2025 Geographic Reference File (GRF) Record Layouts
2025 Geographic Reference File (GRF) Record Layouts
This page describes the record layout for the Geographic Reference Files – Codes (GRF-C) and Geographic Reference Files – Names (GRF-N). This page has additional explanation regarding file contents and interpretation for each type of file.
Additional details can be found in the legal values documentation for the GRFs:
2025 GRF Legal Values
2025 GRF-C Record Layout
| Field # | GRF-C Field Name | GRF-C Field Description | Max Len | Data Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TABBLKST | 2020 tabulation state FIPS code. The TABBLKST will differ from the CURSTATE if there has been a state boundary change since 2020. Always use the TABBLKST field to properly construct a geographic identifier for a block. | 2 | Character |
| 2 | TABBLKCOU | 2020 tabulation county FIPS code. The TABBLKCOU will differ from the CURCOUNTY if there has been a county boundary change since 2020. Always use the TABBLKCOU field to properly construct a geographic identifier for a block. | 3 | Character |
| 3 | TABTRACTCE | 2020 tabulation census tract code. The TABTRACTCE will differ from the CURTRACTCE if there has been a tract boundary change since 2020. Always use the TABTRACTCE field to properly construct a geographic identifier for a block. | 6 | Character |
| 4 | TABBLK | 2020 tabulation census block number | 4 | Character |
| 5 | TABBLKSUFX1 | First 2020 census block suffix (current block suffix). A non-null value indicates that a 2020 census block has been split into at least two current blocks. | 1 | Character |
| 6 | TABBLKSUFX2 | Second 2020 census block suffix. Always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-C | 1 | Character |
| 7 | TABBLKGRPCE | 2020 tabulation census block group code. The TABBLKGRPCE will differ from the CURBLKGRPCE if there has been a block group boundary change since 2020. | 1 | Character |
| 8 | CURSTATE | Current state FIPS code. The CURSTATE will differ from the TABBLKST if there has been a state boundary change since 2020. Always use the TABBLKST field to properly construct a geographic identifier for a block. CURSTATE should be used to construct unique geographic identifiers for other types of current entities. (Refer to note below.) | 2 | Character |
| 9 | CURCOUNTY | Current county FIPS code. The CURCOUNTY will differ from the TABBLKCOU if there has been a county boundary change since 2020. Always use the TABBLKCOU field to properly construct a geographic identifier for a block CURCOUNTY should be used to construct other unique geographic identifiers for other types of current entities. (Refer to note below.) | 3 | Character |
| 10 | CURTRACTCE | Current census tract code. The CURTRACTCE will differ from the TABTRACTCE if there has been a tract boundary change since 2020. Always use the TABTRACTCE field to properly construct a geographic identifier for a block. | 6 | Character |
| 11 | CURBLKGRPCE | Current census block group code. The CURBLKGRPCE will differ from the TABBLKGRPCE if there has been a block group boundary change since 2020. | 1 | Character |
| 12 | REGIONCE | Census region code | 1 | Character |
| 13 | DIVISIONCE | Census division code | 1 | Character |
| 14 | STATENS | State NS code | 8 | Character |
| 15 | COUNTYNS | County NS code | 8 | Character |
| 16 | COUNTYFS | County functional status code | 1 | Character |
| 17 | COUSUBFP | County subdivision FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 18 | COUSUBNS | County subdivision NS code | 8 | Character |
| 19 | COUSUBFS | County subdivision functional status code | 1 | Character |
| 20 | SUBMCDFP | Subminor civil division FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 21 | SUBMCDNS | Subminor civil division NS code | 8 | Character |
| 22 | ESTATEFP | Estate FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 23 | ESTATENS | Estate NS code | 8 | Character |
| 24 | CONCITFP | Consolidated city FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 25 | CONCITNS | Consolidated city NS code | 8 | Character |
| 26 | PLACEFP | Place FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 27 | PLACENS | Place NS code | 8 | Character |
| 28 | PLACEFS | Place functional status code | 1 | Character |
| 29 | AIANNHFP | American Indian area/Alaska Native area/Native Hawaiian area (AIANNH) FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 30 | AIANNHCE | AIANNH Census code | 4 | Character |
| 31 | AIANNHNS | AIANNH area NS code | 8 | Character |
| 32 | AIHHTLI | American Indian trust land/Hawaiian home land indicator | 1 | Character |
| 33 | TRIBALSUBFP | American Indian tribal subdivision FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 34 | TRIBALSUBCE | American Indian tribal subdivision census code | 3 | Character |
| 35 | TRIBALSUBNS | American Indian tribal subdivision NS code | 8 | Character |
| 36 | TTRACTCE | Tribal census tract code | 6 | Character |
| 37 | TBLKGRPCE | Tribal block group code | 1 | Character |
| 38 | ANRCFP | Alaska Native Regional Corporation FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 39 | ANRCNS | Alaska Native Regional Corporation NS code | 8 | Character |
| 40 | UACE | Urban area code | 5 | Character |
| 41 | UATYP | Urban area type | 1 | Character |
| 42 | UR | Urban/Rural indicator | 1 | Character |
| 43 | CDDECFP | Congressional district FIPS code representing the 116th Congress. | 2 | Character |
| 44 | CDCURFP | Congressional district FIPS code representing the current (119th) congressional session. | 2 | Character |
| 45 | VTDST | Voting district code. VTDST is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-C. | 6 | Character |
| 46 | SLDUST | State legislative district (upper chamber) code | 3 | Character |
| 47 | SLDLST | State legislative district (lower chamber) code | 3 | Character |
| 48 | ZCTA5CE | ZIP Code tabulation area (5-Digit) code | 5 | Character |
| 49 | SDADMLEA | School district administrative area local education agency code | 5 | Character |
| 50 | SDELMLEA | Elementary school district area local education agency code | 5 | Character |
| 51 | SDSECLEA | Secondary school district area local education agency code | 5 | Character |
| 52 | SDUNILEA | Unified school district area local education agency code | 5 | Character |
| 53 | UGACE | Urban growth area code. UGACE is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-C. | 5 | Character |
| 54 | PUMA | Public use microdata area (PUMA) code | 5 | Character |
| 55 | LWBLKTYP | Land/Water block type indicator | 1 | Character |
| 56 | INTPTLAT | Internal point latitude coordinate | 11 | Character |
| 57 | INTPTLON | Internal point longitude coordinate | 12 | Character |
| 58 | AREALAND | Land area measured in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 59 | AREAWATER | Water area measured in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 60 | AREAWATERINLD | Inland water area measured in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 61 | AREAWATERCSTL | Coastal water area measured in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 62 | AREAWATERGRLK | Great Lakes water area measured in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 63 | AREAWATERTSEA | Territorial sea water area measured in square miles | 8 | Number |
| 64 | CSAFP | Combined statistical area FIPS code | 3 | Character |
| 65 | CBSAFP | Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 66 | METDIVFP | Metropolitan division FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 67 | PCICBSA | Indicator of whether the block is part of a principal city of a metropolitan/micropolitan statistical area | 1 | Character |
| 68 | MEMI | Indicator of whether the census block is in a metropolitan statistical area, a micropolitan statistical area, or neither | 1 | Character |
| 69 | OIDTABBLK | Tabulation block object identifier | 22 | Character |
The first record in the GRF-C will be a header row of the fields within the GRF-C:
TABBLKST|TABBLKCOU|TABTRACTCE|TABBLK|TABBLKSUFX1|TABBLKSUFX2|TABBLKGRPCE|CURSTATE|CURCOUNTY|CURTRACTCE|CURBLKGRPCE|REGIONCE|DIVISIONCE|STATENS|COUNTYNS|COUNTYFS|COUSUBFP|COUSUBNS|COUSUBFS|SUBMCDFP|SUBMCDNS|ESTATEFP|ESTATENS|CONCITFP|CONCITNS|PLACEFP|PLACENS|PLACEFS|AIANNHFP|AIANNHCE|AIANNHNS|AIHHTLI|TRIBALSUBFP|TRIBALSUBCE|TRIBALSUBNS|TTRACTCE|TBLKGRPCE|ANRCFP|ANRCNS|UACE|UATYP|UR|CDDECFP|CDCURFP|VTDST|SLDUST|SLDLST|ZCTA5CE|SDADMLEA|SDELMLEA|SDSECLEA|SDUNILEA|UGACE|PUMA|LWBLKTYP|INTPTLAT|INTPTLON|AREALAND|AREAWATER|AREAWATERINLD|AREAWATERCSTL|AREAWATERGRLK|AREAWATERTSEA|CSAFP|CBSAFP|METDIVFP|PCICBSA|MEMI|OIDTABBLK
An example record in the GRF-C may look as follows:
02|013|000100|1000|||1|02|013|000100|1|4|9|01785533|01419964|A|01598|01939933|S|99999|99999999|99999|99999999|99999|99999999|99999|99999999|9|99999|9999|99999999|9|99999|999|99999999|999999|9|01570|02419297|99999|9|R|00|00||00S|037|99999|99999|99999|99999|00007||00400|W|+55.4330762|-162.7240941|0|107112112|0|0|0|107112112|999|99999|99999|9|9|210551004319683
Interpreting this record, the first several fields indicate the census block geoid (TABBLKST + TABBLKCOU + TABTRACTCE + TABBLK, with no suffixes; in this example, 02 013 000100 1000). There are then a variety of columns filled indicating geographic entity codes. For example, the State NS code - STATENS (01785533) and the county NS code - COUNTYNS (01419964).
There are many columns with “9” fills. For example, this block is not part of a metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area, so the CBSAFP, CSAFP, and METDIVFP columns are all “9”-filled to the maximum length of the field.
Note on CURSTATE and CURCOUNTY:
For census block geoids, the ‘tabulation’ (e.g., TABBLKST, TABBLKCOU) fields should be used to accurately identify the 2025 census block record. However, the geographic entities themselves should use CURSTATE and CURCOUNTY where appropriate to generate the current unique geographic identifiers (GEOID). For instance, the PLACEFP field should only be used with CURSTATE to generate the unique FIPS identifier for incorporated places and census designated places. Similarly, for county subdivisions (COUSUBFP) this should use CURSTATE and CURCOUNTY to generate the unique FIPS identifier.
2025 GRF-N Record Layout
| Field # | GRF-N Field Name | GRF-N Field Description | Max Len | Data Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MTFCC | MAF/TIGER feature class code | 5 | Character |
| 2 | VINTAGE | Vintage. Each entity in the GRF-N lists the vintage of the data, reflecting the year. See the legal values for the GRF-N. | 2 | Character |
| 3 | STATEFP | State or equivalent feature FIPS code | 2 | Character |
| 4 | COUNTYFP | County or equivalent feature FIPS code | 3 | Character |
| 5 | GEOCE | Census code | 8 | Character |
| 6 | GEOFP | FIPS code | 5 | Character |
| 7 | GEONS | National standard code | 8 | Character |
| 8 | PARENT | First parent code. This field only has values when the geographic entity is defined and created to nest within a higher-level geography. | 8 | Character |
| 9 | PARENT2 | Second parent code. This field only has values when the geographic entity is defined and created to nest within two levels of higher-level geography. This field is only filled for tribal block groups. | 8 | Character |
| 10 | NAME | Base area name without legal/statistical area description | 100 | Character |
| 11 | NAMELSAD | Area name with legal/statistical area description | 100 | Character |
| 12 | FUNCSTAT | Functional status | 1 | Character |
| 13 | LSADC | Legal/statistical area description code | 2 | Character |
| 14 | PARTFLAG | Part flag (state). The part flag indicates that the entity exists in several states. The GRF-N record reflects attributes that only apply with a single state. | 1 | Character |
| 15 | AIANNHFSR | American Indian area/Alaska Native area/Native Hawaiian area federal/state recognition flag | 1 | Character |
| 16 | AIANNHTYP | American Indian area/Alaska Native area/Native Hawaiian area entity type | 1 | Character |
| 17 | CLASSFP | Two-character class code | 2 | Character |
| 18 | STATEUSPS | Two-character USPS state postal abbreviation | 2 | Character |
| 19 | MEMI | Metropolitan/micropolitan status indicator | 1 | Character |
| 20 | PCICBSA | Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area principal city indicator | 1 | Character |
| 21 | CPI | Central place indicator. CPI is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-N. | 1 | Character |
| 22 | CDSESSN | Congressional district session code | 3 | Character |
| 23 | LSY | Legislative session year | 4 | Character |
| 24 | VTDI | Voting district indicator. VTDI is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-N. | 1 | Character |
| 25 | UR | Urban/rural indicator. UR is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-N. | 1 | Character |
| 26 | UATYPE | Urban area type. UATYPE is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-N. | 1 | Character |
| 27 | GCUNI | Geographic change user note. GCUNI is always empty (null) for the 2025 GRF-N. | 1 | Character |
| 28 | CENTLAT | Centroid latitude coordinate | 11 | Character |
| 29 | CENTLON | Centroid longitude coordinate | 12 | Character |
| 30 | INTPTLAT | Internal point latitude coordinate | 11 | Character |
| 31 | INTPTLON | Internal point longitude coordinate | 12 | Character |
| 32 | AREALAND | Current land area in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 33 | AREAWATER | Current water area in square meters | 8 | Number |
| 34 | OID | Object identifier of the entity. OID is unique within current state. | 22 | Character |
The first record in the GRF-N will be a header row of the fields within the GRF-N:
MTFCC|VINTAGE|STATEFP|COUNTYFP|GEOCE|GEOFP|GEONS|PARENT|PARENT2|NAME|NAMELSAD|FUNCSTAT|LSADC|PARTFLAG|AIANNHFSR|AIANNHTYP|CLASSFP|STATEUSPS|MEMI|PCICBSA|CPI|CDSESSN|LSY|VTDI|UR|UATYPE|GCUNI|CENTLAT|CENTLON|INTPTLAT|INTPTLON|AREALAND|AREAWATER|OID
An example record in the GRF-N may look as follows:
G2200|90|02|||00590|02419295|||Ahtna|Ahtna Alaska Native Regional Corporation|N|77||F||E7|AK||||||||||+61.9770278|-144.4188958|+61.9170968|-144.3768352|73911504472|1391158713|2599045518410
This record is specific to the Ahtna Alaska Native Regional Corporation and contains only name and attribute information for this specific entity. There are many fields that are not filled (they are left null or empty) as they are irrelevant for this entity type. For example, CDSESSN, LSY, and VTDI are all left empty for this record.
Related Information
REFERENCE FILE
Geographic Reference Files