U.S. Census Bureau

Tribal Statistical Areas Program (TSAP)

The 2010 Tribal Statistical Areas Program offers tribes the opportunity to identify and delineate boundaries for American Indian and Alaska Native statistical areas for the reporting of Census Bureau data. This program provides for the delineation of Alaska Native village statistical areas (ANVSAs), Oklahoma tribal statistical areas (OTSAs), tribal designated statistical areas (TDSAs), state designated tribal statistical areas (SDTSAs), and sub-reservation statistical areas: tribal subdivisions on OTSAs, tribal census tracts and tribal block groups on American Indian reservations (AIRs) and/or off-reservation trust lands (ORTLs) for federally recognized American Indian tribes, and census designated places (CDPs) for federally recognized American Indian tribes with an AIR, ORTL, or OTSA.

Proposed Criteria
The proposed criteria for the 2010 Census Alaska Native areas and American Indian areas were published in the Federal Register for public review and comment. We will continue to update this website with additional, more detailed information relating to the 2010 Census TSAP as it becomes available.


How does the TSAP relate to the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP)?

The Participant Statistical Areas Program is a geographic program within the 2010 Decennial Census Program that offers regional and local participants the opportunity to review and update, if necessary, statistical geographic entities for use in tabulating and publishing data from Census 2010, the American Community Survey (ACS), and potentially other censuses and surveys. The four statistical geographic entities included in the PSAP are county-based census tracts, block groups, CDPs, and census county divisions (CCDs) (including census subareas in Alaska). The PSAP and the TSAP are parallel geographic programs. The primary participants in PSAP will be organizations representing regional groupings of governments. Tribes may (and should) work with the primary PSAP participant(s) for their area of interest to help ensure that tribal data needs are met through the statistical geographic entities defined via the PSAP as well as via the TSAP. For example, an unincorporated community located off of an AIR, ORTL, or OTSA for which data would be useful for a tribe would be defined via the PSAP not the TSAP.

Tribal Statistical Areas Program (TSAP) Participation Options:

Tribal Participant Geographic Area
Tribal Census Tracts Tribal Block Groups Census Designated Places Block Definition Project (BDP) Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas Tribal Designated Statistical Areas State Designated Tribal Statistical Areas American Indian Tribal Subdivisions1
Federally recognized tribe with an AIR and/or ORTL that has a population >= 2,400 X X X X          
Federally recognized tribe with an AIR and/or ORTL that has a population >= 1,200 and < 2,400 One tribal tract covering same area as AIR and/or ORTL X X X          
Federally recognized tribe with an AIR and/or ORTL that has a population < 1,200 One tribal tract and one tribal block group covering same area as AIR and/or ORTL X X          
Federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma with former AIR in Oklahoma     X   X       X
Federally recognized tribe without AIR or ORTL             X    
Alaska Native village (federally or ANCSA recognized)           X      
State recognized tribe without an AIR or ORTL               X  

1The boundaries for tribal subdivisions on AIRs and ORTLs, and well as the outer boundaries for AIRs and ORTLs, are collected via the Census Bureau’s annual Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS).


Key dates associated with TSAP are:

Key Date Activity
Spring 2008 Proposed criteria in Federal Register Notice for comment
Summer 2008 Final criteria in Federal Register
Summer 2008 Identify and train participants
Fall 2008 Mail out of program materials
Winter 2009 Participants complete work
Spring 2009 Census Bureau Regional Office review
Fall 2009 Verification phase


Where do I find out more about the TSAP, PSAP, and the other Census Bureau geographic entity programs?

Information about the TSAP will be updated periodically at this URL on the Census Bureau's website. You may also send any TSAP questions or issues to geo.tsap.list@census.gov. For information about the PSAP, visit us at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/psap2010/psap2010_main.html. In addition, information about all the Census Bureau geographic entity programs is made available at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/programs.html. Information on contacting your US Census Bureau Regional Office, is available as it is approved at http://www.census.gov/field/www/.

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Geography Division
Created: April 12, 2007