HIFLD Open Census Tracts

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census; United States Department of Homeland Security

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
census-tracts-2-geojson.zip application/zip 585.3 MB 10/16/2025 11:15:AM
census-tracts-2-shapefile.zip application/zip 421.1 MB 09/15/2025 05:41:AM
metadata.xml application/xml 1.4 KB 08/25/2025 01:54:PM

Project Citation: 

United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census, and United States Department of Homeland Security. HIFLD Open Census Tracts. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-10-16. https://doi.org/10.3886/E238939V1

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title HIFLD Open Census Tracts
Summary:  View help for Summary Census Tracts are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or equivalent entity that are updated by local participants prior to each decennial census as part of the Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program. The Census Bureau delineates census tracts in situations where no local participant existed or where state, local, or tribal governments declined to participate. The primary purpose of census tracts is to provide a stable set of geographic units for the presentation of statistical data. 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. Census tracts occasionally are split due to population growth or merged as a result of substantial population decline.Census tract boundaries generally follow visible and identifiable features. They may follow non-visible legal boundaries, such as minor civil division (MCD) or incorporated place boundaries in some states and situations, to allow for census tract-to-governmental unit relationships where the governmental boundaries tend to remain unchanged between censuses. State and county boundaries always are census tract boundaries in the standard census geographic hierarchy. Tribal census tracts are a unique geographic entity defined within federally recognized American Indian reservations and can cross state and county boundaries. Tribal census tracts may be completely different from the census tracts and block groups defined by state and county.
Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://hifld-geoplatform.hub.arcgis.com/

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms HIFLD Open; GIS; boundaries; census; population; geography
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 8/28/2024 – 8/28/2024
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) geographic information system (GIS) data
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes Archived from the HIFLD Open GIS data repository, which was deactivated on August 26, 2025


Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2025-10-16]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as received from the data depositor. ICPSR has not reviewed, checked, or processed this material. For additional information about the study, please contact the investigator(s) directly. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR's Accessibility Center.