2020 Census Audience Segment Descriptions

Audience segments are groups of census tracts with similar predicted self-response behavior and similar demographic variables associated with self-response. Final audience segments were selected for their distinctive patterns of media consumption and distribution of census mindsets. The eight 2020 Census audience segments in the U.S. range from highly likely to respond to the census to unlikely to respond. In-depth descriptions of each segment are available below.

National Segment Map [1.0 MB]

Responsive Suburbia [1.0 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in suburban neighborhoods with single family homes.
Main Street Middle [1.0 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in small towns and less densely populated neighborhoods surrounding urban centers.
Country Roads [1.1 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in rural areas predominantly in the eastern United States, surrounding small towns and outside the suburbs of major cities.
Downtown Dynamic [<1.0 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in densely populated metro centers.
Student and Military Communities [<1.0 MB]

Tracts in this segment can typically be found near college campuses or military bases.
Sparse Spaces [1.2 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in rural areas predominantly in the western United States, Appalachia, northern Maine, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Multicultural Mosaic [<1.0 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in California’s Central Valley and parts of New Mexico, Texas, and Florida, with additional concentrations in urban areas.
Rural Delta and Urban Enclaves [1.0 MB]

Tracts in this segment can be found in rural parts of the Southeastern United States with additional concentrations in urban areas.