Census Block

The smallest geographic area for which the Bureau of the Census collects and tabulates decennial census data. Generally small in area. In a city, a census block looks like a city block bounded on all sides by streets. Census blocks in suburban and rural areas may be large, irregular, and bounded by a variety of features, such as roads, streams, and transmission lines. In remote areas, census blocks may encompass hundreds of square miles. Census blocks are grouped into block groups, which are grouped into census tracts.