Open Census Data

SafeGraph’s Open Census Data includes all data from the American Community Survey 5-year Estimates by Census Block Group (CBG) for the release years 2016 - 2020, 2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Files by CBG, and associated CBG geometry files. Each dataset can be downloaded separately depending on the data you need access to.

Overview

SafeGraph's Open Census Data includes the United States Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year Estimates (5-year ACS), reported at the Census Block Group level, for the release years 2016-2020, the Census' 2020 Redistricting Data, also reported at the Census Block Group level, and the Census Block Group geometries for the decades 2010-2019 and 2020-2029.

There are eight datasets available, which can be downloaded separately depending on your needs:

  • 2016 5-year ACS (1.1gb download, 5.1gb uncompressed)
  • 2017 5-year ACS (1.0gb download, 5.0gb uncompressed)
  • 2018 5-year ACS (1.1gb download, 5.3gb uncompressed)
  • 2019 5-year ACS (1.1gb download, 5.4gb uncompressed)
  • 2010-2019 Census Block Group geometries (300mb download, 1.8gb uncompressed)
  • 2020-2029 Census Block Group geometries (300mb download, 1.9gb uncompressed)
  • 2020 Census Redistricting Data (30mb download, 170mb uncompressed)
  • 2020 5-year ACS (1.2gb download, 5.6gb uncompressed)

Each dataset includes two components:

  • All demographic data from the 5-year ACS or Decennial Census for the given release year, reported at the census block group level.
  • Metadata files for parsing Census geographies and variable names.

The datasets are available for download for free 🆓 at the SafeGraph Open Census Data page.

Check out the starter guide 🎉: Everything you need to know to get started with Census and American Community Survey Data

Note that the 5-year ACS contains more precise but less current data than the 1-year ACS. Read more here about the trade-offs between the 5-year and 1-year ACS.

Schema

Data

File Structure

Each ACS dataset is comprised of two directories:

  • /data/
    • Includes all Census attribute tables.
    • All files are comma-delimited CSVs where the Census Block Group ID (census_block_group) is the primary key.
    • Census attribute tables are identified by their Census table ID. For example, cbg_b01.csv contains the table IDs that begin with b01 such as B01001.
      • Note that there is only one attribute table (cbg_data.csv) for the 2020 Redistricting Data.
  • /metadata/
    • cbg_field_descriptions.csv: a mapping between census attribute name and table ID
    • cbg_fips_codes.csv: a mapping between Census Block Group IDs to cities and counties
    • cbg_geographic_data.csv: statistics about Census Block Group geometry (land/water %, interpolated lat/long).

Census Attribute Tables (/data/cbg_[tableid-prefix].csv)

Every attribute table contains several Table ID columns. The specific number of Table ID columns in an attribute table depends on the table ID prefix.

Note that the Table IDs available can vary by release year. For instance the tables beginning with prefix B29 were first made available in the 2018 5-year ACS. Year-to-year changes to ACS tables can be found here.

Column NameDescriptionTypeExample
census_block_groupThe unique 12-digit FIPS code for the Census Block Group. Please note that some CBGs have leading zeroes.String010010201001
Table ID (e.g., B01001e1 )The sample values associated with the table ID of interest. For example, if the table ID of interest was B01001e1 the value would be the SEX BY AGE: Total: Total population -- (Estimate) for the Census Block Group listed in census_block_group.Integer / DoubleFor table ID B01001e1 in the 2019 release, an example value would be 730 for Census Block Group 010010201001 .
Table IDAs above
...As aboveIntegerAs above
[number of columns varies by file]

Field Descriptions (/metadata/cbg_field_descriptions.csv)

The field descriptions table provides a mapping between the table ID used in attribute tables and the description of the field. A full list of table definitions can be found in the American Community Survey documentation.

Note that the schema for the 2016 release differs from the schema used for the 2017-2020 releases.

2017-2020 schema

Column NameDescriptionExample
table_idThe Census Table ID as defined by the Census Bureau.B23007e36
table_numberThe sequence of numbers that identifies the table within a subject.B23007
table_titleThe name of the table.Presence Of Own Children Under 18 Years By Family Type By Employment Status
table_topicsThe topics covered by the table.Children, Employment and Labor Force Status, Family Size and Type
table_universeThe subset of the population surveyed for this table.Opposite-sex married-couple families and families maintained by women and men with no spouse present
field_level_1Whether the values for the Table ID represent an estimate or a margin of error.Estimate
field_level_2The first level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.PRESENCE OF OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS BY FAMILY TYPE BY EMPLOYMENT STATUS
field_level_3The second level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Opposite-sex married-couple families and families maintained by women and men with no spouse present
field_level_4The third level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Total
field_level_5The fourth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.No children under 18 years
field_level_6The fifth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Married-couple family
field_level_7The sixth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Husband in labor force
field_level_8The seventh level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Employed or in Armed Forces
field_level_9The eighth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Wife in labor force
field_level_10The ninth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Employed or in Armed Forces

2016 schema

Column NameDescriptionExample
table_idThe Census Table ID as defined by the Census Bureau.B23007e36
field_full_nameThe full name of the census attribute.Presence Of Own Children Under 18 Years By Family Type By Employment: No children under 18 years: Married-couple family: Husband in labor force: Employed or in Armed Forces: Wife in labor force: Employed or in Armed Forces: Opposite-sex married-couple families and families maintained by women and men with no spouse present -- (Estimate)
field_level_1The first level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Presence Of Own Children Under 18 Years By Family Type By Employment Status
field_level_2The second level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.No Children Under 18 Years
field_level_3The third level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Married-Couple Family
field_level_4The fourth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Husband In Labor Force
field_level_5The fifth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Employed Or In Armed Forces
field_level_6The sixth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Wife In Labor Force
field_level_7The seventh level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Employed Or In Armed Forces
field_level_8The eighth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute.Opposite-Sex Married-Couple Families And Families Maintained By Women And Men With No Spouse Present -- (Estimate)

Other Reference Data

FIPS Codes (/metadata/cbg_fips_codes.csv)

The FIPS codes file provides a reference file to derive state and county for a census block group through the state and county FIPS codes. The first two digits of a Census Block Group represent the state_fips code and the next three digits represent a county_fips code.

Column NameDescriptionExample
stateState AbbreviationAL
state_fipsThe state FIPS code that maps to the first 2 digits of a CBG.01
county_fipsThe county FIPS code that maps to the 3rd-5th digits of a CBG.013
countyCounty NameButler County
class_codeGeographic Class Code representing types of geographies per Census documentation.H1

Census Block Group Geometry Data

File Structure

The Census Block Group geometry datasets contains a single GeoJSON file titled cbg.geojson with the polygons for all Census Block Groups used by the Census Bureau for the decades 2010-2019 and 2020-2029.

For the 2010-2019 Census Block Groups, we publish the 2016 vintage specifically, which match the geometries used to produce our Patterns and Neighborhood Patterns products. For the 2020-2029 Census Block Groups, we publish the 2020 vintage. Note that changes to county and state boundaries can cause minor changes to Census Block Group boundaries year-to-year.

Geographic Data (/metadata/cbg_geographic_data.csv)

Column NameDescriptionExample
census_block_groupCensus Block Group ID010010203001
amount_landThe amount of land in the Census Block Group in square meters.3866515
amount_waterThe amount of water in the Census Block Group in square meters.9054
latitudeThe interpolated center latitude coordinate of the Census Block Group.32.480175
longitudeThe interpolated center longitude coordinate of the Census Block Group.-86.4607925

Terms of Use

Census Data is made available under the CC0 license

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.