A census tract is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Typically, tracts contain 1,200 to 8,000 people per tract. In more densely-populated urban areas, tracts are usually about the size of neighborhoods, but in more rural areas there might be only a few tracts in one county. Census tracts are designed to be relatively homogenous in terms of population characteristics, economic status, and living conditions. For more information about census tracts, see the Census Bureau description.