The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. The Census Bureau delineates ZCTA boundaries for the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands once each decade following the decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. The Census Bureau uses tabulation blocks as the basis for defining each ZCTA. Tabulation blocks are assigned to a ZCTA based on the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses contained within that block. The most frequently occurring ZIP Code also becomes the five-digit numeric code of the ZCTA. These codes may contain leading zeros. Blocks that do not contain addresses but are surrounded by a single ZCTA (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA. Because the Census Bureau only uses the most frequently occurring ZIP Code to assign blocks, a ZCTA may not exist for every USPS ZIP Code. Some ZIP Codes may not have a matching ZCTA because too few addresses were associated with the specific ZIP Code or the ZIP Code was not the most frequently occurring ZIP Code within any of the blocks where it exists. The ZCTA boundaries in this release are those delineated following the 2020 Census.

Census ZIP Code Tabulation AreasThis feature layer, utilizing National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) data from the U.S. Census Bureau, displays ZIP Code Tabulation Areas. Per the USCB, “ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery.”Tabulation Area: 90069NGDAID: 58 (Series Information for 2020 Census 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA5) National TIGER/Line Shapefiles, Current)OGC API Features Link: (Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas - OGC Features) copy this link to embed it in OGC Compliant viewersFor more information, please visit: ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)For feedback please contact: Esri_US_Federal_Data@esri.comNGDA Data SetThis data set is part of the NGDA Governmental Units, and Administrative and Statistical Boundaries Theme Community. Per the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC), this theme is defined as the "boundaries that delineate geographic areas for uses such as governance and the general provision of services (e.g., states, American Indian reservations, counties, cities, towns, etc.), administration and/or for a specific purpose (e.g., congressional districts, school districts, fire districts, Alaska Native Regional Corporations, etc.), and/or provision of statistical data (census tracts, census blocks, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, etc.). Boundaries for these various types of geographic areas are either defined through a documented legal description or through criteria and guidelines. Other boundaries may include international limits, those of federal land ownership, the extent of administrative regions for various federal agencies, as well as the jurisdictional offshore limits of U.S. sovereignty. Boundaries associated solely with natural resources and/or cultural entities are excluded from this theme and are included in the appropriate subject themes."For other NGDA Content: Esri Federal Datasets

Abstract

A crosswalk dataset matching US ZIP codes to corresponding census tracts

Documentation

The denominators used to calculate the address ratios are the ZIP code totals. When a ZIP is split by any of the other geographies, that ZIP code is duplicated in the crosswalk file.

**Example: **ZIP code 03870 is split by two different Census tracts, 33015066000 and 33015071000, which appear in the tract column. The ratio of residential addresses in the first ZIP-Tract record to the total number of residential addresses in the ZIP code is .0042 (.42%). The remaining residential addresses in that ZIP (99.58%) fall into the second ZIP-Tract record.

So, for example, if one wanted to allocate data from ZIP code 03870 to each Census tract located in that ZIP code, one would multiply the number of observations in the ZIP code by the residential ratio for each tract associated with that ZIP code.

https://redivis.com/fileUploads/4ecb405e-f533-4a5b-8286-11e56bb93368%3E" alt="">(Note that the sum of each ratio column for each distinct ZIP code may not always equal 1.00 (or 100%) due to rounding issues.)

Census tract definition

A census tract, census area, census district or meshblock is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Sometimes these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county. In unincorporated areas of the United States these are often arbitrary, except for coinciding with political lines.

Further reading

The following article demonstrates how to more effectively use the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) United States Postal Service ZIP Code Crosswalk Files when working with disparate geographies.

Wilson, Ron and Din, Alexander, 2018. “Understanding and Enhancing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s ZIP Code Crosswalk Files,” Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, Volume 20 Number 2, 277 – 294. URL: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/cityscpe/vol20num2/ch16.pdf

Contact information

Questions regarding these crosswalk files can be directed to Alex Din with the subject line HUD-Crosswalks.

Acknowledgement

This dataset is taken from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) office: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/usps_crosswalk.html#codebook

California - Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA)This data is a subset of the National ZCTA data from the US Census Bureau. This layer was created by using the Select by Layer tool in ArcGIS Pro. First, the polygon for the California was selected from the United State County Borders, then the features from the ZCTA layer within the CA polygon were selected to create a new California only ZCTA layer.Census ZIP Code Tabulation AreasThis feature layer, utilizing National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) data from the U.S. Census Bureau, displays ZIP Code Tabulation Areas. Per the USCB, “ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery.”Tabulation Area: 90069NGDAID: 58 (Series Information for 2020 Census 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA5) National TIGER/Line Shapefiles, Current)OGC API Features Link: (Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas - OGC Features) copy this link to embed it in OGC Compliant viewersFor more information, please visit: ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)For feedback please contact: Esri_US_Federal_Data@esri.comNGDA Data SetThis data set is part of the NGDA Governmental Units, and Administrative and Statistical Boundaries Theme Community. Per the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC), this theme is defined as the "boundaries that delineate geographic areas for uses such as governance and the general provision of services (e.g., states, American Indian reservations, counties, cities, towns, etc.), administration and/or for a specific purpose (e.g., congressional districts, school districts, fire districts, Alaska Native Regional Corporations, etc.), and/or provision of statistical data (census tracts, census blocks, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, etc.). Boundaries for these various types of geographic areas are either defined through a documented legal description or through criteria and guidelines. Other boundaries may include international limits, those of federal land ownership, the extent of administrative regions for various federal agencies, as well as the jurisdictional offshore limits of U.S. sovereignty. Boundaries associated solely with natural resources and/or cultural entities are excluded from this theme and are included in the appropriate subject themes."For other NGDA Content: Esri Federal Datasets

The 2020 TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain current geographic extent and boundaries of both legal and statistical entities (which have no governmental standing) for the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island areas. This vintage includes boundaries of governmental units that match the data from the surveys that use 2020 geography (e.g., 2020 Population Estimates and the 2020 American Community Survey). In addition to geographic boundaries, the 2020 TIGER/Line Shapefiles also include geographic feature shapefiles and relationship files. Feature shapefiles represent the point, line and polygon features in the MTDB (e.g., roads and rivers). Relationship files contain additional attribute information users can join to the shapefiles. Both the feature shapefiles and relationship files reflect updates made in the database through September 2020. To see how the geographic entities, relate to one another, please see our geographic hierarchy diagrams here.Census Urbanized Areashttps://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2020/UACCensus Urban/Rural Census Block Shapefileshttps://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/geo/shapefiles/index.php2020 TIGER/Line and Redistricting shapefiles:https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.2020.htmlTechnical documentation:https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/data/tiger/tgrshp2020/TGRSHP2020_TechDoc.pdfTIGERweb REST Services:https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/TIGERweb_restmapservice.htmlTIGERweb WMS Services:https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/TIGERweb_wms.htmlThe legal entities included in these shapefiles are:American Indian Off-Reservation Trust LandsAmerican Indian Reservations – FederalAmerican Indian Reservations – StateAmerican Indian Tribal Subdivisions (within legal American Indian areas)Alaska Native Regional CorporationsCongressional Districts – 116th CongressConsolidated CitiesCounties and Equivalent Entities (except census areas in Alaska)Estates (US Virgin Islands only)Hawaiian Home LandsIncorporated PlacesMinor Civil DivisionsSchool Districts – ElementarySchool Districts – SecondarySchool Districts – UnifiedStates and Equivalent EntitiesState Legislative Districts – UpperState Legislative Districts – LowerSubminor Civil Divisions (Subbarrios in Puerto Rico)The statistical entities included in these shapefiles are:Alaska Native Village Statistical AreasAmerican Indian/Alaska Native Statistical AreasAmerican Indian Tribal Subdivisions (within Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas)Block Groups3-5Census AreasCensus BlocksCensus County Divisions (Census Subareas in Alaska)Unorganized Territories (statistical county subdivisions)Census Designated Places (CDPs)Census TractsCombined New England City and Town AreasCombined Statistical AreasMetropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and related statistical areasMetropolitan DivisionsNew England City and Town AreasNew England City and Town Area DivisionsOklahoma Tribal Statistical AreasPublic Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs)State Designated Tribal Statistical AreasTribal Designated Statistical AreasUrban AreasZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)Shapefiles - Features:Address Range-FeatureAll Lines (called Edges)All RoadsArea HydrographyArea LandmarkCoastlineLinear HydrographyMilitary InstallationPoint LandmarkPrimary RoadsPrimary and Secondary RoadsTopological Faces (polygons with all geocodes)Relationship Files:Address Range-Feature NameAddress RangesFeature NamesTopological Faces – Area LandmarkTopological Faces – Area HydrographyTopological Faces – Military Installations

Blocks are typically bounded by streets, roads or creeks. In cities, a census block may correspond to a city block, but in rural areas where there are fewer roads, blocks may be limited by other features. The Census Bureau established blocks covering the entire nation for the first time in 1990.There are less number of Census Blocks within Los Angeles County in 2020 Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles, compared in 2010.Updated:1. June 2023: This update includes 2022 November Santa Clarita City annexation and the addition of "Kinneloa Mesa" community (was a part of unincorporated East Pasadena). Added new data fields FIP_CURRENT to CITYCOMM_CURRENT to reflect new/updated city and communities. Updated city/community names and FIP codes of census blocks that are in 2022 November Santa Clarita City annexation and new Kinneloa Mesa community (look for FIP_Current, City_Current, Comm_Current field values)2. February 2023: Updated few Census Block CSA values based on Demographic Consultant inquiry/suggestions3. April 2022: Updated Census Block data attribute values based on Supervisorial District 2021, Service Planning Area 2022, Health District 2022 and ZIP Code Tabulation Area 2020Created: March 2021How This Data is Created? This census geographic file was downloaded from Census Bureau website: https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2020PL/STATE/06_CALIFORNIA/06037/ on February 2021 and customized for LA County. New data fields are added in the census blocks 2020 data and populated with city/community names, LA County FIPS, 2021 Supervisorial Districts, 2020 Census Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) and some administrative boundary information such as 2022 Health Districts and 2022 Service Planning Areas (SPS) are also added. "Housing20" field value and "Pop20" field value is populated with PL 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary File: Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary Files. Similarly, "Feat_Type" field is added and populated with water, ocean and land values. Five new data fields (FIP_CURRENT to CITYCOMM_CURRENT) are added in June 2023 updates to accommodate 2022 Santa Clarita city annexation. City/community names and FIP codes of census blocks affected by 2022 November Santa Clarita City annexation are assigned based on the location of block centroids. In June 2023 update, total of 36 blocks assigned to the City of Santa Clarita that were in Unincorporated Valencia and Castaic. Note: This data includes 3 NM ocean (FEAT_TYPE field). However, user can use a definition query to remove those. Data Fields: 1. STATE (STATEFP20): State FIP, "06" for California, 2. COUNTY (COUNTYFP20): County FIP "037" for Los Angeles County, 3. CT20: (TRACTCE20): 6-digit census tract number, 4. BG20: 7-digit block group number, 5. CB20 (BLOCKCE20): 4-digit census block number, 6. CTCB20: Combination of CT20 and CB20, 7. FEAT_TYPE: Land use types such as water bodies, ocean (3 NM ocean) or land, 8. FIP20: Los Angeles County FIP code, 9. BGFIP20: Combination of BG20 and FIP20, 10. CITY: Incorporated city name, 11. COMM: Unincorporated area community name and LA City neighborhood, also known as "CSA", 12. CITYCOMM: City/Community name label, 13. ZCTA20: Parcel specific zip codes, 14. HD12: 2012 Health District number, 15. HD_NAME: Health District name, 16. SPA22: 2022 Service Planning Area number, 17. SPA_NAME: Service Planning Area name, 18. SUP21: 2021 Supervisorial District number, 19. SUP_LABEL: Supervisorial District label, 20. POP20: 2020 Population (PL 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary File - Total Population), 21. HOUSING20: 2020 housing (PL 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary File - Total Housing),22. FIP_CURRENT: Los Angeles County 2023 FIP code, as of June 2023,23. BG20FIP_CURRENT: Combination of BG20 and 2023 FIP, as of June 2023,24. CITY_CURRENT: 2023 Incorporated city name, as of June 2023,25. COMM_CURRENT: 2023 Unincorporated area community name and LA City neighborhood, also known as "CSA", as of June 2023,26. CITYCOMM_CURRENT: 2023 City/Community name label, as of June 2023.

The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. The Census Bureau delineates ZCTA boundaries for the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands once each decade following the decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. The Census Bureau uses tabulation blocks as the basis for defining each ZCTA. Tabulation blocks are assigned to a ZCTA based on the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses contained within that block. The most frequently occurring ZIP Code also becomes the five-digit numeric code of the ZCTA. These codes may contain leading zeros. Blocks that do not contain addresses but are surrounded by a single ZCTA (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA. Because the Census Bureau only uses the most frequently occurring ZIP Code to assign blocks, a ZCTA may not exist for every USPS ZIP Code. Some ZIP Codes may not have a matching ZCTA because too few addresses were associated with the specific ZIP Code or the ZIP Code was not the most frequently occurring ZIP Code within any of the blocks where it exists. The ZCTA boundaries in this release are those delineated following the 2010 Census.

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) five-digit ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates using whole blocks to present statistical data from censuses and surveys. The Census Bureau defines ZIP Code Tabulation Areas by allocating each block that contains addresses to a single Code Tabulation Areas, usually to the ZCTA that reflects the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses within that tabulation block. Blocks that do not contain addresses but are completely surrounded by a single Code Tabulation Areas (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA; those surrounded by multiple ZCTAs will be added to a single ZCTA based on limited buffering performed between multiple ZCTAs. The Census Bureau identifies five-digit Code Tabulation Areas using a five-character numeric code that represents the most frequently occurring USPS ZIP Code within that ZCTA, and this code may contain leading zeros.There are significant changes to the 2010 Code Tabulation Areas delineation from that used in 2000. For 2010 only legitimate five-digit areas are defined so there is no longer full nation-wide coverage. The 2010 ZCTAs will better represent the actual Zip Code service areas because the Census Bureau initiated a process before creation of 2010 blocks to add block boundaries that split polygons with large numbers of addresses using different ZIP Codes.Data users should not use Code Tabulation Areas to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. The Code Tabulation Areas process used primarily residential addresses and was biased towards ZIP Codes used for city-style mail delivery, thus there may be ZIP Codes that are primarily nonresidential or boxes only that may not have a corresponding ZCTA.ZIP Code Tabulation Area Codes�The Census Bureau identifies 5-digit ZCTAs using a five-character numeric code. For ZCTA codes that reflect the 5-digit ZIP Code, the last two characters of the ZCTA code will be numeric. For example, the ZCTA code "00601" represents the 5-digit ZIP Code 00601. The ZCTA delineation process did not recognize ZIP codes ending in "00", such as "29000", as valid 5-digit ZCTA codes.For More Information go to: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/TIGERweb_geography_details.html

These datasets contain measures of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics by U.S. census tract for the years 1990-2022 and ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA) for the years 2008-2022. Example measures include population density; population distribution by race, ethnicity, age, and income; income inequality by race and ethnicity; and proportion of population living below the poverty level, receiving public assistance, and female-headed or single parent families with kids. The datasets also contain a set of theoretically derived measures capturing neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and affluence, as well as a neighborhood index of Hispanic, foreign born, and limited English.

US Census Bureau ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) found within or partially within the borders of the City of Detroit.

Census ZIP Code Tabulation AreasThis feature layer, utilizing National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) data from the U.S. Census Bureau, displays ZIP Code Tabulation Areas in the United States. Per the USCB, “ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery.”Tabulation Area: 90069Data currency: This cached Esri federal service is checked weekly for updates from its enterprise federal source (ZIP Code Tabulation Areas) and will support mapping, analysis, data exports and OGC API – Feature access.NGDAID: 58 (Series Information for 2020 Census 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA5) National TIGER/Line Shapefiles, Current)OGC API Features Link: (Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas - OGC Features) copy this link to embed it in OGC Compliant viewersFor more information, please visit: ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)For feedback please contact: Esri_US_Federal_Data@esri.comThumbnail source: Esri BasemapsNGDA Data SetThis data set is part of the NGDA Governmental Units, and Administrative and Statistical Boundaries Theme Community. Per the Federal Geospatial Data Committee (FGDC), this theme is defined as the "boundaries that delineate geographic areas for uses such as governance and the general provision of services (e.g., states, American Indian reservations, counties, cities, towns, etc.), administration and/or for a specific purpose (e.g., congressional districts, school districts, fire districts, Alaska Native Regional Corporations, etc.), and/or provision of statistical data (census tracts, census blocks, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, etc.). Boundaries for these various types of geographic areas are either defined through a documented legal description or through criteria and guidelines. Other boundaries may include international limits, those of federal land ownership, the extent of administrative regions for various federal agencies, as well as the jurisdictional offshore limits of U.S. sovereignty. Boundaries associated solely with natural resources and/or cultural entities are excluded from this theme and are included in the appropriate subject themes."For other NGDA Content: Esri Federal Datasets

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are generalized areal representations of United States Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas.The USPS ZIP Codes identify the individual post office or metropolitan area delivery station associated with mailing addresses. USPS ZIP Codes are not areal features but a collection of mail delivery routes.The term ZCTA was created to differentiate between this entity and true USPS ZIP Codes. ZCTA is a trademark of the U.S. Census Bureau; ZIP Code is a trademark of the U.S. Postal Service.How ZCTAs are CreatedThe Census Bureau first examined all of the addresses within each census block to define the list of ZIP Codes by block. Next, the most frequently occurring ZIP Code within each block was assigned to the entire census block as a preliminary ZCTA code. After all of the census blocks with addresses were assigned a preliminary ZCTA code, blocks were aggregated by code to create larger areas.The Census Bureau assigned blocks that contained addresses, but did not have a single most frequently occurring ZIP Code to the ZCTA with which the blocks had the longest shared boundary.If the area of an unassigned enclave was less than two square miles, it was assigned to the surrounding ZCTA. The Census Bureau used block group boundaries to identify and group unassigned blocks. These unassigned blocks were merged into an adjacent ZCTA based on the length of shared boundary.For the Census 2000 ZCTAs the Census Bureau created ZCTAs that ended in "XX" to represent large areas of land without ZIP Codes or "HH" to represent large areas of water without ZIP Codes. For the 2010 Census, large water bodies and large unpopulated land areas do not have ZCTAs.ZCTAs were created using residential and nonresidential ZIP Codes that are available in the Census Bureau’s MAF/TIGER database. ZIP Codes assigned to businesses only or single delivery point address will not necessarily appear as ZCTAs.In most instances the ZCTA code is the same as the ZIP Code for an area.In creating ZCTAs, the Census Bureau took the most frequently occurring ZIP Code in an area for the ZCTA code. Some addresses will end up with a ZCTA code different from their ZIP Code.Some ZIP Codes represent very few addresses (sometimes only one) and therefore will not appear in the ZCTA universe.Key Differences between Census 2000 and 2010 Census ZCTAsCensus 2000Includes the U.S. and Puerto RicoCover the full extent of the nation - "wall-to-wall" coverage3-digit and 5-digit ZCTA's available"XX" suffix used to represent large land areas such as national parks"HH" suffix used to represent large water bodies2010 CensusIncludes the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Island AreasDo not cover the full extent of the nation - "holes" exist5-digit ZCTA's only"XX" retired - Large land areas such as national parks do not have ZCTA coverage"HH" retired - Large water bodies do not have ZCTA coverage

Description taken from the US Census ZCTA Website.First introduced in 1963, ZIP Code is a trademark of the USPS created to coordinate mail handling and delivery. The USPS assigns ZIP Code ranges to regional post offices, which in turn assign ZIP Codes to delivery routes. Each delivery route is composed of street networks, and/or individual units with high mail volumes, such as high-rise buildings or individual business locations. Within the Census Bureau’s MAF/TIGER System, ZIP Codes are stored as one component of discrete addresses tied to delivery points, including specific housing unit locations. The result is a point-based dataset unsuitable for mapping and many analysis applications.ZCTAs are generalized areal representations of the geographic extent and distribution of the point-based ZIP Codes built using 2020 Census tabulation blocks. The Census Bureau is restricted by Title 13 from releasing individual housing unit addresses or location information to the public, so point-based ZIP Code data are unsuitable for distribution and publication. However, by aggregating the points and extrapolating them to a polygonal-based unit (census tabulation blocks), disclosure concerns can be addressed and “geographic subtraction*” is prevented.

This feature layer, utilizing National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) data from the U.S. Census Bureau, displays ZIP Code Tabulation Areas in the United States. These areas are approximate areal representations of U.S. Postal Service ZIP Code service areas. This layer is checked weekly for updates.

Abstract

Dataset quality **: Medium/high quality dataset, not quality checked or modified by the EIDC team

Census data plays a pivotal role in academic data research, particularly when exploring relationships between different demographic characteristics. The significance of this particular dataset lies in its ability to facilitate the merging of various datasets with basic census information, thereby streamlining the research process and eliminating the need for separate API calls.

The American Community Survey is an ongoing survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, which provides detailed social, economic, and demographic data about the United States population. The ACS collects data continuously throughout the decade, gathering information from a sample of households across the country, covering a wide range of topics

Methodology

The Census Data Application Programming Interface (API) is an API that gives the public access to raw statistical data from various Census Bureau data programs.

We used this API to collect various demographic and socioeconomic variables from both the ACS and the Deccenial survey on different geographical levels:

ZCTAs:

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are generalized areal representations of United States Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas. The USPS ZIP Codes identify the individual post office or metropolitan area delivery station associated with mailing addresses. USPS ZIP Codes are not areal features but a collection of mail delivery routes.

Census Tract:

Census Tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or statistically equivalent entity that can be updated by local participants prior to each decennial census as part of the Census Bureau’s Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP).

Census tracts generally have a population size between 1,200 and 8,000 people, with an optimum size of 4,000 people. A census tract usually covers a contiguous area; however, the spatial size of census tracts varies widely depending on the density of settlement. Census tract boundaries are delineated with the intention of being maintained over a long time so that statistical comparisons can be made from census to census.

Block Groups:

Block groups (BGs) are the next level above census blocks in the geographic hierarchy (see Figure 2-1 in Chapter 2). A BG is a combination of census blocks that is a subdivision of a census tract or block numbering area (BNA). (A county or its statistically equivalent entity contains either census tracts or BNAs; it can not contain both.) A BG consists of all census blocks whose numbers begin with the same digit in a given census tract or BNA; for example, BG 3 includes all census blocks numbered in the 300s. The BG is the smallest geographic entity for which the decennial census tabulates and publishes sample data.

Census Blocks:

Census blocks, the smallest geographic area for which the Bureau of the Census collects and tabulates decennial census data, are formed by streets, roads, railroads, streams and other bodies of water, other visible physical and cultural features, and the legal boundaries shown on Census Bureau maps.

The TIGER/Line Files are shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) that are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line File is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data from Census 2000. The Census Bureau creates ZCTAs for the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands for the 2010 Census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. For the 2010 Census, ZCTAs should more accurately represent the actual ZIP Codes at the time of their delineation than they did for Census 2000. This is because that before the tabulation blocks, which the ZCTAs are built from, were delineated for the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau undertook the process of inserting lines that could be used as 2010 Census tabulation block boundaries, and these lines split polygons where the result would be that a significant number of addresses would occur on either one or both sides of the line associated with a single ZIP Code. Each 2010 Census tabulation block that contains addresses is assigned to a single ZCTA, usually to the ZCTA that reflects the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses within that tabulation block. As a result, ZIP Codes associated with address ranges found in the Address Ranges relationship file may not always match the ZCTA. Blocks that do not contain addresses but are completely surrounded by a single ZCTA (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA. A ZCTA may not exist for every USPS ZIP Code. Some ZIP Codes may not have a matching ZCTA because too few addresses were associated with the specific ZIP Code or the ZIP Code was not the most frequently occurring ZIP Code within any of the blocks were it exists. The Census Bureau uses the addresses stored within MTDB to delineate ZCTAs, and at the time of the 2010 Census the MTDB primarily included addresses for residential or at least potentially residential structures, so ZCTAs representing only non-residential structures are infrequent. Also, in each tabulation block, if a choice existed between using a potential city-style mail delivery ZIP Code for an address or a post office box ZIP Code, the city-style mail delivery ZIP Code was preferred for the 2010 Census ZCTA delineation. The Census Bureau identifies 5-digit ZCTAs using a five-character numeric code that represents the most frequently occurring USPS ZIP Code within that ZCTA, and this code may contain leading zeros.

ZIP Code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) 5-digit ZIP Codes. The Census Bureau defines ZCTAs by allocating each Census block that contains addresses to a single ZIP Code tabulation area, usually to the ZCTA that reflects the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses within that block. Blocks that do not contain addresses but that are completely surrounded by a single ZIP Code tabulation area (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA; those surrounded by multiple ZCTAs will be added to a single ZCTA based on the longest shared border. The Census Bureau identifies 5-digit ZIP Code tabulation areas using a 5- character numeric code that represents the most frequently occurring USPS ZIP Code within that ZCTA. This code may contain leading zeros. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. ZIP Codes that cover primarily nonresidential or post office box addresses may not have a corresponding ZCTA because the delineation process uses primarily residential addresses, resulting in a bias towards ZIP Codes used for city-style mail delivery. For full technical details on all TIGER 2010 products, see the TIGER technical documentation.

This data comes from the 2010 Census Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics. Zip codes are limited to those that fall at least partially within LA city boundaries. The dataset will be updated after the next census in 2020. To view all possible columns and access the data directly, visit http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/affhelp/jsf/pages/metadata.xhtml?lang=en&type=table&id=table.en.DEC_10_SF1_SF1DP1#main_content.

This data set contains zip code tabulation areas for 5-digit zip codes in New Mexico. It was obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau web page http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cob/zt.html. The metadata at this site is so poor that this metadata record has been created. Technical details are available from the technical documentation at http://www.census.gov/geo/ZCTA/zctatddr.pdf. A ZIP Code tabulation area (ZCTA ) is a statistical geographic entity that approximates the delivery area for a U.S. Postal Service five-digit or three-digit ZIP Code. ZCTAs are aggregations of census blocks that have the same predominant ZIP Code associated with the addresses in the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File. Three -digit ZCTA codes are applied to large contiguous areas for which the U.S. Census Bureau does not have five-digit ZIP Code information in its Master Address File. ZCTAs do not precisely depict ZIP Code delivery areas, and do not include all ZIP Codes used for mail delivery. The U.S. Census Bureau has established ZCTAs as a new geographic entity similar to, but replacing, data tabulations for ZIP Codes undertaken in conjunction with the 1990 and earlier censuses.

USE geoid TO JOIN DATA DOWNLOADED FROM DATA.CENSUS.GOV The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF)/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System (MTS). The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain a standard geographic identifier (GEOID) for each entity that links to the GEOID in the data from censuses and surveys. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not include demographic data from surveys and censuses (e.g., Decennial Census, Economic Census, American Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program). Other, non-census, data often have this standard geographic identifier as well. Data from many of the Census Bureau’s surveys and censuses, including the geographic codes needed to join to the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, are available at the Census Bureau’s public data dissemination website (https://data.census.gov/). ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) five-digit Zonal Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code service routes that the Census Bureau creates using whole blocks to present statistical data from censuses and surveys. The Census Bureau defines ZCTAs by allocating each block that contains addresses to a single ZCTA, usually to the ZCTA that reflects the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses within that tabulation block. Blocks that do not contain addresses, but are surrounded by a single ZCTA (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA; those surrounded by multiple ZCTAs are added to a single ZCTA based on limited buffering performed between multiple ZCTAs. The Census Bureau identifies five-digit ZCTAs using a five-character numeric code that represents the most frequently occurring USPS ZIP Code within that ZCTA, and this code has a fixed length of five digits and may contain leading zeros. Not all ZIP Codes in use by the USPS may have a ZCTA delineated to represent them, The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. In addition, the ZCTA delineation process primarily uses residential addresses and has a bias towards ZIP Codes used for city-style mail delivery, thus there may be ZIP Codes that are primarily nonresidential or used for PO boxes only that may not have a corresponding ZCTA. ZIP Code is a trademark of the U.S. Postal Service. Downloaded from https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2022/ZCTA520/ on June 22, 2023