This earlier paper is setting the foundation for substate region codes with the setting of State geo-codes. The 2011 version also here shows the current development.

1. Sub-State Region Geo-codes for the United States
By Tom (Thomas J.) Christoffel
December 27, 2007
Introduction
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Codes are used for data processing in
the U.S. The system began its official life with the first FIPS publication on November 1, 1968.
FIPS PUB 5-2 includes codes for States, the District of Columbia and outlying areas. FIPS PUB
6-4 covers counties and equivalent entities. More information can be found on-line at
http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/index.htm.
The objectives of these standards: “...are to improve the utilization of data resources of
the Federal Government and to avoid unnecessary duplication and incompatibilities in the
collection, processing, and dissemination of data.” FIPS codes are geocodes, however they are
assigned based on alphabetic name and not the geographic relationship between States or
Counties within a State.
This feature makes it easy to find data about a named locality in a list, however it makes
it difficult to easily compare adjoining jurisdictions. Often, these may be unknown to the
researcher.
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the numbered system of Planning Districts was used
to aggregate local data in State reports. It was my assumption that these were FIPS Codes. Some
time in the 1980’s I was informed that wasn’t the case, it was simply a data sorting benefit
derived from the Virginia system which, by Executive Order 16 in 1973, required that State
Agencies use the Planning District geography in development of any sub-state districts.
The A-95 Intergovernmental Review process learned that many states did not have a
complete system
Census Region States
Number - Region Name Number for North-South Geo-code - State (FIPS Code)
1 - Northeast
01 – Maine (23)
02 - New Hampshire (33)
03 - Vermont (50)
04 - Massachusetts (25)
05 - Rhode Island (44)
06 - Connecticut (9)
07 - New York (36)
08 - New Jersey (34)
09 – Pennsylvania (42)
2 - South
10 – Delaware (10)
11 - Maryland (24)
12 - District of Columbia (11)
13 – Virginia (51)
14 - West Virginia (54)
15 - North Carolina (37)
16 - South Carolina (45)
17 – Georgia (13)
18 - Florida (12)
19 - Kentucky (21)

2. 20 - Tennessee (47)
21 - Alabama (1)
22 - Mississippi (28)
23 - Arkansas (5)
24 - Louisiana (22)
25 – Oklahoma (40)
26 - Texas (48)
3 - Midwest
27 - Michigan (26)
28 – Ohio (39)
29 – Indiana (18)
30 - Illinois (17)
31 - Wisconsin (55)
32 – Minnesota (27)
33 - North Dakota (38)
34 - South Dakota (46)
35 - Iowa (19)
36 - Nebraska (31)
37 - Missouri (29)
38 - Kansas (20)
4 - West
39 - Montana (30)
40 - Wyoming (56)
41 - Idaho (16)
42 – Nevada (32)
43 - Utah (49)
44 - Colorado (8)
45 - New Mexico (35)
46 - Arizona (4)
47 - Alaska (2)
48 - Washington (53)
49 - Oregon (41)
50 - California (6)
51 - Hawaii (15)
sub-stateregiongeo-codesfortheu-s-110802011502-phpapp02.doc Created on 12/28/2007 5:10:00 a12/p12 Created by Tom
Christoffel