Optimal Address Data Submission Guidelines

Last updated December 18, 2012

v.1.1

U.S. Census Bureau
Optimal Address Data Submission Guidelines – 50 States and D.C.
As a part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Geographic Support System Initiative (GSS-I), the Census Bureau is committed to accepting
address and structure point data from our partners beginning in the second quarter of fiscal year 2013. This document outlines
the address data elements and metadata that the Census Bureau identifies as optimal components in address and structure
datasets.
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Table 1 - Address Elements: City Style Addresses
Address Element
Complete Address
Number

Complete Street
Name
Complete Alternate
Street Name
Complete
Subaddress

ZIP Code

City

State Name
4
Tract/Block

DESCRIPTION
An Address Number, alone or with an Address Number Prefix and/or
Address Number Suffix, that identifies a location along a thoroughfare or
within a community. For example, the “123” in 123 Main Street Anytown, NC
28999.
Official name of a thoroughfare as assigned by a governing authority, or an
alternate (alias) name that is used and recognized. For example, the “Main
Street” in 123 Main Street Anytown, NC 28999.
A commonly used and recognized alternate name for a street
Also known as the ‘within structure identifier’, it is the portion of an address
that identifies the specific apartment, unit, suite, floor, trailer, or pad
represented by the address record. It should include both descriptor (e.g.
APT, SUITE) and unit identifier (e.g. 1 ,A, BACK), where applicable include
names assigned to a structure, i.e. "Homestead Highrise" or "Uptown
Condominiums" and Identifiers assigned to a structure, i.e "Tower B" or
"Building 1".
Should contain five numeric characters (stored as text). A system of 5-digit
codes that identifies the individual Post Office or metropolitan area delivery
station associated with an address.
1) Incorporated municipality or other general purpose local governmental
unit OR
2) United States Postal Service (USPS) Post Office name from which mail is
delivered to the address (preferred).

FGDC Address Data
3
Standard Reference
2.2.1

2.2.2

2.2.4

2.2.8.2

Spelled out in full or represented by the two-letter USPS abbreviation
2010 Census Tabulation Tract (6-digit) and Block (4-digit)
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Table 2 - Address Elements: Non-City Style Addresses (provided only if City Style address not available)
Address Element
Complete Street
Name
Complete Alternate
Street Name
USPS Postal Address
(RR and HC)
Complete
Subaddress
ZIP Code

DESCRIPTION
Official name of a street as assigned by a governing authority

FGDC Address Data
3
Standard Reference
2.2.2

A commonly used and recognized alternate name for a street
Rural Route Descriptor, RR ID, Box Number (e.g. RR 4 Box 693-C)
Should include both descriptor (e.g. APT, SUITE) and unit identifier (e.g. 1 ,A,
BACK), where applicable include names assigned to a structure, i.e.
"Homestead Highrise" or "Uptown Condominiums" and Identifiers assigned
to a structure, i.e "Tower B" or "Building 1".
Should contain five numeric characters

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2.2.7

2.2.4

2.2.8.2

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City

State Name
4
Tract/Block
5
Address Coordinates
Mile Marker

v.1.1

1) Incorporated municipality or other general purpose local governmental
unit OR
2) United States Postal Service (USPS) Post Office name from which mail is
delivered to the address (preferred).
Spelled out in full or represented by the two-letter USPS abbreviation
2010 Census Tabulation Tract (6-digit) and Block (4-digit)
(Latitude/Longitude, X/Y) Coordinates representing the address location
Mile marker value if used in lieu of a house number, where no official house
number exists

2.2.6.1

2.2.6.3
2.3.2
2.2.1.1

Table 3 - Additional Data Elements (provided with either City Style or Non-City Style address)
Data Element
Last Updated
Address Use

DESCRIPTION
Indicate the most recent date on which the address data was updated.
A value indicating if the address is used for:
• mailing purposes or is known to be an address recognized by the USPS for
mailing purposes
• location purposes including emergency services such as police, fire, and
rescue (E-911 addresses)
• both mailing and location purposes
A value indicating the real world phenomenon represented by the address.
This field differentiates between residential, commercial, and other uses.
Examples may include: Single family residential, Multi-family residential,
Mobile home, Commercial, Industrial, Campground, Cemetery.
Parcel Identifier, Assessor's Parcel Number
Indicate if a permit has been issued but the physical structure does not yet
exist
Date Building Permit was issued

Address Type
Parcel Identifier
*New Construction
*New Construction
Date
*Multiunit

*Multiunit Count

*Facility Name

6

*Group Quarter Type
*Group Quarter
Name
*Group Quarter
Contact Name
*Group Quarter
Contact Title
*Group Quarter
Telephone Number
*Group Quarter
Expected Population
Reference System

7

*Anomalous Indicator

FGDC Address Data
3
Standard Reference
2.3.8
2.3.6.9

2.3.3
2.3.6.3

Indicate if the living quarter is part of a multi unit (for example, an
apartment building) where each unit shares the same Basic Street Address
(BSA) and is uniquely identified by building, floor, and/or unit information
For multi units, if the exact (‘real’) unit identifiers are not known, do not
create individual records for each unit. Instead, provide only a single record
of the Basic Street Address and use the MULTIUNIT COUNT element to
indicate the number of units at the address.
i.e. University of Maryland, Shady Acres Retirement Village, Pelican Bay
State Prison
College Dormitory, Nursing Home, Prison, etc.
i.e. Reed Dormitory, Hospice Care Wing, Prison Block 18
If available, this data will help census Group Quarters Enumerators schedule
interview times
i.e. Residential Advisor, Head Nurse, Warden
If available, this data will help census Group Quarters Enumerators schedule
interview times
i.e. the number of beds or rooms
Coordinate Reference System, Datum, etc. used to define (X,Y) coordinates
(file level)
Indicate if the jurisdiction for which the respective address is located
contains addressing conventions
anomalous to the country as a whole

*Where applicable
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2.3.2

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v.1.1

U.S. Census Bureau
Minimum Address Data Submission Guidelines – 50 States and D.C.
If you wish to partner with the U.S. Census Bureau and provide address data, including the information identified above - in the
Optimal Address Data Submission Guidelines - will ensure the Census Bureau can effectively process and use your data.
However, the Census Bureau acknowledges that address data stewards, whether working at a local, state or regional level, may
have data they can share with the Census Bureau but that data may not contain all the information the Census Bureau has
identified as optimal. That should not preclude a partner from engaging with the Census Bureau to share address data and
feedback. The Minimum Address Data Submission Guidelines identified below are intended to inform Census Bureau partners of
how the Census Bureau processes and uses address data – even for situations where the optimal amount of information is
unavailable.
At the highest level, in order to perform an update to the Census Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF), we must first be able to
perform a match between addresses in the partner file and addresses already existing in the MAF – otherwise, we risk adding
duplicate records to the MAF. Therefore:
A) In order to perform a match to existing MAF addresses the submitted record must include:



Complete Address Number
Complete Street Name

and AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:





Address Coordinate
ZIP Code
Postal City and State
Census 2010 Tabulation State, County, Tract and Block Code

At a minimum, this information will allow us to update the source data for an existing address record, adding to our confidence
that the address is valid.
B) In order to update the location (geocode) for an existing MAF address, the submitted record must meet the requirements of
“A” above, but this action requires either:



Address Coordinate or
Census 2010 Tabulation State, County, Tract and Block Code

This information will allow us to assign a location to previously ungeocoded addresses, to compare source geocodes to existing
MAF geocodes, and to correct geocodes on MAF records where necessary.
C) In order to ADD new records to the MAF, the submitted record must meet the requirements of “A” above, and additionally
must include an Address Feature Type indicator identifying the address as residential, commercial, utility, etc.
D) In addition to the above, it is highly desirable that, where applicable, every address must have a unique Within Structure
Identifier (Subaddress Element, for example Apt 3 or Unit A) to distinguish it from other addresses on the list. In the event that
the specific unit designations are unknown, partners should supply:



The number of units at the basic street address (i.e. “123 Main Street” “25 Units”). A basic street address (BSA) is a city
1
style address without the unit identifier.
A flag indicating which addresses are multi-unit structures (i.e. apartment or condominium buildings)

E) For Group Quarters, source data should specify the NAME (i.e. Shady Acres Retirement Home) of the Group Quarters, and
the TYPE (i.e. Hospital, Prison, College Dormitory) of Group Quarters represented by the address record.

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F) The Census Bureau currently does not attempt to match or add to the MAF any address records that contain only Non-CityStyle Addresses, such as:







Rural Route Addresses (i.e. RR 3 Box 725 Anytown, NC 28999)
Post Office Box Addresses (i.e. P.O. Box 12374 Anytown, NC 28999)
Highway Contract Addresses (i.e. HC 3 Box 330 Anytown, NC 28999)
General Delivery (i.e. General Delivery Anytown, NC 28999)
Location Descriptions (i.e. Brick House at intersection of 1st and Main Streets)
Address Coordinates ONLY

If the Census Bureau receives an address that contains non-city style address information, in addition to a city-style address (as
defined in A, B, C, and D above), the non-city style address information may be added to the MAF along with the city-style
address information.
If these types of address records are submitted with Address Coordinates or Census 2010 Tract and Block codes, we may be
able to perform coverage analysis in order to ascertain lack of coverage in a given Census Block.

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Notes and Definitions
1) The Census Bureau classifies housing unit and group quarters addresses that have an address number and street name
address, for example, 212 Elm Street or 137 Clark Ct., Apt. 316, as city-style addresses. These addresses are used for mailing or
to provide location for emergency services, such as police, fire, and rescue (E-911 addresses).
2) The Census Bureau classifies addresses that do not include a house number and/or a street name as noncity-style addresses.
Frequently used noncity-style mailing addresses include General Delivery, Rural Route and Box Number, Highway contract route
and Box Number, and Post Office Box addresses. These types of addresses are generally not used to update the Census Master
Address File, as they are less likely to match existing records (and therefore cause potential duplication) and are not typically
geocodable.
3) This column refers to the applicable section of the Federal Geographic Data Committee's "United States Thoroughfare,
Landmark, and Postal Address Standard."
4) TRACT/BLOCK: A Tract Number must contain six digits even if there are zeros in front or behind a number (Examples: 0832.01
or 0092.00). BLOCK Must be a four digit Block number (Example: 1001). Note that if the dataset covers addresses in more than
one county, then STATE and COUNTY codes must accompany the TRACT/BLOCK number. It is also important that the Census
Bureau understand how the Tract/Block codes were derived or assigned to the address records.
5) ADDRESS COORDINATES: The Census Bureau prefers that the coordinates represent the structure associated with the
address. If the coordinates are derived using a variety of methods (i.e. building footprints, GPS collection at front door, parcel
centroid, etc.) additional data should be included specifying the means of derivation. Otherwise, if all coordinate pairs are
derived in the same way, metadata at the file level will suffice.
6) FACILITY NAME: Facility name is the broader name for entities such as "University of Maryland" or "St. Anthony Hospital"
that contain multiple residential buildings, such as dormitories.
7) The Census Bureau defines GROUP QUARTERS as a place where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement, that is
owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. This is not a typical
household-type living arrangement. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance,
and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters are usually not related to
each other. Group Quarters are the individual buildings located within a Facility. Example: “Reed Dormitory” would be a GQ
name. There are instances where the GQ Name and Facility Name are potentially the same. Example: Shady Acres (Facility
Name) may have only one housing building (GQ), which would make the Facility name and GQ names the same.
General Notes
1) Please note that this document is not intended to serve as a template or file layout for submitting address data to the Census
Bureau, rather it is a general guide to the nature of the address data the Census Bureau would prefer to receive.
2) Address examples provided in this document are fictitious, not covered by Title 13, and are intended for illustrative purposes
only.
Similar guidelines for Puerto Rico are posted separately. Guidelines for the Island Areas are forthcoming.
For an electronic version of this document, as well as more detailed information, please visit the GSS-Initiative Web Page
using the following URL:
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gss/index.html

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