How is the "place" determined for this Tiger 2010 shapefile address record?

Question

In most cases, an ADDR.DBF record links to an EDGES.DBF record that links to a FACES.DBF record that links to a PLACE.DBF record that contains the place. Sometimes, the place key in FACES.DBF is blank, the COUSUB key can be used instead, and COUSUB.DBF contains the place. But what do you do in the following case?

TL_2010_2047_ADDR.DBF contains an address range with
primary key: ARID = 4003948456882
TLID = 85556021
SIDE = R

which links to edge:

TL_2010_22047_EDGES.DBF
primary key: TLID = 85556021
TFIDR = 201079140

which links to face:

TL_2010_22047_FACES.DBF
primary key: TFID = 201079140
COUSUBFP10 = 94267
PLACEFP10 = blanks

which has only a COUSUB key, not a PLACE key, but unfortunately the NAME10 field in the TL_2010_22_COUSUB.DBF file for key 94267 contains "2", which is not a viable place name (the correct place is probably something like "White Castle").

What are the rules by which COUSUBFP10 and/or PLACEFP10 are either used or ignored, how is the correct place name supposed to be determined, and where are those linkage rules documented?

Answer 1

PLACEFP10 references an incorporated place (city, town) or Census Designated Place (CDP). COUSUBFP10 refers to a county subdivision. This can include incorporated places but not CDPs. There will "always" be an associated county subdivision but not necessarily a place. County subdivisions are frequently townships but it varies state to state.

If PLACEFP10 is blank, there is no associated incorporated place or CDP.