Missouri Geocodes

County, city, ZIP code associations

The Geocoding Data System is a system of geographic identification codes which cross-references city, ZIP code, and county areas. It is based primarily on 2000 Census information.

Terms and Definitions

The following list details variables found in the Geocoding Data System.

City Code: Coding system used by Missouri Vital Statistics in processing birth, death, fetal death and abortion records for the state. The coding system originally came from the US Census Bureau.

The “V” next to the vital stats city code designates that only these cities are included in the Vital Statistics coding system.

Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
FIPS codes were issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) after approval by the Secretary of Commerce. FIPS are the standard codes for geographic places used by the federal government.

FIPS City Code (FIPS Place Code): Standard code for cities used by the federal government. The Census Bureau began using these codes in the 2000 Census.

FIPS Class Code Definitions:
The following selected definitions are taken from the official FIPS website; the entire document can be located at http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipsbubs/55new/class76.htm.

Class C: Incorporated Places
Names appearing in this class are those recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau based on information provided by State, county, and local governments. Alternative authoritative common names recognized by the US Board on Geographic Names are recorded in subclass C4.

C1: Identifies an active incorporated place that is not also recognized as an Alaska Native Village Statistical area and does not also serve as a primary county divisions; that is, it is included in and is part of a primary county division.

C4: Identifies an alternate authoritative common name of any member of the other subclasses of Class C. The entity code of the legal name is referenced in the “Other Name Code” of the record, and in the entry for the legal name, the Other Name Code references the alternate. For example, the entity whose legal name is Park Hills (subclass C1) is alternatively known as Rivermines, which is coded C4.

C7: Identifies an independent city. Independent cities exist in only four States: Maryland (Baltimore City), Nevada (Carson City), Missouri (St Louis City) and Virginia (41 cities). These cities also serve as county equivalents.

Class M: Federal Facilities

M2: Identifies an installation (or part of an installation) that qualifies under subclass M and has been reported by the Census Bureau as a CDP.

Class U: Populated (Community) Places (except those associated with facilities)

U1: Identifies a census designated place (CDP) with a name identical to the authoritative common name that describes essentially the same population. Also see subclass M2.

U4: Identifies a populated place wholly or substantially within the boundaries of an incorporated place with a different name; the Part of Code identifies the incorporated place. For example, Arbor Terrace is a part of the city of Northwoods in St Louis County.

FIPS County Code: Standard code for counties used by the federal government. The Census Bureau began using these codes in the 2000 Census. The exception on this file to this rule is Ste Genevieve, which has a 193 code (the federal government lists St Genevieve as 186).

The “*” next to the county name designates the county where the city limits of a certain city are located. It is only used when a ZIP code is located in multiple counties.

US Postal Service ZIP Code: The US Post Office defined categories for grouping mailing addresses.