Newsroom Archive

The Commerce Department's Census Bureau has begun shipping to state officials paper copies of three county-based maps -- county block, voting district state legislative district outline -- used to support the Census 2000 Redistricting Data Program.

The delivery of the maps to the governors and legislative leaders of each state, expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2001, precedes the release of the Census 2000 population data which will be used to redraw congressional and state legislative boundaries.

By law, the redistricting data must be delivered to the states by April 1, 2001. These data include total population, population 18 years and over, 63 race categories, non-Hispanic population for the same race categories and Hispanic or Latino population for all levels of geography down to the census block.

The block maps, the most detailed maps that the Census Bureau publishes, show the Census 2000 tabulation block, block group and census tract boundaries and codes. They also display boundaries for townships, counties, American Indian areas and incorporated places.

The voting district outline maps show voting districts (election precincts and wards) or state legislative districts, or both, as provided by those states that participated in Phase 2 of the Redistricting Data Program.

The census tract outline maps show the boundaries and the underlying features (roads, railroads, rivers, county lines, etc.) that make up the boundaries of the census tracts. They do not display the entire street grid within a tract.

All three map types will be made available by May 2001 in PDF format through the Census Bureau's online search-and-retrieval database, American FactFinder.

These map types will go on sale to the public at a future date. Information about availability and prices may be obtained via the Census Bureau's homepage <https://www.census.gov>.