A census-designated place (CDP)
is a
concentration of population defined by the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of
incorporated place
The United States Census Bureau defines a place as a concentration of population which has a name, is locally recognized, and is not part of any other place. A place typically has a residential nucleus and a closely spaced street pattern, and it f ...
s, such as self-governing
cities
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
,
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
s, and
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
s, for the purposes of gathering and correlating statistical data. CDPs are populated areas that generally include one officially designated but currently
unincorporated community, for which the CDP is named, plus surrounding inhabited countryside of varying dimensions and, occasionally, other, smaller unincorporated communities as well. CDPs include small rural communities,
edge cities
An edge city is a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional downtown or central business district, in what had previously been a suburban, residential or rural area. The term was popularized by the 1991 boo ...
,
colonias located along the
Mexico–United States border
The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...
, and unincorporated
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
and
retirement communities and their environs. The boundaries of any CDP may change from decade to decade, and the Census Bureau may de-establish a CDP after a period of study, then re-establish it some decades later. Most unincorporated areas within the United States are not and have not been included in any CDP.
The boundaries of a CDP have no legal status
and may not always correspond with the local understanding of the area or community with the same name. However, criteria established for the
2010 census require that a CDP name "be one that is recognized and used in daily communication by the residents of the community" (not "a name developed solely for planning or other purposes") and recommend that a CDP's boundaries be mapped based on the geographic extent associated with inhabitants' regular use of the named place. There is no provision, however, that this name recognition be unanimous for all residents, or that all residents use the community for which the CDP is named for services provided therein. There is no mandatory correlation between CDP names or boundaries and those established for other human purposes, such as post office names or zones, political precincts, or school districts.
The Census Bureau states that census-designated places are not considered incorporated places and that it includes only census-designated places in its city population list for
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
because that state has no incorporated cities.
In addition, census city lists from 2007 included
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...
's CDP in the list with the incorporated places, but since 2010, only the Urban Honolulu CDP, Hawaii, representing the historic core of
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, is shown in the city and town estimates.
History
The Census Bureau reported data for some unincorporated places as early as the
first census in 1790 (for example,
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, which was not legally incorporated in Kentucky until 1828), though usage continued to develop through the
1890 census
The 1890 United States census was taken beginning June 2, 1890. The census determined the resident population of the United States to be 62,979,766, an increase of 25.5 percent over the 50,189,209 persons enumerated during the 1880 census. The ...
, in which the census mixed unincorporated places with incorporated places in its products with "town" or "village" as its label.
This made it confusing to determine which of the "towns" were or were not incorporated.
["Chapter 9 – Places" in ''Geographic Areas Reference Manual''](_blank)
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
. Accessed November 19, 2016.
The
1900
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...
through
1930 censuses
Year 193 ( CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 193 for this y ...
did not report data for unincorporated places.
For the
1940 census, the Census Bureau compiled a separate report of unofficial, unincorporated communities of 500 or more people.
The Census Bureau officially defined this category as "unincorporated places" in the
1950 census and used that term through the 1970 census.
For the 1950 census, these types of places were identified only outside "
urbanized area
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
s".
In
1960
It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.
Events January
* Janu ...
, the Census Bureau also identified unincorporated places inside urbanized areas (except in
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, whose political geography is based on the
New England town
The town is the basic unit of Local government in the United States, local government and local division of state authority in the six New England states. Most other U.S. states lack a direct counterpart to the New England town. New England town ...
, and is distinctly different from other areas of the U.S.), but with a population of at least 10,000.
For the
1970 census, the population threshold for "unincorporated places" in urbanized areas was reduced to 5,000.
For the
1980 census
The 1980 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 census. It was the first ce ...
, the designation was changed to "census designated places"
and the designation was made available for places inside urbanized areas in New England.
For the
1990 census, the population threshold for CDPs in urbanized areas was reduced to 2,500.
From 1950 through 1990, the Census Bureau specified other population requirements for unincorporated places or CDPs in
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
,
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
, island areas, and
Native American reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose government is autonomous, subject to regulations passed by the United States Congress and admini ...
s. Minimum population criteria for CDPs were dropped with the
2000 census.
[U.S. Bureau of the Census,]
Census Designated Place (CDP) Program for the 2010 Census — Proposed Criteria
, 72 ''Federal Register'' 17326-17329, April 6, 2007.
The Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) allows designated participants to review and suggest modifications to the boundaries for CDPs.
The PSAP was to be offered to county and municipal planning agencies during 2008.
Effects of designation and examples
The boundaries of such places may be defined in cooperation with local or tribal officials, but are not fixed, and do not affect the status of local government or incorporation; the territories thus defined are strictly statistical entities. CDP boundaries may change from one census to the next to reflect changes in settlement patterns.
Further, as statistical entities, the boundaries of the CDP may not correspond with local understanding of the area with the same name. Recognized communities may be divided into two or more CDPs while on the other hand, two or more communities may be combined into one CDP. A CDP may also cover the unincorporated part of a named community, where the rest lies within an incorporated place.
By defining an area as a CDP, that locality then appears in the same category of census data as incorporated places. This distinguishes CDPs from other census classifications, such as
minor civil divisions (MCDs), which are in a separate category.
The population and
demographics
Demography () is the statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration.
Demographic analysis examin ...
of the CDP are included in the data of county subdivisions containing the CDP. Generally, a CDP shall not be defined within the boundaries of what the Census Bureau regards to be an incorporated city, village or borough.
However, the Census Bureau considers some towns in New England states,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
and
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
as well as townships in some other states as MCDs, even though they are
incorporated municipalities in those states. In such states, CDPs may be defined within such towns or spanning the boundaries of multiple towns.
Purpose of designation
There are a number of reasons for the CDP designation:
* The area may be more urban than its surroundings, having a concentration of population with a definite residential nucleus, such as
Whitmore Lake, Michigan
Whitmore Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community spans the boundary between Green Oak Township in Livingston County and Northfield Township in Washtenaw County. The pop ...
;
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey ...
;
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie ( ) is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is ...
; and
The Villages, Florida
The Villages is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It forms the core of a broader master-planned, age-restricted community of the same name. Located in central Florida, approxi ...
(the latter CDP covering only a portion of the overall community).
* A formerly incorporated place may disincorporate or be partly
annexed
Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...
by a neighboring town, but the former town or a part of it may still be reported by the census as a CDP by meeting criteria for a CDP. Examples are the former village of
Covedale (village in Ohio), compared with
Covedale (CDP), Ohio, or the former village of
Seneca Falls (CDP), New York, disincorporated in 2011.
* The area may contain an easily recognizable institution, usually occupying a large land area, with an identity distinct from the surrounding community. This could apply to some college campuses and large
military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
s (or parts of a military base) that are not within the limits of any existing community, such as
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's Co ...
;
Stanford, California
Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University, after which it was named. The CDP's population was 21,150 at the United States Census, ...
(which houses the
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
campus);
Fort Campbell North, Kentucky; and
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
* In other cases, the boundary of an incorporated place may bisect a recognized community. An example of this is
Bostonia, California
Bostonia is a neighborhood in San Diego County, California, comprising part of the northeastern portion of the city of El Cajon, as well as adjacent unincorporated areas of San Diego County. The portion of Bostonia that lies outside the El Cajo ...
, which straddles the city limits of
El Cajon
El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, lit. 'the box') is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was named for the box-like shape of the valley tha ...
. The
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...
places the nucleus of Bostonia within El Cajon. The Bostonia CDP covers the greater El Cajon area in unincorporated
San Diego County
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...
that is generally north of that part of Bostonia within El Cajon.
* In some states, a CDP may be defined within an incorporated municipality that (for the purposes of the census) is regarded as a
minor civil division. For example, all
towns in New England are incorporated municipalities, but may also include both rural and urban areas. CDPs may be defined to describe urbanized areas within such municipalities, as in the case of
North Amherst, Massachusetts.
*
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
is the only state that has no incorporated places recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau below the county level. All data for places in Hawaii reported by the census are CDPs.
* A few CDPs represent an aggregation of several nearby communities - for example,
Shorewood–Tower Hills–Harbert, Michigan, or
Egypt Lake-Leto, Florida. However, the Census Bureau discontinued this method for most CDPs during the
2010 census.
* In rare cases, a CDP was also defined for the urbanized area surrounding an incorporated municipality, but which is outside the municipal boundaries, for example,
Greater Galesburg, Michigan, or
Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Greater Upper Marlboro is an area of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, that completely surrounds Upper Marlboro, the county seat. It was formerly a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 18,720 at the 2000 census. Ho ...
. This practice was discontinued in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
.
* In some states, the Census Bureau designates entire minor civil divisions (MCD) with an urban or suburban character as CDPs (for example
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan
West Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, West Bloomfield is located roughly from downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population o ...
, or
Reading, Massachusetts
Reading ( ) is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, north of central Boston. The population was 25,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
History Settlement
Many of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ...
). Such designations are used in states where the MCDs function with strong governmental authority and provide services equivalent to an incorporated municipality (New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin). MCDs appear in a separate category in census data from places (i.e., incorporated places and CDPs); however, when MCDs strongly resemble incorporated places, CDPs coterminous with the MCDs are defined so that such places appear in both categories of census data.
See also
*
Census county division
A Census County Division (CCD) is a country subdivision, subdivision of a county (United States), county used by the United States Census Bureau for the purpose of presenting data, statistical data. A CCD is a relatively permanent statistical area ...
*
Designated place
A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the s ...
, a counterpart in the Canadian census
*
Incorporated place
The United States Census Bureau defines a place as a concentration of population which has a name, is locally recognized, and is not part of any other place. A place typically has a residential nucleus and a closely spaced street pattern, and it f ...
*
Unincorporated area
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
*
Populated place
In geography, statistics and archaeology, a settlement, locality or populated place is a community of people living in a particular place. The complexity of a settlement can range from a minuscule number of dwellings grouped together to t ...
, used by the United States Board on Geographic Names
*
ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics. These were introduced with the Census 2000 and continued with the 2010 Census and 5 year American Community ...
Notes
References
* U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division,
Cartographic Boundary Shapefiles – Places (Incorporated Places and Census Designated Places). Cartographic Operations Branch, December 11, 2014.
* U.S. Census Bureau, , Census Designated Places (CDPs) – Census 2000 Criteria.
* U.S. Census Bureau,
', United States Department of Commerce.
{{USCensus Geography
United States Census Bureau geography
1980 establishments in the United States