2020 Census PSAP

G-600
[Quick Reference for Tribal Block Groups]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Tribal Block Groups
Tribal block groups (TBGs) are statistical geographic divisions of tribal census tracts (TCTs)
defined for the tabulation and presentation of data from the decennial census and the American
Community Survey (ACS). TBGs provide the geographic framework within which the U.S.
Census Bureau (Census Bureau) defines and identifies census blocks.
TBG criteria and guidelines from the Census Bureau:
•
•
•

•
•

•

Each TBG should be reasonably compact and contiguous.
Up to nine TBGs can be contained within a single TCT.
American Indian tribes will define TCTs and TBGs through the Participant Statistical
Areas Program (PSAP), which now includes information for t h e review, update, and
delineation of tribal statistical geography.
TBG boundaries must nest within TCT boundaries.
Visible features (e.g., roads, rivers, and other identifiable landscape features), are
acceptable TBG boundaries, as well as tribal reservation, tribal subdivision,
incorporated place, and minor civil division (MCD) boundaries.
Comparability is not a significant concern for TBGs.
TBG Thresholds

Block Group Type
TBGs
Special Use Block
Groups

Threshold Type
Population threshold
Housing Unit threshold
Area measurement threshold
within an urban area
Area measurement threshold
outside an urban area
Population threshold

Minimum
600
240

Maximum
3,000
1,200

1 square mile

none

10 square miles
none
Either none, or must be within
standard block group thresholds

TBGs contain blocks beginning with the same number as the standard county-based block group
and could contain seemingly duplicate block numbers. To better identify and differentiate TBGs
from county-based block groups, TBGs use the letter range A through K (except "I," which
could be confused with a number "1") to identify and code the tribal block group. Tribal block
groups must nest within tribal census tract.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-610
[Quick Reference for Tribal Census Tract]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Tribal Census Tracts
Tribal census tracts (TCTs) are relatively small, statistical geographic areas defined consistently
within a federal American Indian reservation (AIR) or off-reservation trust land (ORTL)
nationwide. Ideally, TCT boundaries remain consistent between censuses making it possible to
compare statistics for the same geographic area from decade to decade. TCTs will be used in the
tabulation and presentation of data from the decennial census and the American Community
Survey (ACS).
TCT criteria and guidelines from the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau):
•
•

•

•

Federally recognized American Indian tribes with a federal AIR/ORTL will define
TCTs through the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP).
Visible features (e.g., roads, rivers, and other identifiable landscape features), are
acceptable TCT boundaries, as well as tribal reservation, tribal subdivision,
incorporated place, and minor civil division (MCD) boundaries.
The Census Bureau requests that where a TCT area must be updated to meet
population/housing unit thresholds, the outer boundaries of the TCT should not be
changed. Instead, the TCT should be split into two or more TCTs, or merged with one
or more adjacent TCTs.
TCT geography will be maintained separately from standard county-based census
tract geography for the 2020 Census.

TCT Thresholds
Optimum Minimum
Maximum
Census Tract Type Threshold Type
Population threshold
4,000
1,200
8,000
TCTs
Housing Unit threshold
1,600
480
3,200
Area measurement
Special Use
threshold within an urban
Census Tracts
area
none
1 square mile none
Area measurement
threshold outside an urban
10 square
area
none
miles
none
Either none, or must be within standard
Population threshold
census tract thresholds
TCT codes are six characters long with a leading "T" alphabetic character followed by five
numeric codes having an implied decimal between the fourth and fifth character; for example,
T01000, translates as TCT 10. TBGs nest within TCTs.
Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-611
[Quick Reference Tribal Overview]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Tribal Overview
These 2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) "Quick Reference" documents
provide high-level overviews for the following tribal statistical areas: tribal census tracts (TCTs),
tribal block groups (TBGs), and census designated places (CDPs). Please refer to the Respondent
Guide for more detailed information on these tribal statistical areas.
PSAP Program Materials
Tribal governments can choose to use GUPS or paper maps to participate in the 2020 Census
PSAP. Tribal governments that choose to work with GUPS should refer to the 2020 Census
Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) Geographic Update Partnership Software
(GUPS) Tribal Respondent Guide for complete instructions on how use GUPS to participate in
the 2020 Census PSAP. Tribal governments that choose to work with paper maps should refer to
the 2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) Paper Tribal Respondent Guide
for complete instructions on how to use paper maps to participate in the 2020 Census PSAP.
Tribes working with GUPS can choose to download GUPS and the program materials from the
U.S. Census Bureau’s (Census Bureau) website: http://www.census.gov/programssurveys/decennial-census/about/psap.html or receive GUPS and the program materials on DVD.
Program materials available for download and on DVD are as follows:
• GUPS (DVD 1).
• Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) Geographic Update Partnership Software
(GUPS) Tribal Respondent Guide (DVD 2).
• Census Bureau shapefiles for your area (DVD 2).
• Quick Reference documents for TCTs, TBGs, and CDPs (DVD 2).
• 2010 Census population and housing unit counts for statistical areas.
Tribes working with paper maps will receive paper copies of all appropriate program materials.
Tribal participants, working with GUPS or paper maps, should read the Respondent Guide
before making edits to tribal statistical areas.
2020 Census PSAP Schedule
Date

Event

March – May 2018

Contact 2010 Census PSAP participants to inquire about 2020 Census PSAP participation.

July 2018
January 2019

PSAP invitation materials sent to PSAP participants.
PSAP delineation phase begins. Participants have 120 calendar days to submit updates.

February 2019

PSAP webinar trainings begin.

July 2019
January 2020

Send PSAP participants communication notifying closeout of delineation phase.
PSAP verification phase begins. Participants have 90 calendar days to review updates.

Commented [BN(F1]: Update this table. Look at info guide.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-615
[CDP Quick Reference for Participants]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Census Designated Places
Census designated places (CDPs) are the statistical counterparts of incorporated places. CDPs
are delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of populations that are identifiable by
name, but are not legally recognized under the laws of the state in which they are located. The
primary goal of the CDP program is to provide meaningful statistics for well-known,
unincorporated localities.
A CDP should not be coextensive with an American Indian area (AIA) or minor civil division
(MCD). A CDP may be located in more than one county but cannot cross state boundaries. A
CDP cannot be located partially or entirely within an incorporated place or within another CDP.
Visible features (e.g., roads, rivers, and other identifiable landscape features) are acceptable CDP
boundaries, as well as incorporated place and MCD boundaries in states where those boundaries
tend to remain unchanged over time.
A CDP must contain at least some population or housing units. For the 2020 Census Partnership
Statistical Areas Program (PSAP), the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) will not accept a
CDP delineated with zero population and zero housing units, and requests a justification for
CDPs delineated with fewer than ten housing units. The Census Bureau recognizes that some
communities, such as resorts or other kinds of seasonal communities, may lack population at
certain times of the year.
Participants may add a new CDP where a community exists in the landscape and a CDP has not
been defined for that community. To reflect the current existence and area extent of the CDP,
territory may be added to or removed from an existing CDP. When a CDP delineated for a
previous census is no longer relevant (e.g., the population of a CDP was annexed by an adjacent
incorporated place), the participant should delete the CDP. CDP names may be updated to meet
naming guidelines or accommodate community name changes.
A CDP name should be one that is recognized and is used in daily communication by local
residents. There should be features in the landscape that use the name, so that a non-resident
would have a general sense of the location, for example:
•
•
•

Signs indicating when one is entering the community.
Highway exit signs that use the name.
Businesses or other buildings that make use of the name.

CDPs cannot have the same name as a nearby incorporated place or another CDP in the same
county. Hyphenated names are only acceptable where two or more communities are perceived to
be a single area with the names mingling within the area.

census.gov

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

G-620
[Quick Reference for Tribal Designated
Statistical Areas]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Tribal Designated Statistical Areas
A tribal-designated statistical area (TDSA) is a statistical geographic area identified and
delineated by the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) with federally recognized tribes that do
not have a reservation or off-reservation trust land (ORTL) and are not based in Alaska, Hawaii,
and Oklahoma.
Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that TDSAs may/should:
•
•
•
•

•

•
•

Be named for the tribe or tribes that are responsible for its delineation.
Be comparable in area to the American Indian reservations (AIRs) and/or ORTLs of
other tribes with similar numbers of members in the same state and/or region.
Have a substantial population of American Indians where the majority of the
American Indian population are members of the delineating tribe.
Include an area where there is structured and organized tribal activity, including a
tribal headquarters, tribal service centers, meeting areas and buildings, ceremonial
grounds, tribally owned businesses, etc.
Only include a water area to maintain contiguity, to provide a generalized version of
the shoreline, or if the water area is completely surrounded by land area included in
the TDSA.
Have boundaries that follow visible, physical features, such as rivers, streams,
shorelines, roads, and ridgelines.
Have boundaries that follow the nonvisible, legally defined boundaries of AIRs,
ORTLs, states, counties, incorporated places, or minor civil divisions (MCDs).

Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that TDSAs may not/should not:
•
•

Include military areas.
Contain large areas without housing or population.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-621
[Quick Reference for State Designated
Tribal Statistical Areas]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: State Designated Tribal Statistical Areas
State-designated tribal statistical areas (SDTSAs) are geographic areas identified and delineated
by the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) in partnership with state-recognized tribes. An
SDTSA is limited to the state in which the respective tribe is officially recognized.
Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that each SDTSA may/should:
•
•
•

•
•
•
•

•
•

Have boundaries that, preferably, follow visible, physical features, such as rivers, streams,
shorelines, roads, and ridgelines.
Follow legal or statistical boundaries such as states, counties, incorporated places, or other
geographic boundaries.
Have a name determined by the associated tribe, in conjunction with the Census Bureau and
the state liaison responsible for its delineation. If the area with which a tribe is associated is
located in two or more states, the tribe must be officially recognized by each state in order for
the tribe’s SDTSA to be delineated in each of those states.
Be named for the tribe that is most commonly associated with the area encompassed by the
SDTSA.
Be comparable in area to the American Indian reservations (AIRs) of other tribes with similar
numbers of members in the same state and/or region.
Have a significant population of American Indians.
Include an area where there is structured/organized tribal activity, including a tribal
headquarters, tribal service centers, meeting areas and buildings, ceremonial grounds, tribally
owned businesses, etc.
Ideally be contiguous.
Include a water area only when necessary to maintain contiguity, to provide a generalized
version of the shoreline, or if the water area is completely surrounded by land area included
in the SDTSA.

Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that SDTSAs may not/should not:
•
•

Include military areas.
Contain large areas without housing or population.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-622
[Quick Reference for Alaska Native
Village Statistical Areas]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas
A key goal for the 2020 Census is to improve the delineation of Alaska Native village statistical
area (ANVSA) boundaries to result in more consistent and comparable ANVSAs and more
meaningful, relevant, and reliable statistical data for Alaska Natives and their Alaska Native
villages (ANVs). ANVSAs are statistical geographic entities representing the permanent and/or
seasonal residences for Alaska Natives who are members of, or receiving governmental services
from, the defining ANV located within the region and vicinity of the ANV's historic and/or
traditional location. U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) criteria and guidelines for 2020
Census ANVSAs are published in the Federal Register Notice .
Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that ANVSAs may/should:
•

•
•
•
•

Have boundaries that, preferably, follow visible physical features, including rivers,
streams, shorelines, glaciers, roads, trails, and ridgelines. ANVSAs should only
follow nonvisible boundaries when visible boundaries are not available.
Have their entire areas located within 50 miles of ANV point locations.
Preferably have the majority of their housing units, even if only seasonably used,
occupied by Alaska Natives.
Preferably, have a majority Alaska Native population, the majority of which should
be members of the delineating ANV.
Include water area only to maintain contiguity, to provide a generalized version of the
shoreline, or if the water area is surrounded by land area included in the ANVSA.

Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that ANVSAs may not/should not:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Overlap (for ANVSAs that are delineated for the 2020 Census).
Completely surround the location of another ANV.
Include more water area than land area.
Include military installations or additional area within an urbanized area defined in
the most recent decennial census.
Extend beyond the regional boundary of the Alaska Native Regional Corporation
(ANRC) in which the ANV is located.
Contain large areas without housing or population.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-623
[Quick Reference for Oklahoma
Tribal Statistical Areas]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas
Oklahoma tribal statistical areas (OTSAs) are statistical areas identified and delineated by the
U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) and federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma that had a
former American Indian reservation (AIR) in Oklahoma. The Census Bureau intends OTSAs to
represent the former AIRs that existed in the Indian and Oklahoma territories prior to Oklahoma
statehood in 1907. OTSAs provide a way to obtain data comparable to that provided to federally
recognized tribes that currently have an AIR.
Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that OTSAs may/should:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Have at least some American Indian population and housing.
Be located completely within the current boundaries of the State of Oklahoma.
Follow the last legal boundaries previously used by their former AIR.
Have tribal subdivisions delineated by the tribe located within their own OTSAs.
Have tribe-delineated census designated places (CDPs) representing unincorporated
communities located within their own OTSAs.
Be named by the tribe or tribes that are responsible for delineating each OTSA, and
must be clearly distinguishable from the name of any other OTSA.
Be renamed by the Census Bureau if the submitted name does not reflect one or more
of the following conditions:
o The tribe or tribes associated with the former AIR represented by the OTSA;
o Tribes that have historically resided within the area of the OTSA;
o Tribes that have significant population currently residing within the OTSA; and/or
o The name(s) of the tribe(s) commonly associated with the area encompassed by
the OTSA.

Census Bureau criteria and guidelines specify that OTSAs may not/should not:
•
•

Include more water area than land area.
Have additional overlapping OTSA boundaries that resulted in Census Bureau jointuse area OTSA(s) in the 2010 Census.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-630
[RPAs, COGs, and Counties Quick
Reference Overview]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Overview
These 2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) "Quick Reference" documents
provide high-level overviews for the following statistical areas: census tracts, block groups,
census designated places (CDPs), and census county divisions (CCDs). For detailed information
on these statistical areas, please refer to the 2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program
(PSAP) Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) Respondent Guide.
PSAP Program Materials
Participants must use the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) supplied shapefiles and GUPS.
If you chose the option to download GUPS, you may do so at the Census website:
https://www2.census.gov/geo/pvs/gups/. Participants who opted to receive a GUPS DVD
package will receive two Data DVDs:
Data DVD 1 – GUPS
• Software to review the U.S. Census Bureau's current statistical areas in your
county/counties, delineate changes to the boundaries, and review statistical areas for
compliance with 2020 Census PSAP guidelines prior to submission.
Data DVD 2 – PSAP Materials
• Detailed guidelines for delineating the statistical areas such as: the 2020 Census
Participant Statistical Areas Program Information Document, Quick Reference
documents, and the 2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) Respondent Guide.
• Census Bureau shapefiles for your area.
• 2010 Census population and housing unit counts for statistical areas.
Before beginning the editing of statistical areas for final submission, the participant should
read the GUPS respondent guide and become familiar with the functionalities of GUPS.
2020 Census PSAP Schedule
Date

Event

March – May 2018

Contact 2010 Census PSAP participants to inquire about 2020 Census PSAP participation.

July 2018
January 2019

PSAP invitation materials sent to PSAP participants.
PSAP delineation phase begins. Participants have 120 calendar days to submit updates.

February 2019

PSAP webinar trainings begin.

July 2019
January 2020

Send PSAP participants communication notifying closeout of delineation phase.
PSAP verification phase begins. Participants have 90 calendar days to review updates.

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

census.gov

G-640
[RPAs, COGs, and Counties Quick
Reference on Block Group]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Block Groups
A block group is a statistical geographic subdivision of a census tract, defined for the tabulation
and presentation of data from the decennial census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Each block group should be reasonably compact and contiguous. Up to nine standard block
groups can be contained within a single census tract.
Block groups nest within and completely cover census tracts. To make the location of block
group boundaries less ambiguous, wherever possible, boundaries should follow visible features
(e.g., roads, rivers, and other identifiable landscape features).
Standard block groups have minimum and maximum population and housing unit thresholds. For
the 2020 Census, standard block groups should have a population ranging between 600 to 3,000
or a housing unit count ranging from 240 to 1,200. Any standard block group with a population
or housing unit count outside of the minimum and maximum threshold range should be updated
to meet the threshold requirements. Each county is required to have at least one block group; a
county with less than 600 people will contain one block group that encompasses the entirety of
the county.
Special use block groups do not have a population or housing unit threshold. Instead, they have
minimum land area thresholds, as shown in the table below.
Block Group Thresholds
Minimum
Maximum
Block Group Type Threshold Type
Population threshold
600
3,000
Standard Block
Groups
Housing Unit threshold
240
1,200
Special Use Block Area measurement threshold
within an urban area
1 square mile
none
Groups
Area measurement threshold
outside an urban area
10 square miles
none
Either none, or must be within
Population threshold
standard block group thresholds
The U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) strongly encourages and recommends merging or
splitting block groups when they do not meet the required population/housing unit thresholds.
The Census Bureau generally will not accept proposed block groups that do not meet the
required thresholds.
Block group codes must be unique within a census tract. The range of acceptable codes is
1 through 9. To identify each standard block group, a single-digit code is used that will
correspond to the first digit in the code of each block encompassed by the block group (e.g., all
blocks within block group 3 will be numbered in the 3000 range).

census.gov

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

G-650
[RPAs, COGs, and Counties Quick
Reference on Census Tracts]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Census Tracts
Census tracts are relatively permanent geographic divisions of a county/county equivalent. The
primary goal of the census tract is to provide a set of nationally consistent, relatively small
statistical units, with stable boundaries, that facilitate analysis of data across time. The U.S.
Census Bureau (Census Bureau) tabulates and presents data for census tracts from the decennial
census and the American Community Survey (ACS).
Census tract boundaries must follow or entirely nest within county boundaries. Visible features
(e.g., roads, rivers, and other identifiable landscape features) are acceptable census tract
boundaries, as well as incorporated place and minor civil division (MCD) boundaries in states
where those boundaries tend to remain unchanged over time, as referenced in the Federal
Register Notice .
Standard census tracts have optimum, minimum, and maximum population and housing unit
thresholds. When revising tracts, participants should aim to meet or exceed the optimum
population (4,000) or housing unit (1,600) thresholds to increase the reliability of sample data for
census tracts.
Participants should merge any census tracts below the minimum population (1,200) or housing
unit (480) count with adjacent census tracts. Participants should split any census tracts above
maximum population (8,000) or housing unit (3,200) counts into multiple census tracts. Counties
containing a single census tract that is coextensive with the county boundary and containing
fewer than 1,200 population/480 housing units do not need to meet minimum thresholds.
Special use census tracts have no population or housing unit count thresholds. Instead, they have
area thresholds, as shown in the table below.
Census Tract Thresholds
Optimum Minimum
Maximum
Census Tract Type Threshold Type
Population threshold
4,000
1,200
8,000
Standard Census
Tracts
Housing Unit threshold
1,600
480
3,200
Area measurement threshold
1 square
Special Use
within an urban area
none
mile
none
Census Tracts
Area measurement threshold
10 square
outside an urban area
none
miles
none
Either none, or must be within
Population threshold
standard census tract thresholds
The Census Bureau prioritizes the comparability of census tracts from decade to decade.
Therefore, we request that you do not change the outer boundaries of any census tracts when

census.gov

making census tract updates, unless it is a correction due to boundary or feature inaccuracy.
Census tract codes must range from 1 to 9989 and must be unique within each county. Special
use tract codes must range from 9800 to 9899. The acceptable range of census tract suffixes is
from .01 to .98.
Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions

G-660
[RPAs, COGs, and Counties Quick
Reference on CCD]

2020 Census Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)
Quick Reference: Census County Divisions
Census county divisions (CCDs) are sub-county statistical geographic areas that usually
represent a single contiguous area consisting of one or more communities, economic centers, or
major land use areas in a county/county equivalent. Ideally, CCD boundaries remain the same
between censuses, permitting comparison statistics for the same geographic area from one
decade to another. Decennial census, the American Community Survey (ACS), and selected
other censuses and surveys use CCDs in the tabulation and presentation of data.
CCDs are established in 21 states where minor civil divisions (MCDs) either do not exist or are
unsatisfactory for reporting decennial census data. CCDs exist in the following states:
Alabama
Florida
Nevada
Utah

Alaska*
Georgia
New Mexico
Washington

Arizona
Hawaii
Oklahoma
Wyoming

California
Colorado
Delawar
Idaho
Kentucky
Montana
Oregon
South Carolina Texas
*Census subareas are equivalent

CCD boundaries must nest within state and county boundaries. CCD boundaries should follow
census tract boundaries since CCDs should contain one or more contiguous census tracts, or, in
less populated areas, two or more CCDs may nest within one census tract. Visible features (e.g.,
roads, rivers, and other identifiable landscape features) are acceptable CCD boundaries, as well
as significant legal boundaries, such as the boundaries of American Indian reservations (AIRs),
incorporated places, and MCDs in states where those boundaries tend to remain unchanged over
time.
The primary goal of CCD delineations is to establish and maintain a set of sub-county units that
have stable boundaries and recognizable names. The U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau) does
not encourage major revisions to CCDs. However, updates may be necessary where the CCD
boundaries and census tract boundaries should coincide due to census tract boundaries revisions.
Additionally, revisions to CCD names may be necessary due to population changes within CCDs.
A CCD can derive its name from the largest population center or historically central place within
it. CCD names should clearly identify the extent of the CCD. When a CCD contains multiple
centers with relatively equal importance, the CCD name may represent the largest one to three of
those multiple centers. Additionally, PSAP participants can use the following to name a CCD:
• An American Indian reservation.
• A prominent land use area.
• A prominent physical feature.
• A distinctive region.
If there is no clear cultural focus or topographic name that may be applied, a CCD name should
consist of:
•
•

The county name and a compass direction of the CCD location within the county, or
A major place name and a compass direction of the CCD location relative to the
place.

census.gov

Refer to the Respondent Guide for complete instructions