*USE geoid TO JOIN DATA DOWNLOADED FROM DATA.CENSUS.GOV*

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System (MTS).

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain a standard geographic identifier (GEOID) for each entity that links to the GEOID in the data from censuses and surveys. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not include demographic data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial Census, Economic Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program). Other, non-census, data often have this standard geographic identifier as well. Data from many of the Census Bureau’s surveys and censuses, including the geographic codes needed to join to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, are available at the Census Bureau’s public data dissemination website (https://data.census.gov/).

States and Equivalent Entities are the primary governmental divisions of the United States. In addition to the 50 states, the Census Bureau treats the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands as the statistical equivalents of states for the purpose of data presentation.

Downloaded from https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2022/STATE/ on June 22, 2023

*USE geoid TO JOIN DATA DOWNLOADED FROM DATA.CENSUS.GOV*

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System (MTS).

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain a standard geographic identifier (GEOID) for each entity that links to the GEOID in the data from censuses and surveys. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not include demographic data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial Census, Economic Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program). Other, non-census, data often have this standard geographic identifier as well. Data from many of the Census Bureau’s surveys and censuses, including the geographic codes needed to join to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, are available at the Census Bureau’s public data dissemination website (https://data.census.gov/).

Census Tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or statistically equivalent entity that can be updated by local participants prior to each decennial census as part of the Census Bureau’s Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). The Census Bureau delineates census tracts in situations where no local participant responded or where state, local, or tribal governments declined to participate. The primary purpose of census tracts is to provide a stable set of geographic units for the presentation of statistical data.

Census tracts generally have a population size between 1,200 and 8,000 people, with an optimum size of 4,000 people. A census tract usually covers a contiguous area; however, the spatial size of census tracts varies widely depending on the density of settlement. Census tract boundaries are delineated with the intention of being maintained over a long time so that statistical comparisons can be made from census to census. Census tracts occasionally are split due to population growth or merged as a result of substantial population decline.

Census tract boundaries generally follow visible and identifiable features. They may follow nonvisible legal boundaries, such as minor civil division (MCD) or incorporated place boundaries in some states and situations, to allow for census tract-to-governmental unit relationships where the governmental boundaries tend to remain unchanged between censuses. State and county boundaries always are census tract boundaries in the standard census geographic hierarchy. Tribal census tracts are a unique geographic entity defined within federally recognized American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands and can cross state and county boundaries. The tribal census tracts may be completely different from the standard county-based census tracts defined for the same area. (see “Tribal Census Tract”).

Downloaded from https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2022/TRACT/ on June 22, 2023

*USE geoid TO JOIN DATA DOWNLOADED FROM DATA.CENSUS.GOV*

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System (MTS).

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain a standard geographic identifier (GEOID) for each entity that links to the GEOID in the data from censuses and surveys. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not include demographic data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial Census, Economic Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program). Other, non-census, data often have this standard geographic identifier as well. Data from many of the Census Bureau’s surveys and censuses, including the geographic codes needed to join to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, are available at the Census Bureau’s public data dissemination website (https://data.census.gov/).

The primary legal divisions of most states are termed counties. In Louisiana, these divisions are known as parishes. In Alaska, which has no counties, the equivalent entities are the organized boroughs, city and boroughs, municipalities, and census areas; the latter of which are delineated cooperatively for statistical purposes by the State of Alaska and the Census Bureau. Additionally, the Census Bureau treats the following entities as equivalents of counties for purposes of data presentation: municipios in Puerto Rico, districts and islands in American Samoa, municipalities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In four states (Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia), there are one or more incorporated places that are independent of any county organization and, thus, constitute primary divisions of their states. These incorporated places are known as independent cities and are treated as equivalent entities for purposes of data presentation. The District of Columbia and Guam have no primary divisions, and each area is considered an equivalent entity for purposes of data presentation in decennial censuses. All of the counties in Connecticut and Rhode Island and nine counties in Massachusetts were dissolved as functioning governmental entities; however, the Census Bureau continues to present data for these historical entities in order to provide comparable geographic units at the county level of the geographic hierarchy for these states and represents them as nonfunctioning legal entities in data products. Each county or statistically equivalent entity is assigned a three-character numeric Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) code based on alphabetical sequence that is unique within state, and an eight-digit National Standard (NS) code.

Downloaded from https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2022/COUNTY/ on June 22, 2023

*USE geoid TO JOIN DATA DOWNLOADED FROM DATA.CENSUS.GOV*

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System (MTS).

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain a standard geographic identifier (GEOID) for each entity that links to the GEOID in the data from censuses and surveys. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not include demographic data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial Census, Economic Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program). Other, non-census, data often have this standard geographic identifier as well. Data from many of the Census Bureau’s surveys and censuses, including the geographic codes needed to join to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, are available at the Census Bureau’s public data dissemination website (https://data.census.gov/).

Block Groups (BGs) are statistical divisions of census tracts, are generally defined to contain between 600 and 3,000 people, and are used to present data and control block numbering. A block group consists of clusters of blocks within the same census tract that have the same first digit of their four-digit census block number. For example, blocks 3001, 3002, 3003, . . . , 3999 in census tract 1210.02 belong to BG 3 in that census tract. Most BGs were delineated by local participants in the Census Bureau’s Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). The Census Bureau delineated BGs only where a local or tribal government declined to participate in PSAP, and a regional organization or the State Data Center was not available to participate. A BG usually covers a contiguous area. Each census tract contains at least one BG, and BGs are uniquely numbered within the census tract. Within the standard census geographic hierarchy, BGs never cross state, county, or census tract boundaries, but may cross the boundaries of any other geographic entity. Tribal census tracts and tribal BGs are separate and unique geographic areas defined within federally recognized American Indian reservations and can cross state and county boundaries (see “Tribal Census Tract” and “Tribal Block Group”). The tribal census tracts and tribal block groups may be completely different from the standard county-based census tracts and block groups defined for the same area.

Downloaded from https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2022/BG/ on June 22, 2023

*USE geoid TO JOIN DATA DOWNLOADED FROM DATA.CENSUS.GOV*

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System (MTS).

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain a standard geographic identifier (GEOID) for each entity that links to the GEOID in the data from censuses and surveys. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not include demographic data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial Census, Economic Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program). Other, non-census, data often have this standard geographic identifier as well. Data from many of the Census Bureau’s surveys and censuses, including the geographic codes needed to join to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, are available at the Census Bureau’s public data dissemination website (https://data.census.gov/).

Census Designated Places (CDPs) are the statistical counterparts of incorporated places, and are delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of population that are identifiable by name, but are not legally incorporated under the laws of the state in which they are located. The boundaries usually are defined in cooperation with local or tribal officials and generally updated prior to each decennial census. These boundaries, which usually coincide with visible features or the boundary of an adjacent incorporated place or another legal entity boundary, have no legal status, nor do these places have officials elected to serve traditional municipal functions. CDP boundaries may change from one decennial census to the next with changes in the settlement pattern; a CDP with the same name as in an earlier census does not necessarily have the same boundary. CDPs must be contained within a single state and may not extend into an incorporated place. There are no population size requirements for CDPs, but they must include some residential population or housing.

Downloaded from https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2022/PLACE/ on June 22, 2023