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Cartographic Boundary Files Descriptions and Metadata Geographic Area Descriptions | Metadata
Geographic Area Description The primary legal divisions of most states are termed "counties." In Louisiana, these divisions are known as "parishes." In Alaska, which has no counties, the statistically equivalent entities are census areas, city and boroughs (Juneau City and Borough) a municipality (Anchorage), and organized boroughs. Census are delineated cooperatively for statistical purposes by the state of Alaska and the U.S. Census Bureau. In four states (Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia), there are one or more incorporated places that are independent of any county organization and thus constitute primary divisions of their states; these incorporated places are known as "independent cities" and are treated as equivalent to counties for statistical purposes. (For some statistical purposes they may be treated as county subdivisions and places.) The District of Columbia has no primary divisions, and the entire area is considered equivalent to a county for statistical purposes. The primary legal divisions of Puerto Rico are termed "municipios" and are treated by the U.S. Census Bureau, for statistical purposes, as the equivalent of a county in the United States. Each county and statistically equivalent entity is assigned a three-digit Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code that is unique within state or state equivalent. These codes are assigned in alphabetical order of county or county equivalent within state, except for the independent cities, which are assigned codes higher than and following the listing of counties. Return
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division,
Cartographic Products Management Branch
Created: July 18, 2001
Last Revised: April 19, 2005 at 02:12:09 PM
