Enumeration Districts (EDs)
are the most basic work units for the CensusBureau.
It is the area assigned to a single enumerator. EDs
do not cross the boundaries of legal or of statistical areas, but are otherwise
drawnso as to be bounded by roads and other natural
features. EDs may be redrawn and renumbered for each
decennial census. ED-level data are available only in untracted,
unblocked areas, i.e., those areas for which tract- and BNA-level data are not
available. ED-level data can therefore be used in combination with tract/BNA
data to obtain complete national coverage for "neighborhoods" in both
urban and rural areas.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdaa1.dta.gz 15 Mb
cdaa2.dta.gz 14 Mb
cdaa1.por.gz
14 Mb
cdaa2.por.gz
13 Mb
Census Tracts and BNAs
are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county. Census
tracts are delineated for all metropolitan areas and other densely populated
counties by local census statistical areas committees following Census Bureau
guidelines. Census tracts usually have between 2,500 and 8,000 persons and when
first delineated, were designed to be homogeneous with respect to population
and characteristics, economic status, and living conditions. Census tracts do not
cross state or county boundaries. In all but a very small number of cases in
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
List of variables for
CDA-B3,B4
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdab1.dta.gz 30 Mb
cdab2.dta.gz 54 Mb
cdab33b4.dta.gz 77 Mb
cdab1.por.gz 29
Mb
cdab2.por.gz
49 Mb
cdab3b4.por.gz
70 Mb
ZIP Codes are administrative units
established by the United States Postal Service (USPS) for the most efficient
distribution of mail, and therefore generally do not respect political or
census statistical area boundaries. ZIP Codes usually do not have clearly
identifiable boundaries. They often serve a continually changing area; are
changed periodically to meet postal requirements, and do not cover all the land
area of the United States. ZIP Codes are a possible substitute for
"neighborhood" if tract, BNA, and enumeration district are not
available.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdad1.dta.gz 3 Mb
cdad2.dta.gz 11 Mb
cdad3.dta.gz 11 Mb
cdad1.por.gz
3 Mb
cdad2.por.gz
10 Mb
cdad3.por.gz
10 Mb
Minor civil divisions (
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdaf1.dta.gz 10 Mb
cdaf2.dta.gz 12 Mb
cdaf3.dta.gz 13 Mb
cdaf1.por.gz
10 Mb
cdaf2.por.gz
11 Mb
cdaf3.por.gz
12 Mb
A public school district is an area whose
public schools are administratively affiliated with a local education agency
recognized by the state education agency as responsible for implementing the state's elementary and secondary public education program.
While most areas of the U.S. are covered by one or more school districts, there
are parts of some states that are not covered by any school district. These
areas are referred to as "balance of county" areas and treated as
"pseudo" school districts in the data set. In all or parts of some
states, school districts are coextensive with counties, MCDs,
places, or combinations thereof; in other areas, they have virtually no relationship
to other census geography, and may even split blocks.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdag1g2.dta.gz 22 Mb
cdag1g2.por.gz
19 Mb
Typically, places are discrete settlements,
usually occupying only a portion of the county in which they are located.
Places may extend across county boundaries but never across state boundaries.
Census places are of two types - Incorporated Places, such as cities, villages,
or towns, which have legally prescribed powers and functions; and Census
Designated Places, (CDPs, previously
"unincorporated areas"), which are densely settled areas (at least
1,000 persons per square mile) with a locally-used distinctive name. Places are
a possible substitute for "neighborhood" if tract, block numbering
area, and enumeration district are unavailable.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdah1.dta.gz 2 Mb
cdah2.dta.gz 7 Mb
cdah3.dta.gz 9 Mb
cdah1.por.gz
2 Mb
cdah2.por.gz
6 Mb
cdah3.por.gz
7 Mb
The term "city" in the
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdai1.dta.gz 529 Kb
cdai1.por.gz
100 Kb
The primary political divisions of most
States are termed “counties.” In Louisiana, these divisions are
known as “parishes.” In Alaska, the equivalent areas are of two
types: 1) the organized “boroughs” and 2) the “census
areas” that were developed for general statistical purposes by the State
of Alaska and the Census Bureau. Four States—Maryland, Missouri, Nevada,
and Virginia—have one or more incorporated places that are legally
independent of any county and thus constitute primary divisions (county
equivalents) of their States. Similarly, the portion of Yellowstone National
Park in Montana is treated as a county equivalent. The District of Columbia has
no primary divisions; the entire area is considered equivalent to a county for
census purposes.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
List of variables for
CDA-J1J5 - Part 1
List of variables for
CDA-J1J5 - Part 2
List of variables for
CDA-J1J5 - Part 3
List of variables for
footnotes for CDA-J1J5
Stata/SE format (in gzipped form):
cdaj1j5.dta.gz 24 Mb
Footnotes in Stata
format (in gzipped form):
cdaj1j5f.dta.gz 1 Mb
Stata/SE is
available on the Unix systems econ.bc.edu, ecsa200.bc.edu, and goanna.bc.edu, and may be acquired for desktop systems. You need at least
60 Mb
cdaj1j5.por.gz
23 Mb
cdaj1j5f.por.gz
23 Mb
A labor market area (LMA) is one or more
counties with close economic ties defined by patterns of commuting to work. It
is a geographically comprehensive "economic area" analogous to those
represented by metropolitan statistical areas in urban areas.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdak1.dta.gz 1 Mb
cdak2.dta.gz 1 Mb
cdak1.por.gz
600 Kb
cdak2.por.gz
600 Kb
A state economic area (
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdal1.dta.gz 230 kb
cdal2.dta.gz 250 Kb
cdal1.por.gz
300 Kb
cdal2.por.gz
300 Kb
The U.S. Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) defines metropolitan areas (MAs) according to published standards that
are applied to Census Bureau data. The general concept of an MA is one of a
large population nucleus, together with adjacent communities that have a high
degree of economic and social integration with that nucleus. Some MAs are
defined around two or more nuclei. Data set M1-M3 of the Contextual Data
Archive includes socio-economic and demographic data for Metropolitan
Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the US. M1 consists of
data from the 1970s and has 280 cases and 338 variables. M2 covers data from
the 1980s, and includes 556 variables for 363 cases. M3 covers data from the
1990s and includes 330 variables for 335 cases
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
List of variables for
footnotes for CDA-M2
Stata format in gzipped form):
cdam1.dta.gz 192 Kb
cdam2.dta.gz 442 Kb
cdam3.dta.gz 270 Kb
Footnotes in Stata
format (in gzipped form):
cdam2f.dta.gz 4 Kb
cdam1.por.gz
182 Kb
cdam2.por.gz
408 Kb
cdam2f.por.gz
6 Kb
cdam3.por.gz
258 Kb
An economic sub-region is a group of two or
more topographically and economically similar counties, often crossing state
lines. It is a possible "economic area, "with the advantage of being
geographically comprehensive.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
Stata format (in gzipped form):
cdan1.dta.gz 62 Kb
cdan2.dta.gz
66 Kb
cdan1.por.gz
62 Kb
cdan2.por.gz
65 Kb
States are the primary governmental divisions
of the United States. The District of Columbia is treated as a statistical
equivalent of a state for census purposes. Data set P1-P7 of the Contextual
Data Archive includes data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This
data set includes 6,321 variables and 51 cases.
These data were acquired from the Contextual
Data Archive (
List of variables for
CDA-P1P7 - Part 1
List of variables for
CDA-P1P7 - Part 2
List of variables for
CDA-P1P7 - Part 3
List of variables for
CDA-P1P7 - Part 4
List of variables for
CDA-P1P7 - Part 5
Stata/SE format (in gzipped form):
cdap1p7.dta.gz 1 Mb
Stata/SE is
available on the Unix systems econ.bc.edu, ecsa200.bc.edu, and goanna.bc.edu, and may be acquired for desktop systems. You may use Stata/SE or Stat/Transfer on one of the Unix systems to
create a subset file that may be used with standard (Intercooled)
Stata, and will require much less
cdap1p7.por.gz
1 Mb