[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 66 (Friday, April 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17324-17326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-6464]



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Part III





Department of Commerce





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Bureau of the Census



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Census County Division (CCD) and Equivalent Entities, Census Designated 
Place (CDP), Census Tract, and Census Block Group Programs for the 2010 
Census--Proposed Changes and Proposed Criteria; Notices

  Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 66 / Friday, April 6, 2007 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

[Docket Number 070111009-7011-01]


Census County Division (CCD) and Equivalent Entities Program for 
the 2010 Census--Proposed Change and Proposed Criteria

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of proposed program revisions and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: CCDs and equivalent entities are statistical geographic 
entities established cooperatively by the Bureau of the Census (Census 
Bureau) and officials of state and local governments in 22 states \1\ 
where minor civil divisions (MCDs) either do not exist or are 
unsatisfactory for reporting decennial census data. The primary goal of 
the CCD program has been to establish and maintain a set of subcounty 
\2\ units that have stable boundaries and recognizable names.
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    \1\ In Alaska, census subareas are equivalents of CCDs. For the 
purposes of this notice, the term ``CCD'' will also refer to census 
subareas in Alaska.
    \2\ For Census Bureau purposes, the term ``county'' includes 
parishes in Louisiana; boroughs and census areas in Alaska; 
independent cities in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia; 
districts in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands; 
municipalities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; 
municipios in Puerto Rico; and the areas constituting the District 
of Columbia and Guam. This notice will refer to all of these 
entities collectively as ``counties.''
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    The Census Bureau is publishing this notice in the Federal Register 
to request comments from the public and other government agencies. The 
Census Bureau will respond to the comments received as part of the 
publication of final criteria in the Federal Register. After the final 
criteria are published in the Federal Register, the Census Bureau will 
offer designated governments or organizations an opportunity to review 
and, if necessary, suggest updates to the boundaries and attributes of 
the CCDs in their geographic area under the Participant Statistical 
Areas Program (PSAP). In addition to CCDs, the program also encompasses 
the review and update of census tracts, block groups, and census 
designated places.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 5, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program 
to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, mail stop 0100, 
Washington, DC 20233-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on 
this proposed program should be directed to Michael Ratcliffe, Chief, 
Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S. 
Census Bureau, via e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at 
301-763-3056.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. History

    When CCDs were introduced prior to the 1950 Census, few 
alternatives were available for the provision of statistical data 
related to relatively stable, subcounty geographic units. Census tracts 
were defined in only a subset of metropolitan area counties; MCDs 
existed in all counties, but in some states MCD boundaries changed 
frequently enough that they were not useful for comparing statistical 
data from one decade to another.
    For much of the period from the 1950 Census through the 1980 
Census, county subdivisions (MCDs and CCDs) provided the only subcounty 
unit of geography at which data users could obtain statistical data for 
complete coverage of counties nationwide. The introduction of block-
numbering areas (BNAs) in counties without census tracts for the 1990 
Census offered an alternate subcounty entity for which data could be 
tabulated. For Census 2000, the Census Bureau introduced census tracts 
nationwide (in many counties BNAs were simply relabeled as ``census 
tracts'') and the greater dissemination of, and ability to analyze, 
data at the census tract-level made CCDs less necessary as statistical 
reporting units.

II. General Principles and Guidelines for CCDs for the 2010 Census

A. General Principles and Guidelines

    1. The primary goal of the CCD program has been to establish and 
maintain a set of subcounty units that have stable boundaries and 
recognizable names. The boundaries of CCDs usually coincide with 
visible features or stable, significant legal boundaries, such as the 
boundary of an American Indian reservation, federally-managed land, or 
conjoint incorporated places, and have no legal status; there are no 
officials elected to serve traditional local governmental functions.
    2. A CCD usually represents a single contiguous area consisting of 
one or more communities, trading centers, or, in some instances, major 
land uses that are relatively compact in shape.
    3. The area of a CCD has a relationship to the existing census 
tracts, usually consisting of one or more contiguous census tracts or 
having two or more CCDs nesting within a single census tract. The 
boundaries of CCDs generally align with census tract boundaries. Note 
that a county with a population less than the optimum population for a 
census tract (less than 4,000 people) may contain more CCDs than census 
tracts. For example, McCone County, Montana, which has a 2005 estimated 
population of 1,805, contains only one census tract, which covers the 
full extent of the county, but is divided into two CCDs.
    4. Since the 1950s, the Census Bureau has worked with state and 
local officials to replace MCDs with CCDs for the collection, 
presentation, and analysis of census statistics, particularly in states 
in which MCDs do not provide governmental services and functions, and 
in which MCD boundaries tend to change between decennial censuses. To 
date, 22 states have shifted to CCDs: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, 
California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, 
Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South 
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

B. Proposed Changes to the CCD Program

    The Census Bureau has noted that data users are not requesting or 
using data for CCDs to the extent they did in the past, preferring 
instead to analyze and aggregate data by census tract and block group. 
Some data users may view the introduction of CCDs in hierarchical 
tabulations as hampering data extraction. Therefore, if interest no 
longer exists and data are not used, or the geography introduces 
unnecessary complexity in the hierarchy, the Census Bureau will 
consider eliminating CCDs for the 2010 Census.
    Therefore, the Census Bureau is interested in ascertaining whether 
data users still find CCDs to be a useful geographic entity for 
reporting and analyzing statistical data, and if so, specific examples 
of CCD usage. In addition, and related to this request for information, 
the Census Bureau proposes the following options for CCDs:
    1. Eliminate the CCD concept; do not replace with another type of 
subcounty geographic unit. If this proposal is adopted, the Census 
Bureau will not replace the CCD concept with another type of county 
subdivision entity (i.e., MCDs or some other type of legal, 
administrative, or statistical area). As a result, there would be no 
geographic entity defined at the county subdivision level of the census 
geographic hierarchy for those areas where CCDs existed previously.

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    2. Retain the CCD concept. The Census Bureau will retain the CCD 
concept if data user comments indicate that CCDs continue to be useful 
geographic units for reporting statistical data, or if comments 
indicate that creation of a gap in the census geographic hierarchy is 
not favorable (see option 1 above). If the CCD concept is 
retained, the Census Bureau will strongly encourage partners in the 
program to maintain CCD boundaries as defined for Census 2000, to the 
extent possible, in order to preserve comparability of data from one 
decade to another.
    The Census Bureau may consider other proposals, for example, to 
eliminate CCDs on a state-by-state basis.

C. CCD Criteria for the 2010 Census

    The criteria proposed herein apply to the United States, \3\ 
including American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, 
Puerto Rico, and the Island. Areas. \4\ The Census Bureau may modify 
and, if necessary, reject any proposals for census tracts that do not 
meet the established criteria. In addition, the Census Bureau reserves 
the right to modify the boundaries and attributes of CCDs as needed to 
maintain geographic relationships before the final tabulation geography 
is set for the 2010 Census.
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    \3\ For Census Bureau purposes, the United States includes the 
50 states and the District of Columbia.
    \4\ For Census Bureau purposes, the Island Areas include the 
U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.
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    Should CCDs be retained for the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau will 
require that CCDs (1) have community orientation, (2) have visible and/
or stable boundaries, (3) conform to census tract boundaries, and (4) 
have recognizable names.
1. Community Orientation
    Each CCD should focus on one or more communities or places and 
encompass in some fashion the additional surrounding territory that is 
served by these. The definition of community should take into account 
factors, such as production, marketing, consumption, and the 
integrating factor of local institutions.
    The community in which a CCD is centered usually is an incorporated 
place or an unincorporated community, which might be identified as a 
census designated place. In some cases, the CCD may center on a major 
area of significantly different land use or ownership, such as a large 
military base or American Indian reservation. A CCD should always 
comprise a reasonably compact, continuous land area.
2. Visible, Stable Boundaries
    To make the location of CCD boundaries less ambiguous, CCD 
boundaries should follow, wherever possible, visible and identifiable 
features. The use of visible features makes it easier to locate and 
identify CCD boundaries over time, as the locations of many visible 
features in the landscape tend to change infrequently, making data 
collection easier and more reliable while reducing the possibility for 
data allocation errors. The Census Bureau also permits the use of 
state, county, and census tract boundaries, defined federally-
recognized American Indian reservations, and the boundaries of 
federally, state, or locally managed land.
    The following features are acceptable:
    a. County boundaries (always a CCD boundary);
    b. Census tract boundaries, which usually follow visible, 
perennial, natural, and cultural features, such as roads, rivers, 
canals, railroads, or above-ground high-tension power lines;
    c. Legally-defined, federally-recognized American Indian 
reservation boundaries;
    d. The boundaries of federally, state, or locally managed land, 
such as National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, other 
types of large parks or forests, airports, marine ports, 
penitentiaries/prisons, military installations, or other facilities; 
and
    e. Conjoint city limits (in certain situations).
    f. When the above types of features are not available for use as 
CCD boundaries, the Census Bureau may, at its discretion, approve other 
nonstandard, visible features, such as ridge lines, above-ground 
pipelines, streams, or fence lines. The Census Bureau may also accept, 
on a case-by-case basis, the boundaries of selected nonstandard and 
potentially nonvisible features, such as the boundaries of cemeteries, 
golf courses, glaciers, or the straight-line extensions of visible 
features and other lines-of-sight.
3. Census Tract Boundaries, CCD Population Size
    Whenever possible, a CCD should encompass one or more contiguous 
census tracts. Therefore, CCD boundaries should be consistent with 
census tract boundaries. Population size is not as an important 
consideration with CCDs as it is with census tracts. Historically, CCDs 
have ranged from a few hundred people (in selected situations) to more 
than one million. However, data quality and availability may be factors 
that local governments and planners should consider in defining 
geographic areas. As a general rule, estimates of demographic 
characteristics of small areas from the American Community Survey and 
the Puerto Rico Community Survey will be subject to higher variances 
than comparable estimates for areas with larger populations. In 
addition, the Census Bureau's disclosure rules may have the effect of 
restricting the availability and amount of data for areas with small 
populations. Therefore, CCDs that are new for the 2010 Census must have 
a population of at least 1,200 people, the minimum for a census tract. 
Adhering to this minimum threshold will improve data reliability and 
minimize the application of disclosure avoidance methodologies (e.g., 
data suppression or data swapping) to tabulated data.
4. Name Identification
    A CCD usually should be named after the largest population center 
or place within it (e.g., Taos, Chimayo, or Ohkay Owingeh, NM). 
Sometimes a CCD name may represent the two largest centers (e.g., Mount 
Pleasant-Moroni, UT). In some situations, a CCD may be named after a 
prominent physical feature (e.g., Castle Rock, CO, and Mount Rainier, 
WA) or a distinctive region within the county (e.g., Death Valley, CA; 
Everglades and Lower Keys, FL; and Tellico Plains, TN). In other cases, 
a CCD name may consist of the county name and a compass direction to 
indicate the portion of the county in the CCD, or a place name and a 
compass direction to give the CCD location relative to the place. The 
directional indicator usually precedes a county name (e.g., Northeast 
Cobb, GA). If a place name is used, the directional indicator follows 
it (e.g., Del Rio Northwest, TX). In all cases, the objective is to 
clearly identify the extent of the CCD by means of an area name since 
CCD names always should be meaningful to data users. Any name used as a 
CCD name must also be recognized by the Board on Geographic Names for 
federal use and appear in the Geographic Names Information System 
maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. This includes any individual 
names combined to make a hyphenated CCD name.

III. Definitions of Key Terms

    American Indian reservation--A federally-recognized American Indian 
land area with boundaries established by final treaty, statute, 
executive order, and/or court order, and over which a federally-
recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental

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authority. Along with reservations, designations such as colonies, 
communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to American Indian 
reservations.
    Block Group--A statistical subdivision of a census tract consisting 
of all census blocks whose numbers begin with the same digit in a 
census tract.
    Census block--A geographic area bounded by visible and/or invisible 
features in the Census Bureau's Topographically Integrated Geographic 
Encoding and Referencing system, and shown on maps prepared by the 
Census Bureau. A block is the smallest geographic entity for which the 
Census Bureau tabulates decennial census data.
    Census designated place--A statistical geographic entity with a 
concentration of population, housing, and commercial structures that is 
identifiable by name, but is not within an incorporated place.
    Census tract--A small, relatively permanent statistical geographic 
division of a county defined for the tabulation and publication of 
Census Bureau data. The primary goal of the census tract program is to 
provide a set of nationally consistent small, statistical geographic 
units, with stable boundaries, that facilitate analysis of data across 
time.
    Conjoint--A description of a boundary shared by two adjacent 
geographic areas.
    Contiguous--A description of geographic areas that are adjacent to 
one another, sharing either a common boundary or point.
    Federally managed land--Territory that is federally owned and 
administered by an agency of the U.S. federal government, such as the 
National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, or Department of 
Defense.
    Incorporated place--A type of governmental unit, incorporated under 
state law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and 
Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York), or village, 
generally to provide specific governmental services for a concentration 
of people within legally prescribed boundaries.
    Minor civil division--The primary governmental or administrative 
division of a county in 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas 
having legal boundaries, names, and descriptions. MCDs represent many 
different types of legal entities with a wide variety of 
characteristics, powers, and functions depending on the state and type 
of MCD. In some states, some or all of the incorporated places also 
constitute MCDs.
    Nonvisible feature--A map feature that is not visible on the 
ground, such as a city or county boundary through space, a property 
line running through space, a short line-of-sight extension of a road, 
or a point-to-point line of sight.
    Visible feature--A map feature that can be seen on the ground, such 
as a road, railroad track, major above-ground transmission line or 
pipeline, stream, shoreline, fence, sharply defined mountain ridge, or 
cliff. A nonstandard visible feature is a feature that may not be 
clearly defined on the ground (such as a ridge), may be seasonal (such 
as an intermittent stream), or may be relatively impermanent (such as a 
fence). The Census Bureau generally requests verification that 
nonstandard features pose no problem in their location during 
fieldwork.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice has been determined to be not significant under 
Executive Order 12866.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This program notice does not represent a collection of information 
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35.

    Dated: April 3, 2007.
Charles Louis Kincannon,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
 [FR Doc. E7-6464 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P