What is LUCA?

LUCA is the only opportunity offered to tribal, state, and local governments to review and comment on the U.S. Census Bureau’s residential address list for their jurisdiction prior to the 2020 Census. The Census Bureau relies on a complete and accurate address list to reach every living quarters and associated population for inclusion in the census.

Why participate in LUCA?

• To help ensure an accurate decennial census count in your community.
• To help the federal government distribute more than $400 billion in funds annually for infrastructure, programs, and services.
• To help your community plan for future needs.

Who can participate in LUCA?

Active, functioning, legal governments can participate in LUCA. These include:

• Federally recognized tribes with a reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands.
• States.
• Counties.
• Cities (incorporated places).
• Townships (minor civil divisions).

If you are unable to participate in LUCA, you may designate an alternate reviewer for your government, such as your county, state data center, or regional planning agency.

LUCA Materials

The Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS) is new for LUCA. The GUPS is a self-contained Geographic Information System (GIS) update and processing package. In addition to the software, you will receive the Census Bureau’s address list, address count list by census block, and Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) partnership shapefiles.

The Census Bureau offers its address list in digital or paper formats. The digital format requires the use of spreadsheet or database software. The paper format is available only to governments with 6,000 or fewer addresses. 

Maps are offered in digital (TIGER partnership shapefiles that require GIS software) or paper (large format maps are 42 X 36 inches and include a DVD of small format [8.5 X 14 inches] block maps in Adobe PDF) formats. The Census Bureau offers in-person training using LUCA materials. Self-training aids and Webinars are available online at the LUCA Web site. 

What’s new for LUCA?

• Pre-LUCA activities provide more opportunities to submit address information and receive feedback through the continuous Geographic Support System (GSS) Program.
• Streamlined participation through the Full Address List Review provides the opportunity to review and update the Census Bureau's address list.
• The Census Bureau’s digital address list is available in new, convenient standard software formats.
• Comprehensive data that includes ungeocoded address and residential structure coordinates.

For more information on LUCA, please visit the United States Census Bureau website