Lists & Structure of Governments
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About the Data
Governments Integrated Directory (GID) – the master list of all governments in the United States.
Sponsor:
U.S. Census Bureau as authorized by Title 13, United States Code, Section 161.
Purpose:
To provide a universe of local governments for use as the basis of the Census of Governments and its related programs, and as a sampling frame for the annual surveys related to the Census of Governments.
Content:
The GID contains basic reference information for all 89,476 local governments in the United States including mailing addresses, websites, population, and school enrollment information.
Frequency:
The GID is updated continuously with the latest information available from the Census Bureau and other federal, state, and local statistical administrative records and programs. The GID is primarily used within the Census Bureau for selecting samples. It is made publicly available every 5 years when Census of Governments data are released. A majority of the updating activity for the 2007 edition spanned the period from March to October of 2006.
Products:
The GID is a primary source of summary statistics produced through the Annual Survey of Government Finance, the Annual Survey of Government Employment, and their related products.
How the data are used:
The GID is integral to the Census Bureau's Census of Governments, and most government–related surveys. It serves as the universe from which sampling is performed for most of the surveys related to the Census of Governments.
The GID provides the most complete, current, and consistent source of government–based information about U.S. state and local governments, and is essential to assuring full coverage and high quality in federal governmental statistics programs.