definition
strict definition
FIPS place code
The five-digit code the US Census Bureau gives an incorporated place or census-designated place inside one state.
A FIPS place code numbers the places within a single state. It is assigned by the US Census Bureau and appears throughout its published tables.
The code is unique inside its state and nowhere else, so the same five digits name a different place in another state. Where a nationwide key is needed, the US Census GEOID prefixes the state code.
Leading zeros carry meaning, as in 01648, so the value is stored as text.