Geographies
Census Geographies are the geographic boundaries in which Census reports data. The Glossary of Census Geographies is a good reference for understanding what each geography term means.
U.S. Government, Public Domain, via census.gov
The Historical Census section of the LibGuide contains more information on accessing historic Census geographies, as well as crosswalking between them.
Census Geography Mapping Files
If creating your own maps of Census data, you may need Census geography mapping files. The resources below contain information on accessing GIS Census data.
- Geography Mapping Files from the CensusThe Census provides resources to download mapping files online through their website
tigrisFor R users, Census geography files can be programmatically accessed using thetigrispackage
Illustration of the TIGER shapefiles
U.S. Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Glossary of Census Terms
If you have questions about specific Census terms, visit the Census Glossary page to search for the term you would like defined. The Census Glossary can help define information about specific Census variables. For example, the Census Glossary can be used to understand how the Census defines the difference between a "Household" and a "Family household".