Definition
A set of publicly issued standards developed by the U.S. federal government that specify how information — including codes, identifiers, and data formats — should be structured and used across federal systems. In aviation publications, FIPS codes are most commonly seen as standardized numeric or letter codes for states, counties, and other geographic areas referenced in charts, databases, and official documents.
Plain English
An official government rulebook for how information should be written down and labeled, so that everyone uses the same codes and formats. In aviation, you'll usually see it as standard codes for places like states or counties.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym and abbreviation lists, and sometimes in government data references connected with aviation information.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots rarely deal with FIPS directly, but it underlies the consistency of place codes and data formats used in official charts, weather products, and aviation databases. Recognizing the acronym prevents confusion when scanning federal documents.
Intuition Check
Do not read “standard” here as a flying standard or skill standard. In this context, it means a government information format or rule.
Example Sentence 1
The geographic codes in the database followed the FIPS standard so that every state and county was identified the same way.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots occasionally see FIPS referenced in official FAA data releases.