Description: 2020 Census tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or equivalent entity, and are reviewed and updated by local participants prior to each decennial census as part of the Census Bureau’s Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). The primary purpose of census tracts is to provide a stable set of geographic units for the presentation of decennial census data.Census tracts generally have a total population size between 1,200 and 8,000 people with an optimum size of 4,000 people. The spatial size of census tracts varies widely depending on the density of settlement. Ideally, census tract boundaries remain stable over time to facilitate statistical comparisons from census to census. However, physical changes in street patterns caused by highway construction, new development, and so forth, may require boundary revisions. In addition, significant changes in population may result in splitting or combining census tracts. State and county boundaries always are census tract boundaries in the standard census geographic hierarchy, but tracts can cross the same kinds of boundaries that block groups can. Census tract numbers have up to a 4-character basic number and may have an optional 2-character suffix. The census tract numbers (used as names) eliminate any leading zeroes and append a suffix only if required. The 6-digit census tract codes, however, include leading zeroes and have an implied decimal point for the suffix. Census tract codes (000100 to 998999) are unique within a county or equivalent area.
Copyright Text: US Census Bureau 2020 TIGER/Line data from MAF/TIGER database (MTDB).
Massachusetts Bureau of Geographic Information (MassGIS), Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS)