# Episode 3: Geography Before Numbers

Selects place, tract, block group, district, and custom geographies deliberately.

## Sources and attribution

- [Discovering the American Community Survey](https://www.census.gov/data/academy/courses/discovering-the-american-community-survey.html) by Vicki Mack and U.S. Census Bureau; published by U.S. Census Bureau Census Academy.
- [Census Geographic Relationship Files](https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/relationship-files.html) by U.S. Census Bureau Geography Program; published by U.S. Census Bureau.
- [General Plan](https://www.torranceca.gov/Government/Departments-Offices/Departments-Offices/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensive-Planning/General-Plan) by City of Torrance; published by City of Torrance.

This episode is an independent study production based on the sources listed above. Source attribution does not imply affiliation, approval, sponsorship, or endorsement by any author, publisher, or institution.

## License

U.S. Government work not subject to copyright in the United States; third-party material excluded; Copyrighted local government webpage; facts summarized with attribution, no expressive text reproduced

## Production notes

Independent educational production. Not an official U.S. Census Bureau or City of Torrance course, not endorsed or certified by either, and not legal or statistical advice. The narration is an original synthesis. Verify current law, guidance, course requirements, and source terms before relying on it.

Stable episode ID: `e45ffa2d-207c-5ec2-a89f-d32d7a5f0102`

## Transcript

This episode focuses on geographic fit. Census data becomes useful when the population, measure, geography, and time period are stated before anyone searches for a number.

Census geography is a system of legal, administrative, and statistical areas. A place, county subdivision, tract, block group, public use microdata area, and ZIP Code Tabulation Area are not interchangeable.

Choose geography based on the decision and product availability. Tracts and block groups support small-area analysis, but estimates can be less precise. Boundaries can change, and a service district or neighborhood may not match a standard Census area.

Save geographic codes, not only names. Use official relationship files or a documented crosswalk when boundaries differ. If an analyst aggregates areas, record the method and avoid claiming exact alignment where only approximation exists.

Torrance application segment. This local application is separate from the Census Academy instruction. The cited City of Torrance primary source is General Plan, published at https://www.torranceca.gov/Government/Departments-Offices/Departments-Offices/Community-Development/Planning-Division/Comprehensive-Planning/General-Plan. For a local analysis, identify the policy geography in the General Plan before choosing Census areas, and disclose any mismatch. Do not present City policy or administrative records as Census Bureau findings, and do not present a federal estimate as adopted City policy.

Keep a reproducibility packet containing the question, source URLs, exact vintage, table or query, geography codes, raw result, calculations, and uncertainty note. This narration is an original synthesis of cited U.S. Census Bureau government works and separately cited City of Torrance material. Third-party videos, software, graphics, and linked works are excluded. This product uses Census Bureau information but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau. It is not an official City product and does not imply City endorsement.