Planning - Population - Terms and Definitions - DCP

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2020 Census

Housing and Economy

Population

Region

Transportation

Urban Design

Climate and Sustainability Planning


Population

Overview

Data

Resources

Terms and Definitions of Available Geographies

A note about new 2020 Census geographies:

2020 Census operations include the revision of statistical geographies, such as census tracts and blocks. DCP has also updated Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs), and has created a new geography called Community District Tabulation Areas (CDTAs). Click here to access an interactive guide to the 2020 Census geographic reconfiguration.

Census Bureau Geographies

County

New York City is comprised of five counties, also known as boroughs: Bronx, Brooklyn (Kings County), Manhattan (New York County), Queens and Staten Island (Richmond County).

Census Tract

A census tract is a small geographic unit delineated for the presentation and analysis of decennial census data. Census tracts are a form of statistical geography, as opposed to geography created exclusively for legal, political or administrative purposes.

In New York City, census tracts average 4,000 residents and a land area of 90 acres. Census tracts are intended to permit meaningful analyses of small areas over time and thus have relatively permanent boundaries.

Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs)

PUMAs have a minimum population of 100,000. They are aggregated from census tracts and approximate Community Districts (CDs—see below for more info on these), or combinations of CDs. There are 59 CDs and only 55 NYC PUMAs because of such combinations.

PUMAs are also used for disseminating American Community Survey estimates.

New York City Department of City Planning Geographies

Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs)

Geographic files of Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs) are created by DCP, using whole census tracts from the 2010 Census as building blocks. They are sub-divisions of PUMAs, allowing for more detailed analysis at the NYC neighborhood-level.

NTA boundaries and their associated names may not definitively represent neighborhoods.

Community Districts

Community Districts are administrative districts that are unique to New York City. Each of the city’s 59 community districts has a community board, which represents the district. These boards were created by local law in 1975 and present opportunities for active participation in the political process and provision of services.

Community districts range in size from less than 900 acres to almost 15,000 acres, and in population from a little more than 50,000 residents to more than 200,000.

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