Plain-language definitions of the words you will see in Studio and in these help articles.
- ACS (American Community Survey): the Census Bureau's yearly survey of people and housing. Most tables in a profile use it.
- 5-year estimates: ACS numbers that combine five years of survey answers, so even small areas have reliable numbers. Studio uses the latest 5-year estimates.
- AI summary: a short text, written by an AI model, that describes what a section's numbers show. Always read and check it. See AI summaries.
- Benchmark: another name for a comparison area. In a profile, comparison chips are marked benchmark.
- Block: one item in a section: a table, a chart, a number, a text note, or an AI summary.
- Block group: a piece of a census tract, usually 600 to 3,000 people. The smallest area Studio offers.
- Census tract: a neighborhood-sized area, usually 1,200 to 8,000 people, that the Census Bureau uses to report data.
- Comparison area: a place shown next to your study area in every table, such as its state or the nation. See Add comparison areas.
- Custom area: several areas combined into one, such as the tracts that make up a downtown. The profile reports one total for it. See Build a custom area.
- Data coverage: Studio's check of whether every data source has numbers for your places. See Data coverage and stand-in geographies.
- Data source: one table of published data, such as a Census Bureau table on rent.
- FIPS code: the number the federal government gives each state, county, tract, and other area, for example 50007 for Chittenden County, Vermont.
- Gap: a data source with no numbers for one of your places.
- Key Findings: the name Export uses for What stands out.
- Margin of error: the range the true value of a survey estimate probably falls in. Studio does not show it; check the source table in Social Explorer when it matters.
- Place: in census terms, a city, town, or village.
- Profile: the report Studio builds about a place, with sections of tables, charts, and summaries.
- Project: a folder that groups profiles for one piece of work. See Projects in Studio.
- Saved place: a study area or comparison you saved to reuse in other profiles. See Saved places.
- Section: a chapter of a profile on one topic, such as Housing.
- Signals: the name the sections list uses for What stands out.
- Stand-in: a nearby or larger area whose data Studio uses when a data source has no numbers for your place, such as the county your city is in. The profile always notes it.
- Study area: the place your profile is about. In a profile, its chip is marked TARGET.
- Template: the type of report, such as Existing Conditions. It decides which sections and tables a profile contains. See Report templates in Studio.
- What stands out: the ranked list of the most notable findings at the top of a profile. See Existing Conditions Signals Overview.
- Workspace: the shared space for your team in Studio. Everyone in it can open every profile in it.