Census tract what is

Therefore in order to compile data on a certain neighborhood over several decades it will be necessary to figure out the correct tract number s for a given neighborhood every census year.

A census tract is smaller than a City but larger than a Block Group or Census Block, see this hierarchical presentation. One complication is that census tracts don't necessarily follow city boundaries. The Bureau of Census follows people rather than political boundaries. Most census tracts will be entirely within one city, but some cross over city limits and include rural land.

A notable example is census tract It includes the small part of City of Lansing that juts into Eaton County, plus includes a bunch of rural land too. Census Tracts and Block Numbering Areas.

Chapter 10 of Geographic Areas Reference Manual. These citations are not definitive. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Census. Maps scanned from the paper maps in the MSU Library:. US Department of Commerce.

State of Michigan. Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Lansing, MI: The Department. Title of map, dates. This Maptitude map shows census tracts in New York City. The census tracts provided with Maptitude include demographic data such as population and income and are ideal for demographic analysis. Toggle navigation Caliper. Home Glossary of Terms Tract Definition. A census tract may be split into two or more new census tracts usually when its population exceeds 8, CT splits are usually done in a way that allows users to re-aggregate the splits to the original census tract for historical comparison.

The minimum population of 2, allows for statistically significant data tabulations. The maximum population of 8, facilitates delineation and retention of relatively homogeneous and useful tracts. The population range and average also permit data comparability among census tracts. Each census tract is assigned a seven-character numeric 'name' including leading zeros, the decimal point and trailing zeros.

For example:. If a census tract is split into two or more parts due to a population increase, the number after the decimal point identifies the splits.

For example, CT If CT Similarly, if CT Any splits occurring after this would be numbered in a similar fashion, with the next sequential number. This allows users to re-aggregate the splits to the original census tract.

A conversion table showing the relationship between the current and previous census tracts for each tracted centre is available upon request from the Geography Division, Statistics Canada. The nature of the census tract concept, along with the availability of a wide range of census data, makes census tracts useful in many applications. These include:.

Beginning in , census agglomerations were eligible for census tracts based on the population size of their urban cores 50, or more at the previous census. This was a change from previous censuses, when census agglomerations had to contain a municipality census subdivision with a population of 50, or more at the previous census to be eligible for census tracts. From to , a provincial census tract program existed.

Provincial census tracts were similar in concept to census tracts, but covered areas outside census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations. Taken together, census tracts and provincial census tracts covered all of Canada.