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2010 Census Geographic Terms and Concepts

This site provides definitions of geographic terms and concepts as well as a description of the different methods used to present information for geographic entities in U.S. Census Bureau data products. The site contains definitions for all geographic area terms and concepts recognized by the Census Bureau and that may appear in any Census Bureau product presenting demographic and housing data (geographic terms and concepts unique to the economic census and other specialized surveys and censuses are not included in this document).

The inclusion of a particular term or concept on this site does not imply that data for that geographic entity or attribute appear in each data product. For instance, data for tribal census tracts and tribal block groups will appear only in products providing data according to the American Indian Nation-based geographic hierarchy (see the American Indian Area/Alaska Native Area/Hawaiian Home Lands Hierarchy Diagram [PDF]). As another example, because urban areas are defined on the basis of decennial census population counts, data for urban areas do not appear in initial decennial census data products. In addition, the description of both the hierarchical and inventory approaches to presenting data for geographic entities does not imply that both formats are used in each data product.

The information contained in this site is also available in a printer-friendly PDF version.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Alaska Native Regional Corporation (ANRC) (see American Indian, Alaska Native,Native Hawaiian Area)

Alaska Native Village (ANV) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Area)

Alaska Native Village Statistical Area (ANVSA) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Area)

American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area

American Indian Off-Reservation Trust Land (see American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Area)

American Indian Reservation (see American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Area)

American Indian Tribal Subdivision (see American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Area)

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Codes (see Codes for Geographic Entities)

American Samoa (see Island Areas of the United States)

Area Measurement

B

Barrio (see Puerto Rico)

Barrio-Pueblo (see Puerto Rico)

Block

Block Group

Borough (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity; see County Subdivision; see Place)

Boundary Changes

C

Census Area (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity)

Census Block (see Block)

Census Bureau Codes (see Codes for Geographic Entities)

Census County Division (CCD) (see County Subdivision)

Census Designated Place (CDP) (see Place)

Census Division

Census Region

Census Subarea (see County Subdivision)

Census Tract

Central Place (see Urban and Rural)

City (see Place)

City and Borough (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity; see Place)

Codes for Geographic Entities

Combined New England City and Town Area (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Combined Statistical Area (CSA) (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (see Island Areas of the United States)

Comparability (see Boundary Changes)

Comunidad (see Puerto Rico)

Congressional District (CD)

Consolidated City

Core Based Statistical Area

County or Statistically Equivalent Entity

County Subdivision

D

Density (see Population and Housing Unit Density)

District (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity)

Division (see Census Division)

E

Extended Place (see Urban and Rural)

F

FIPS Class Codes (see Geographic Area Attributes)

FIPS Codes (see Codes for Geographic Entities)

Functional Status (see Geographic Area Attributes)

G

Geographic Area Attributes

Geographic Hierarchy (see Geographic Presentation of Data)

Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)

Geographic Names Information System Identifier (GNIS ID) (also see Codes for Geographic Entities)

Geographic Presentation of Data

Guam (see Island Areas of the United States)

H

Hawaiian Home Land (HHL) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

Hierarchical Presentation (see Geographic Presentation of Data)

I

Incorporated Place (see Place; see County Subdivision)

Independent City (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity; see Place)

Independent Place (see County Subdivision; see Place)

Internal Point (see Geographic Area Attributes)

Inventory Presentation (see Geographic Presentation of Data)

Island (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity)

Island Areas of the United States

J

Joint-Use Areas (see American Indian Area, Alaska Native Area, Hawaiian Home Land)

L

Land Area (see Area Measurement)

Legal/Statistical Area Description (see Geographic Area Attributes)

M

MAF/TIGER (Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) Database

Metropolitan Division (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Metropolitan Statistical Area (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Micropolitan Statistical Area (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Minor Civil Division (MCD) (see County Subdivision)

Municipality (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity; see Place)

Municipio (see Puerto Rico; see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity)

N

Names of Geographic Entities (see Geographic Area Attributes)

National Standard Feature Identifier (see Codes for Geographic Entities; see Geographic Names Information System Identifier (GNIS ID)

New England City and Town Area (NECTA) (see Core Based Statistical Area)

New England City and Town Area Division (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Northern Mariana Islands (see Island Areas of the United States)

O

Off-Reservation Trust Land (See American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area (OTSA) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area (OTSA) Joint-Use Area (see American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

Outlying Areas (see Island Areas of the United States)

P

Parish (see County or Statistically Equivalent Entity)

Place

Place Within Consolidated City (see Place)

Population and Housing Unit Density

Principal City (see Core Based Statistical Area)

Public Use Microdata Area

Puerto Rico

R

Region (see Census Region)

Rural (see Urban and Rural)

S

School District (Elementary, Secondary, and Unified)

State or Statistically Equivalent Entity

State Designated American Indian Statistical Area (SDAISA) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

State Designated Tribal Statistical Area (SDTSA) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

State Legislative Districts (Upper and Lower Chambers)

Subbarrio (see Puerto Rico)

Subminor Civil Division (see Codes for Geographic Entities)

T

Town (see County Subdivision; see Place)

Township (see County Subdivision)

Tract (see Census Tract)

Tribal Block Group (also see Block Group)

Tribal Census Tract (also see Census Tract)

Tribal Designated Statistical Area (TDSA) (see American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Area)

Trust Land (see American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian Area)

U

United States

United States Minor Outlying Islands (see Island Areas of the United States)

United States Virgin Islands (see Island Areas of the United States)

Unorganized Territory (see County Subdivision)

Urban (see Urban and Rural)

Urban and Rural

Urban Cluster (UC) (see Urban and Rural)

Urban Growth Area (UGA)

Urbanized Area (UA) (see Urban and Rural)

V

Village (see Place)

Voting District

W

Water Area (see Area Measurement)

Z

ZIP Code (see ZIP Code Tabulation Area)

ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)

Zona Urbana (see Puerto Rico)

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