The 2023 cartographic boundary shapefiles are simplified representations of selected geographic areas from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). These boundary files are specifically designed for small-scale thematic mapping. When possible, generalization is performed with the intent to maintain the hierarchical relationships among geographies and to maintain the alignment of geographies within a file set for a given year. Geographic areas may not align with the same areas from another year. Some geographies are available as nation-based files while others are available only as state-based files.

Estates are subdivisions of the three major islands in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). The estates have legally defined boundaries and are much smaller in area than the Census Subdistricts (county subdivisions), but do not necessarily nest within these districts. The boundaries of the estates are primarily those of the former agricultural plantations that existed at the time Denmark transferred the islands to the United States in 1917. The names and boundaries of the estates are in common usage by residents and in government administration. The generalized boundaries of the estates are based on those as of January 1, 2022, provided to the Census Bureau by the USVI Office of the Lieutenant Governor.