The Geographically Updated Population Certification Program (GUPCP) is a government-sponsored program that enables tribal and local governments, and other customers, to obtain certified 2020 Census population and housing counts for updated or newly established government boundaries. The Eligibility section of this page lists the general and special-purpose governments that may participate.

GUPCP is a permanent process that is suspended during decennial censuses. Typically, the Census Bureau will suspend this service and direct its resources to the decennial census for approximately five years. This includes the two years preceding the decennial census, the decennial census year, and the two years following it. The Census Bureau will issue notices in the Federal Register announcing when it suspends, and in turn, resumes the service. Additional information about the resumption of GUPCP can be obtained from 88 FR 86106, December 12, 2023.

Resumption of the GUPCP begins in January 2024 and continues as a fee-based service that the Census Bureau has provided since the 1970s. The final fee structure is located in the Participation in GUPCP section of this page.

The Census Bureau offers geographically updated population and housing count certifications for the following general-purpose and special-purpose governments:

• Federally recognized American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands. This includes a reservation designated as a colony, community, Indian community, Indian village, pueblo, rancheria, reservation, reserve, or village.
• Counties and statistically equivalent governments, including counties in 48 states; boroughs, municipalities, and census areas in Alaska; planning regions in Connecticut; parishes in Louisiana; and municipios in Puerto Rico.
• Minor civil divisions in the District of Columbia and the 29 states in which they exist: Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
• Incorporated places, including boroughs in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; cities in 49 states and the District of Columbia; cities, boroughs, and municipalities in Alaska; towns in 30 states (excluding towns in New England, New York and Wisconsin which are minor civil divisions); and villages in 20 states.
• Consolidated cities.
• School districts.

Geographically updated population and housing count certifications are not currently available for other areas or individual census blocks split by boundaries. 

The GUPCP is offered to governments as a fee-based service. Below is the final fee structure; more information about this can be found in the Form BC-1869(EF) below.

To request a geographically updated population and housing count certification:

• Complete Form BC-1869(EF). Instructions are provided on the form.
• Gather documentation for all boundary updates. Documentation should include the following information:
  • Map or geospatial file showing the area of change.
  • Authorization type (e.g., ordinance or resolution).
  • Effective date.
  • Documentation number (e.g., law or ordinance number).
• Email the form and documentation to the Census Bureau at pop.LGEMP@census.gov.

Communication requesting the service without Form BC-1869(EF) will be accepted only if it contains the information necessary to complete the form.

The 2020 Census tabulation of population and housing used government boundaries that were effective on or before January 1, 2020. GUPCP provides the requesting participant with a new certification of 2020 Census population and housing counts based on boundary updates that became effective after the 2020 Census.

The certificate, defined as an attestation, is a signed statement by a Census Bureau official attesting to the authenticity of the certified 2020 Census population and housing count for the updated or newly established government boundaries. Customarily, the certificate is produced for the highest elected official of the government requesting the certificate. Certificates are provided through e-mail to the highest elected official (and requester, if applicable) listed on the BC-1869(EF).