or
(2)
Towns and townships in the States of New Jersey, New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania of 25,000 or more population and which possess powers and functions similar to cities; or
(3)
All counties, except those counties which contain any of the types of political jurisdictions defined in paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section; or
(4)
All other counties are defined as “balance of county” (i.e., total county less component cities and townships identified in paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section); or
(5)
County equivalents which are towns in the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
(c)
Labor surplus area shall mean a civil jurisdiction that, in accordance with the criteria specified in § 654.5, has been classified as a labor surplus area.
(d)
Reference period shall mean the two year period ending December 31 of the year prior to the October 1 annual date of eligibility determination.