About this Dataset

US population by zip code

Category

Social Sciences

Keywords

Row Count

1586081

Price

Free

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.

This dataset denotes ZIP Code centroid locations weighted by population. Population weighted centroids are a common tool for spatial analysis, particularly when more granular data is unavailable or researchers lack sophisticated geocoding tools. The ZIP Code Population Weighted Centroids allows researchers and analysts to estimate the center of population in a given geography rather than the geometric center.

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.

Explore Demographic Insights and Forecasts for Every Zip Code: Historical, Current, and Future Trends.

Dataset

This dataset was created by Shaswot Joshi

Released under Database: Open Database, Contents: Database Contents

Contents

This data package has the purpose to offer data for demographic indicators, part of 5-years American Community Census, that could be needed in the analysis made along with health-related data or alone. The American Community Survey based on 5-years estimates is, according to U.S Census Bureau, the most reliable, because the samples used are the largest and the data collected cover all country areas, regardless of the population number.

U.S. ZIP Code Areas provides ZIP Code, postal district name, population, and area for the ZIP Code areas in the United States. U.S. ZIP Code Areas represents five-digit ZIP Code areas used by the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail more effectively. The first digit of a five-digit ZIP Code divides the United States into 10 large groups of states (or equivalent areas) numbered from 0 in the Northeast to 9 in the far West. Within these areas, each state is divided into an average of 10 smaller geographical areas, identified by the second and third digits. These digits, in conjunction with the first digit, represent a Sectional Center Facility (SCF) or a mail processing facility area. The fourth and fifth digits identify a post office, station, branch or local delivery area. The source of the boundaries is TomTom (June 2024) and the population estimates are from Esri Updated Demographics. This layer is updated annually.

ZIP Codes are administrative codes generated by the United States Postal Service (USPS) that refer to the geographic area covered by a specific set of mail delivery routes. The U.S. Census Bureau calculates and distributes aggregated social, economic, and demographic information for the population associated with "ZIP Code Tabulation Areas" (ZCTAs), which are roughly analogous to ZIP Codes and serve as identifiers for specific neighborhoods and communities. These aggregated census data, however, are unable to account for changes in ZIP Code boundaries that occur between decennial censuses, leading to measurement error and missing data problems for scholars who attempt to use the aggregated ZCTA data. The purpose of this crosswalk file is to allow researchers to overcome this limitation, enabling them to appropriately link spatial reference information (ZIP Codes) with characteristics of the populations to which they refer. Most ZIP Codes do not change boundaries in a decade, but a large enough percentage do as to create a problem with missing or mis-specified data. Boundary changes typically involve one or more of the following three processes, although a small number of cases do not conform to these typologies: (1) two or more existing ZIP Codes are combined to create a single surviving ZIP Code, (2) an existing ZIP Code is divided into multiple resulting ZIP Codes, and (3) boundaries between two or more existing ZIP Codes are altered. Each of these types of changes alters the geographic area that a ZIP Code refers to, and as such, the spatial unit identified by the ZIP Code includes a different population, with a different array of characteristics. By linking the spatial units associated with ZIP Codes as these boundary changes are enacted, the research team can both prevent the loss of observations due to missing data, and more accurately measure social, demographic, and economic characteristics associated with each ZIP Code. This data set identifies changes in ZIP Code boundaries between 1990 and 2020, and provides numeric codes that cluster the ZIP Codes into the smallest geographic unit, or group of ZIP Codes, that are consistent across a decade: 1990 - 2000, 2000 - 2010, and 2010 - 2020. This "crosswalk" covers the contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia. Since much administrative data is available with ZIP Code as the smallest identifiable geography, ZIP Codes are often used to embed observations from administrative data (patients, businesses, survey respondents, etc.) within their social, demographic, and economic contexts. However, ZIP Code boundaries change over time, resulting in measurement error (matching observations to the wrong contextual unit) or missing data (due to an observation reporting a ZIP Code that did not exist at the beginning of the observational period). These data were collected, and the crosswalk created, in an attempt to resolve these data quality issues.

This data collection relates ZIP codes to counties, to standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs), and, in New England, to minor civil divisions (MCDs). The relationships between ZIP codes and other geographical units are based on 1979 boundaries, and changes since that time are not reflected. The Census Bureau used various sources to determine ZIP code-county or ZIP code-MCD relationships. In the cases where the sources were confusing or contradictory as to the geographical boundaries of a ZIP code, multiple ZIP-code records (each representing the territory contained in that ZIP-code area) were included in the data file. As a result, the file tends to overstate the ZIP code-county or ZIP code-MCD crossovers. The file is organized by ZIP code and is a byproduct of data used to administer the 1980 Census. Variables include ZIP codes, post office names, FIPS state and county codes, county or MCD names, and SMSA codes.

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.

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

A dataset listing New York zip codes by population for 2024.

Population by U.S. Postal ZIP Code from the Series 14 Regional Growth Forecast

Population by U.S. Postal ZIP Code from the 2010 Decennial Census

This is a MD iMAP hosted service. Find more information at http://imap.maryland.gov. The units of geography used for the 2010 Census maps displayed here are the Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA). ZCTAs are statistical geographic areas produced by the Census Bureau by aggregating census blocks to create generalized areas closely resembling the U.S. Postal Service's postal zip codes. The data collected on the short form survey are general demographic characteristics such as age - race - ethnicity - household relationship - housing vacancy and tenure (owner/renter).Feature Service Link:https://mdgeodata.md.gov/imap/rest/services/Demographics/MD_CensusData/FeatureServer ADDITIONAL LICENSE TERMS: The Spatial Data and the information therein (collectively "the Data") is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind either expressed implied or statutory. The user assumes the entire risk as to quality and performance of the Data. No guarantee of accuracy is granted nor is any responsibility for reliance thereon assumed. In no event shall the State of Maryland be liable for direct indirect incidental consequential or special damages of any kind. The State of Maryland does not accept liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by inaccuracies in the Data or as a result to changes to the Data nor is there responsibility assumed to maintain the Data in any manner or form. The Data can be freely distributed as long as the metadata entry is not modified or deleted. Any data derived from the Data must acknowledge the State of Maryland in the metadata.

Table contains total population and population density summarized at county, city, zip code, and census tract level. Population density is defined as number of people residing per square mile of area. Data are presented for zip codes (ZCTAs) fully within the county. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2016-2020 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, Table B01001; data accessed on April 11, 2022 from https://api.census.gov. The 2020 Decennial geographies are used for data summarization.METADATA:notes (String): Lists table title, notes, sourcesgeolevel (String): Level of geographyGEOID (String): Geography IDNAME (String): Name of geographyt_pop (Numeric): Total populationpop_density (Numeric): Area in square milesarea (Numeric): Population density

Context

Dataset created to link between County - State Name, State-County FIPS, and ZIP Code.

Acknowledgements

Data Sources

• US HUD

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/usps.html

• Census Bureau

https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes/files/national_county.txt https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/codes/cou.html

Data cleaned by Data4Democracy and hosted originally on Data.World: https://github.com/Data4Democracy/zip-code-to-county https://data.world/niccolley/us-zipcode-to-county-state

ZCTA data from USPS 6.2017 release.

Image from Reddit.

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

This dataset was developed by the Research & Analytics Group at the Atlanta Regional Commission using data from the U.S. Census Bureau.For a deep dive into the data model including every specific metric, see the Infrastructure Manifest. The manifest details ARC-defined naming conventions, field names/descriptions and topics, summary levels; source tables; notes and so forth for all metrics.Naming conventions:Prefixes: None Countp Percentr Ratem Mediana Mean (average)t Aggregate (total)ch Change in absolute terms (value in t2 - value in t1)pch Percent change ((value in t2 - value in t1) / value in t1)chp Change in percent (percent in t2 - percent in t1)s Significance flag for change: 1 = statistically significant with a 90% CI, 0 = not statistically significant, blank = cannot be computed Suffixes: _e19 Estimate from 2014-19 ACS_m19 Margin of Error from 2014-19 ACS_00_v19 Decennial 2000, re-estimated to 2019 geography_00_19 Change, 2000-19_e10_v19 2006-10 ACS, re-estimated to 2019 geography_m10_v19 Margin of Error from 2006-10 ACS, re-estimated to 2019 geography_e10_19 Change, 2010-19The user should note that American Community Survey data represent estimates derived from a surveyed sample of the population, which creates some level of uncertainty, as opposed to an exact measure of the entire population (the full census count is only conducted once every 10 years and does not cover as many detailed characteristics of the population). Therefore, any measure reported by ACS should not be taken as an exact number – this is why a corresponding margin of error (MOE) is also given for ACS measures. The size of the MOE relative to its corresponding estimate value provides an indication of confidence in the accuracy of each estimate. Each MOE is expressed in the same units as its corresponding measure; for example, if the estimate value is expressed as a number, then its MOE will also be a number; if the estimate value is expressed as a percent, then its MOE will also be a percent. The user should also note that for relatively small geographic areas, such as census tracts shown here, ACS only releases combined 5-year estimates, meaning these estimates represent rolling averages of survey results that were collected over a 5-year span (in this case 2015-2019). Therefore, these data do not represent any one specific point in time or even one specific year. For geographic areas with larger populations, 3-year and 1-year estimates are also available. For further explanation of ACS estimates and margin of error, visit Census ACS website.Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Atlanta Regional CommissionDate: 2015-2019Data License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC by 4.0)Link to the manifest: https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/3d489c725bb24f52a987b302147c46ee/data