Census TIGER® Programs
This program provides all local governments and regional and metropolitan agencies the opportunity to assist the Census Bureau in locating and updating street features, street names, and address ranges identified as missing or incorrect in the TIGER data base. This information is needed to link U.S. Postal Service addresses with the TIGER data base.
The Census Bureau wants every jurisdiction to have an early picture of the content in the TIGER data base. For those local jurisdictions that will not receive maps produced from TIGER through other programs, the Census Bureau will provide Census Map Preview map sheets. Local participants may use these maps to furnish the Census Bureau with updated street features and their names.
Census Address List Programs
This program provides all governmental units and regional and metropolitan agencies the opportunity to submit lists containing city-style (house number - street name) addresses for their community to the Census Bureau for use in building the census address list. The Census Bureau will provide detailed feedback documenting the action it takes regarding each address provided. Ongoing submissions and feedback between the Census Bureau and local governments on this program, enabled by the Census Address List Improvement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-430), should help ensure the completeness of the census address list and the TIGER data base.
This program offers all local governments the opportunity to review and update the census list of individual addresses for their community. Public Law 103-430 calls for this review to be conducted by locally designated census liaisons who must agree to maintain the confidentiality of the information on the census address list. The Census Bureau regional offices will maintain contact with the liaisons and provide feedback on the handling of submitted corrections in accordance with Public Law 103-430.
On a more informal and as needed basis, Census Bureau regional office staff also may request address reference materials or information from regional planning agencies, counties, functioning minor civil divisions, places, American Indian reservations and Alaskan Native villages to support ongoing geographic operations in the 12 regional offices.
Geographic Areas Programs
In these programs, localities use census maps or files to report boundary information for legal/administrative areas and to delineate statistical areas. These areas provide the framework for the tabulation of census data.
The Census Bureau normally conducts a Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) each year to maintain the inventory of general purpose governments and obtain up-to-date information about the boundaries of larger population entities. All legal entities, regardless of size, will be included in the BAS from 1998- 2000.
This program provides Federally recognized American Indian Reservation officials and Alaska Native Regional Corporation officials the opportunity to review and report to the Census Bureau changes to their reservation or trust land and regional corporation boundaries as shown on census maps.
This program encompasses the various activities that create the geography for the tabulation of redistricting data. During the Block Boundary Suggestion Project (BBSP), the Census Bureau offers state redistricting officials the opportunity to identify features they suggest be held as Census 2000 block boundaries. State redistricting officials later will submit the boundaries of voting districts (precincts) and state legislative districts during the Voting District Project using many of the features they provided during the BBSP.
This program enables local participants to delineate, following Census Bureau guidelines, statistical areas such as census tracts, block groups, census designated places, and census county divisions.
Additional geographic programs include the update of school district and Congressional District boundaries by participating state officials; the update of traffic analysis zones and assistance in the place of work program by metropolitan planning organizations; and other American Indian and Alaska Native Areas Programs designed for Federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native Regional Corporations, such as the Block Definition Project and Tribal Subdivision Program.
If you have specific questions concerning these programs, please contact geographic staff in your Census Bureau Regional Office.
6/13/1996: All programs tentative and subject to the availability of funds
