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Census Block Group Data

All data from American Community Survey (2016) by Census Block Group (CBG)

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Overview

SafeGraph's open census dataset includes two components:

  • All demographic data from the American Community Survey (2016) 5-year estimate on the Census Block Group level.
  • All census block group boundaries formatted as a GeoJSON file.

The entire dataset is available for download for free at the SafeGraph Open Census Data page.

Schema

File Structure

The data is comprised of three directories:

  • /data/
    • Includes all Census attribute tables.
    • All files are pipe-delimited CSVs where the Census Block Group number (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.
  • /geometry/
    • Contains one GeoJSON file entitled cbg.geojson with the polygons for all Census Block Groups.
  • /metadata/
    • cbg_field_descriptions.csv: a mapping between census attribute name and table ID
    • cbg_fips_codes.csv: a mapping between census block group numbers to cities and counties
    • cbg_geographic_data.csv: statistics about census block group geometry (land/water %, interpolated lat/long).

Census Demographic Data

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.

Column Name Description Type Example
census_block_group The unique 12-digit FIPS code for the Census Block Group. Please note that some CBGs have leading zeroes. String 010010205002
Table ID The sample values associated with the table ID of interest. For example, if the table ID of interest was B00001e1 the value would be the Unweighted Sample Count of the Population for the Census Block Group. Integer For table ID B00001e1, a sample value would be 215 for Census Block Group 010010205002.
Table ID As above Integer For table ID B00001e1, for census_block_group = 010010205002, a sample value would be 215.
... As above Integer For table ID B00001e1, for census_block_group = 010010205002, a sample value would be 215.
[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.

Column Name Description Example
TableID The Census Table ID as defined by the Census Bureau. B23007e36
field_full_name The 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_1 The first level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. Presence Of Own Children Under 18 Years By Family Type By Employment Status
field_level_2 The second level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. No Children Under 18 Years
field_level_3 The third level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. Married-Couple Family
field_level_4 The fourth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. Husband In Labor Force
field_level_5 The fifth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. Employed Or In Armed Forces
field_level_6 The sixth level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. Wife In Labor Force
field_level_7 The seventh level of demographic focus for the selected attribute. Employed Or In Armed Forces
field_level_8 The 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 Name Description Example
state State Abbreviation AL
state_fips The state FIPS code that maps to the first 2 digits of a CBG. 01
county_fips The county FIPS code that maps to the 3rd-5th digits of a CBG. 013
county County Name Butler County
class_code Geographic Class Code representing types of geographies per Census documentation. H1

Geographic Data (/metadata/cbg_geographic_data.csv)

Column Name Description Example
census_block_group Census Block Group number 010010203001
amount_land The amount of land in the Census Block Group in square meters. 3866515
amount_water The amount of water in the Census Block Group in square meters. 9054
latitude The interpolated center latitude coordinate of the Census Block Group. 32.480175
longitude The 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.

Updated 2 months ago

Census Block Group Data

All data from American Community Survey (2016) by Census Block Group (CBG)

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