Home > Census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is an area identified by the United States Census Bureau for separate statistical reporting. There are a number of reasons for such a 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. There may be historic reasons for separate reporting to allow comparisons with previous census data, such as Covedale, Ohio. A third instance occurs when a city's boundaries place it in more than one county. Still another instance of this designation may apply to large military bases that are not within the boundaries of any existing community, such as Fort Campbell and Fort Knox in Kentucky.In other words, it is a place that is treated as a city or municipality while counting people in the census, because it resembles them in population density and structure, but which has no separate town rights or a city council. The population and demographics of the district are virtually always included in the numbers reported for one or more adjacent villages, towns, townships, or cities. In the relatively rare cases where a district is completely distinct from any adjacent community (often true of military bases), the data for that district is included in the county (or county equivalent) where the district is located.
Reference
- U.S. Census Bureau, Geography Division, "Cartographic Boundary Files", Census-designated place. Cartographic Operations Branch, July 18, 2001.
Census Designated Places
