The U.S. CENSUS uses FIPS codes --a series of numbers-- to precisely define geographic areas, such as states, counties, and American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AIANNH) areas. Here's an example of how one Rhode Island location would look.
Central Falls City, in Providence County, in Rhode Island
Locations are define locations precisely so that agencies, researcher and other organizations can study, communicate and act upon items that adversely affect specific locations to enable users to view in a meaningful way, to locate an area, and to join additional datasets other organizations produce to study.
It's important to note that RIDOH GIS (mapping) also provides the year the data was published, (in parenthesis), so you know what vintage data you are using.
GEOID (10) STATE, COUNTY, TRACT indicates that this data was published in 2010.