What is a 12 digit FIPS code?
Every Census Block Group has a unique 12-digit FIPS code. The Block Group's unique identifier is the 12th digit of the FIPS Code. This number determines the first digit of all the census blocks contained within a block group. For instance, census Block Group 2 includes any block numbered 2000 to 2999.
The program resulted in the delineation of 224,691 collection BGs in the United States, and a total of 228,202 BGs in all areas under U.S. jurisdic- tion.
While the largest block is over 8,500 square miles (it's in Alaska), half the blocks are smaller than a tenth of a square mile (6.4 acres).
GEOIDs are numeric codes that uniquely identify all administrative/legal and statistical geographic areas for which the Census Bureau tabulates data. From Alaska, the largest state, to the smallest census block in New York City, every geographic area has a unique GEOID.
Decennial Census
The census tells us who we are and where we are going as a nation, and helps our communities determine where to build everything from schools to supermarkets, and from homes to hospitals. It helps the government decide how to distribute funds and assistance to states and localities.
Census tracts are polygons and cover a well-defined geographic area. ZIP codes are clusters of lines; the U.S. Postal Service does not define ZIP Code boundaries. A very large number of 5-digit ZIP Codes are P.O. boxes or specific street addresses and thus represent points not even one line.
Each census tract contains at least one block group, and block groups are uniquely numbered within the census tract. A block group is the smallest geographical unit for which the census publishes sample data. The United States, including Puerto Rico has 211,267 block groups.
Census Block Numbers—Blocks are numbered uniquely with a four-digit census block number from 0000 to 9999 within census tract, which nest within state and county. The first digit of the census block number identifies the block group.
| Geographic Entities | United States | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Census Blocks | 8,132,968 | 8,180,866 |
| Census Tracts | 84,414 | 85,528 |
| Counties & Equivalents | 3,143 | 3,234 |
| County Subdivisions | 35,629 | 36,639 |
Go to www.census.gov. Select “Geography”, then “Maps and Data” in that menu. The data on this sheet is sorted by COUNTY then CENSUS TRACT.
How many digits is a FIPS code?
A census tract FIPS code is an 11-digit number that uniquely identifies each census tract in the United States.
A "Builder/Tract Code" is an abbreviation for a "Builder/Tract Name." Builder's often use names to market their projects. For example, in Irvine Standard Pacific built 258 homes in a project they called, "Summerfield." The image on the right is a tract map* (click on the image for a larger view).
If one were to remove the tides and currents from the ocean, it would settle onto a smoothly undulating shape (rising where gravity is high, sinking where gravity is low). This irregular shape is called "the geoid," a surface which defines zero elevation.
By census law, refusal to answer all or part of the census carries a $100 fine. The penalty goes up to $500 for giving false answers. In 1976, Congress eliminated both the possibility of a 60-day prison sentence for noncompliance and a one-year prison term for false answers.
The notice explains that if you don't complete the Census, you can be prosecuted and fined up to $222 a day. *See the 2021 Census Privacy Statement for more information.
Questions on the 2020 Census
You can see each question and how the answers are used on the 2020 Census website. You do not have to answer all of the questions, however, if your census is incomplete, a census taker may visit your home to help you complete it.
In June 1994, according to the following U.S. Census Bureau site there are 153 zip codes that cross state boundries. As mentioned earlier, there are a few ZIP Codes that deliver across state lines, and there are a few ZIP/sectors that cross county lines. There are 153 ZIP Codes in more than one state.
Click the “ZIP Code Tabulation Area” box using the geography filters on data.census.gov. This provides data through Summary Level 860 from the decennial census and American Community Survey. Please note: The most recent data for ZCTAs come from the 2019 ACS 5-year estimates and the 2010 Census.
There are 41,683 ZIP Codes in the country. ZIP Codes range from 00501, belonging to the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville, NY, to 99950 in Ketchikan, AK. Easiest to remember?
The "down-the-middle" census geography hierarchy of census tracts → block groups → blocks is redefined every ten years.
How many people are in a block group?
Block groups are statistical divisions of census tracts, and generally contain between 600 and 3,000 people.
Data.census.gov does not have an address search feature available. However, you can access geographic information, such as the state, county, tract number, block number, and block group number, about a particular address using the Census Geocoder.
Census blocks are:
Statistical areas bounded by visible features such as roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and by nonvisible boundaries such as property lines, city, township, school district, county limits and short line-of-sight extensions of roads.
Tracts within counties are identified 6-digit code. Combine these codes to uniquely identify a tract in the U.S. (11 characters). For example, the census tract containing the Office of the California Secretary of State, located at 1500 11th St, Sacramento, CA 95814, is uniquely identified by the code 06067001101.
The data include county-level demographic information on the ethnic, racial, and age makeup of neighborhoods across the country. Release of the block-level data has prompted some states to begin redrawing their congressional and state legislative district maps in earnest.
No county set crosses state lines. All counties within any county set are within the same state. Counties are grouped within MSAs if possible.
Publications related to the census data collected from 1790 to 2020 are available at https://www.census.gov/library/publications.html. Visit the National Archives Web site to access 1940 and 1950 Census records. Decennial census records are confidential for 72 years to protect respondents' privacy.
The National Archives and Records Administration is responsible for making census records publicly available. Records are available at National Archives facilities and many large public and university libraries. Visit the National Archives Website to access 1940 and 1950 Census records.
While many data tables are now available in data.census.gov, you can browse and download additional data tables by topic and year.
Typically, FIPS codes deal with US states and counties. US states are identified by a 2-digit number, while US counties are identified by a 3-digit number. For example, a FIPS code of 06071, represents California -06 and San Bernardino County -071.
What do FIPS codes mean?
Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) Codes for States and Counties. FIPS codes are numbers which uniquely identify geographic areas. The number of digits in FIPS codes vary depending on the level of geography.
The Federal Information Processing Standard Publication 6-4 (FIPS 6-4) is a five-digit Federal Information Processing Standards code which uniquely identified counties and county equivalents in the United States, certain U.S. possessions, and certain freely associated states.
Geocoding is the process of converting addresses (like a street address) into geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude), which you can use to place markers on a map, or position the map. The focus of this document is to clarify considerations involved when geocoding addresses.
Geocoding allows you to take your customers' information and create a map of their locations. Using a variety of related applications, you can use this information in many ways, from establishing marketing strategies to targeting specific clusters of customers to producing route maps and directions.
MSA/MD. Description: Select this option to download datasets by the 5 digit derived MSA (metropolitan statistical area) or MD (metropolitan division) code. A MSA/MD is an area that has at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population.
The Earth is made up of four layers. It might help to imagine the Earth as a kiwi fruit. The outer layer is the Earth's crust (represented by the kiwi's skin). It is very thin compared to everything else.
The Earth is the home of human beings as it provides favourable living conditions which constitute our environment. It provides us with the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat and land where we live.
The Moon's weak atmosphere and its lack of liquid water cannot support life as we know it.
Why 72? The most common explanation is that 72 years was the average lifespan at the time, although documentation corroborating this is sparse. The 1940 Census counted 132.2 million Americans, 89.8% of whom were white. At the time there was no census category for Hispanics (it was not added to census forms until 1980).
Am I required to participate in the survey? Your participation in this survey is voluntary. However, your household has been selected to represent people like you, and your contribution helps to ensure that employment and unemployment data are as reliable and accurate as possible.
Does everyone get the American Community Survey?
About 1 in 38 U.S. households per year receives an invitation to participate in the American Community Survey (ACS). Individuals can complete the questionnaire for their household either online or on a paper form. Those who do not complete the survey may receive a personal visit from Census Bureau staff.
The population of a census block varies greatly. As of the 2010 census, there were 4,871,270 blocks with a reported population of zero, while a block that is entirely occupied by an apartment complex might have several hundred inhabitants. Census blocks covering the entire country were introduced with the 1990 census.
Census block. A census block is the smallest geographic unit used by the United States Census Bureau for tabulation of 100-percent data (data collected from all houses, rather than a sample of houses).
The "down-the-middle" census geography hierarchy of census tracts → block groups → blocks is redefined every ten years.
