Accelerate the Value of Data

US Census Plus data fields

Learn how to append the US Census Plus data to one or more of the following fields:

  • AdministrativeArea
  • SubAdministrativeArea
  • Locality
  • Thoroughfare
  • Premise
The data takes the form of multiple value fields, which are outlined in the next section. For each value field, there’s a corresponding status field named ValueFieldNameStatus. ValueFieldNameStatus indicates whether a value was returned for that value field or not. If a value is returned the status field will contain fsAdded.
Important: When you use the new Census Plus data, set the server option ReferenceDatasetCacheSize to 15. This is due to the increased volume of data files in use as part of the Census Plus enhanced dataset.

Value Fields

BlockCode

BlockCode defines the census data that represent the smallest geographic unit used by the US Census Bureau. Blocks can be bounded by visible features such as roads/highways, rivers and other natural features, railroad tracks and non-visible features such as the political boundaries of a city/town/county or property lines and school district. Blocks typically have a 4-digits value. In Loqate, this value field is appended to the Thoroughfare and Premise field.

BlockGroupCode

BlockGroupCode defines the census data that represent the group of Blocks. BlockGroupCode typically has a 1-digit value, and it’s also represented in the first digit value in BlockCode field value. In Loqate, this value field is appended to the Thoroughfare and Premise field.

CBSACode

CBSACode defines that the Census data is referencing the Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA), in typically 5-digits value. CBSA is a collective term for both metro and micro areas. A metro area contains a core urban area of 50,000 or more population, and a micro area contains an urban core of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population. Each metro or micro area consists of one or more counties and includes the counties containing the core urban area, as well as any adjacent counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration with the urban core (as measured by commuting to work).

CBSAs defined according to the population standards were applied since the Census 2000 data as announced by OMB (US Office of Management and Budget) in June 2003. These standards are used to replace the definitions of metropolitan areas (MSA) that were defined in 1990.

CBSAName

CBSAName refers to the official name given to the CBSAs that complements the CBSACode field value as defined. For more information about the definition of CBSA, see the CBSACode field definition.

CensusCode

Census Code defines that the Census data is referencing the Census Codes, previously known as the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code. Unlike its previous FIPS code value, Census Codes are currently used as the government code to represent Admin Places in the U.S.

Census Codes are published for Administrative Areas (Admin Level 1-4 in the U.S.) and all Zones with official government codes.

CensusClassCode

Census Class Code defines the census classification of a place. Census Class Code corresponding to the FIPS 55-3 standard. Census Class Codes are alphanumeric and can be referred to at https://www.census.gov/library/reference/code-lists/class-codes.html. Census Class Codes are published only for level 3 and 4 Administrative Areas and Zones.

An example would be:

C1: Identifies an active incorporated place that is not also recognized as an Alaska Native Village statistical area and doesn’t also serve as a primary county division; that is, it’s included in and is part of a primary county division. For example, the city of Hammond, Indiana is within and part of North township; the city of Austin, Texas is within and part of several census county divisions in several counties; Hammond and Austin are coded C1.

CensusIndicator

This field indicates the address level for which the census data was returned. In Census Plus, this field will show the value “Premise”, the most accurate address level in Census Plus data, when there’s a Premise level match found. Otherwise, the value field wouldn’t be visible.

CountyCode

The primary legal divisions of most states are termed counties. While not all states have them or call them counties, the census bureau will assign one for statistical purposes. These are three-character numeric codes that are unique within each state.

GNISFeatureID

GNIS Feature ID defines the census data that is referencing the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Feature ID. GNIS Feature IDs are similar to Census Codes. GNIS includes geographic names for all known places, features, and areas in the United States that are identified by a proper name. Census Codes defined for level 4 Administrative Areas and Zones are being phased out by the U.S. government and replaced by GNIS Feature IDs. However, GNIS Feature IDs are an addition to and not a replacement of Census Codes. New places only get a GNIS Feature ID assigned. For new places the government code publishes the GNIS feature ID.

Census Codes and GNIS Feature IDs are published for Administrative Areas (Admin Level 1-4 in the U.S.) and all Zones with official government codes.

MetroDivisionCode

MetroDivisionCode (Metropolitan Division Code) defines the census data that is referring to a county or group of closely tied contiguous counties that serve as a distinct employment region within a metropolitan statistical area that has a population core of at least 2.5 million. While a Metropolitan Division is a subdivision of a larger metropolitan statistical area, it often functions as a distinct social, economic, and cultural area within a larger region.

Metropolitan Division Code is typically represented in 5-digits value.

MetroDivisionName

MetroDivisionName refers to the official name given to the Metropolitan Division that complements the MetroDivisionCode field value as defined. For more information about the definition of Metropolitan Division, see the MetroDivisionCode field definition.

NECTACode

NECTACode refers to a set of geographic areas that are defined using cities and towns in the six New England states, in typically 5-digits value. The New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs) are defined using the same criteria as Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and are identified as either Metropolitan or Micropolitan. A metro area contains a core urban area of 50,000 or more population, and a micro area contains an urban core of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population.

NECTAs are published for one or more cities or towns where applicable.

NECTAName

NECTAName refers to the official name given to the NECTAs that complements the NECTACode field value as defined. For more information about the definition of NECTA, see the NECTACode field definition.

NECTADivisionCode

NECTA Division defines NECTAs (see the definition under NECTACode field) containing a single core with a population of at least 2.5 million that are subdivided to form smaller groupings of cities and towns referred to as NECTA Divisions.

NECTADivisionCode is typically represented in a 5-digits value.

NECTADivisionName

NECTADivisionName refers to the official name given to the NECTA Divisions that complements the NECTADivisionCode field value as defined. For more information about the definition of NECTA Division, see the NECTADivisionCode field definition.

OldCensusCode

OldCensusCode refers to an old value of CensusCode that was previously representing the FIPS code value of an admin place (see the definition of the CensusCode field for current value of CensusCode). OldCensusCode is basically the result of StateCode that is appended with current CensusCode in such format: StateCode-CensusCode. For example, 25-24925.

OldMSACode

OldMSACode represents an obsolete value of MSA (metropolitan areas) that was defined by the OMB in 1990. With the introduction of CBSA definitions (see CBSACode field definition), these MSA codes are replaced with the CBSA codes and names and not updated by the OMB since 1990. Therefore, the typical 4-digits value of OldMSACode will remain static in the Census Plus product.

OldMSAName

OldMSAName refers to the official name given to the MSA (metropolitan areas) which complements the OldMSACode field value as defined. For more information about the definition of MSA, see the OldMSACode field definition.

StateCode

StateCode refers to the census data that defines the official geographic (FIPS) code given to a US state. This field is a supplementary field given as part of Census Plus data. It can be used to complement the field value of CensusCode, which when appended (in the format of StateCode-CensusCode) provides the old CensusCode value that represents the FIPS code. See the value of the CensusCode field for the current definition.

TractCode

TractCode represents the census data that defines geographic entities within counties, where each TractCode is typically a 6-digit code (including any leading zeros, and also two “trailing” zeros in the many cases in which the basic tract codes have no suffix). A census TractCode may not be used great than once in a single county, but it may be used again in a different county in the same state or in a county of a different state. In Loqate, this value field is appended to the Thoroughfare and Premise field.

Comparing Census Plus and census data fields

As of August 2022, the Census dataset (contains fields and data from the 2010 Census) is being replaced by the Census Plus dataset (contains fields and data from the 2020 Census). The following table provides a convenient comparison of field availability between the two datasets.
Census Plus fieldsAvailable in Census (Yes/No)
BlockCodeNo
BlockGroupCodeNo
CBSACodeNo
CBSANameNo
CensusCodeYes
CensusClassCodeYes
CensusIndicatorYes
CountyCodeNo
GNISFeatureIDYes
MetroDivisionCodeNo
MetroDivisionNameNo
NECTACodeNo
NECTANameNo
NECTADivisionCodeNo
NECTADivisionName No
OldCensusCode No
OldMSACode No
OldMSAName No
StateCode No
TractCode No

Fields only available with Census

The following fields are only available with US census data and not available with US Census Plus data:
  • CBSAMetropolitanStatisticalArea
  • CBSAMicropolitanStatisticalArea
  • NECTAMetropolitanStatisticalArea
  • NECTAMicropolitanStatisticalArea
  • MetropolitanDivision
  • NECTADivision