Population Data

A summary of the Census Population Data specification.

1.0 Introduction

Population datasets are reported once per year by the United States Census. The data sets range from 2015 - to 2020 and have been aggregated to census tracts.

This data represents the total population within a census tract. Annual census population data has been sourced from surveys such as the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Current Population Survey (CPS), and the periodic Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).

Census Population Parameters: Census.gov

2.0 Data Specification

The following table is the format in which downloaded Population data will be provided:

Field	Type	Description
`geo_id`	String	14-digit code relating the data to the correct geolocation.
`census_tract_code`	String	The unique identifier provided by the US Census for each census tract.
`sub_category`	String	Total Population.
`unit`	String	Total count of persons.
`value`	Float	Total population for defined boundary.
`year`	String	Year data was collected.
`county_name`	String	Name of the county that the census tract resides in.
`state_name`	String	Name of the state that the census tract resides in.
`geometry`	String	The GIS information required for the computer to read the mapping file.

💡Tip: The “GEO.ID” field contains 14-digit codes that identify the summary level of data, the geographic component of the data, and FIPS codes that uniquely identify the data. For example, the 14-digit “GEO.ID” for Harris County, TX is “0500000US48201” where “050” represents the summary level of the data, “0000” represents the 2-digit geographic variant, and the 2-digit geographic component, “US” represents the United States, “48” represents the state of Texas and “201” represents Harris County.