The TIGER/Line Files are shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) that are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line File is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. The TIGER/Line Files include both incorporated places (legal entities) and census designated places or CDPs (statistical entities). An incorporated place is established to provide governmental functions for a concentration of people as opposed to a minor civil division (MCD), which generally is created to provide services or administer an area without regard, necessarily, to population. Places always nest within a State, but may extend across county and county subdivision boundaries. An incorporated place usually is a city, town, village, or borough, but can have other legal descriptions. CDPs are delineated for the decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places. CDPs are delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of population that are identifiable by name, but are not legally incorporated under the laws of the State in which they are located. The boundaries for CDPs often are defined in partnership with State, local, and/or tribal officials and usually coincide with visible features or the boundary of an adjacent incorporated place or another legal entity. CDP boundaries often change from one decennial census to the next with changes in the settlement pattern and development; a CDP with the same name as in an earlier census does not necessarily have the same boundary. The only population/housing size requirement for CDPs for the 2010 Census is that they must contain some housing and population. The boundaries of all 2010 Census incorporated places are as of January 1, 2010 as reported through the Census Bureau's Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). The boundaries of all 2010 Census CDPs were delineated as part of the Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP).
In order for others to use the information in the Census MAF/TIGER database in a geographic information system (GIS) or for other geographic applications, the Census Bureau releases to the public extracts of the database in the form of TIGER/Line Shapefiles.
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The TIGER/Line Shapefile products are not copyrighted however TIGER/Line and Census TIGER are registered trademarks of the U.S. Census Bureau. These products are free to use in a product or publication, however acknowledgement must be given to the U.S. Census Bureau as the source. The boundary information in the TIGER/Line Shapefiles are for statistical data collection and tabulation purposes only; their depiction and designation for statistical purposes does not constitute a determination of jurisdictional authority or rights of ownership or entitlement and they are not legal land descriptions.Coordinates in the TIGER/Line shapefiles have six implied decimal places, but the positional accuracy of these coordinates is not as great as the six decimal places suggest.
4600 Silver Hill Road, Stop 7400
Accurate against Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), FIPS Publication 6-4, and FIPS-55 at the 100% level for the codes and base names. The remaining attribute information has been examined but has not been fully tested for accuracy.
The Census Bureau performed automated tests to ensure logical consistency and limits of shapefiles. Segments making up the outer and inner boundaries of a polygon tie end-to-end to completely enclose the area. All polygons are tested for closure. The Census Bureau uses its internally developed geographic update system to enhance and modify spatial and attribute data in the Census MAF/TIGER database. Standard geographic codes, such as FIPS codes for states, counties, municipalities, county subdivisions, places, American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian areas, and congressional districts are used when encoding spatial entities. The Census Bureau performed spatial data tests for logical consistency of the codes during the compilation of the original Census MAF/TIGER database files. Most of the codes for geographic entities except states, counties, urban areas, Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs), American Indian Areas (AIAs), and congressional districts were provided to the Census Bureau by the USGS, the agency responsible for maintaining FIPS 55. Feature attribute information has been examined but has not been fully tested for consistency. For the TIGER/Line Shapefiles, the Point and Vector Object Count for the G-polygon SDTS Point and Vector Object Type reflects the number of records in the shapefile attribute table. For multi-polygon features, only one attribute record exists for each multi-polygon rather than one attribute record per individual G-polygon component of the multi-polygon feature. TIGER/Line Shapefile multi-polygons are an exception to the G-polygon object type classification. Therefore, when multi-polygons exist in a shapefile, the object count will be less than the actual number of G-polygons.
Data completeness of the TIGER/Line Shapefiles reflects the contents of the Census MAF/TIGER database at the time the TIGER/Line Shapefiles were created.
The selected geographic and cartographic information (line segments) are derived from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) database.
TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracted from the Census MAF/TIGER database by nation, state, county, and entity. Census MAF/TIGER data for all of the aforementioned geographic entities are then distributed among the shapefiles each containing attributes for line, polygon, or landmark geographic data.
Internal feature number.
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Feature geometry.
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2010 Census state Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) codes
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2010 Census place Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 55 code
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2010 Census place ANSI code
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Place identifier; a concatenation of 2010 Census state FIPS code and place FIPS code
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2010 Census place name
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2010 Census name and the translated legal/statistical area description for place
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2010 Census legal/statistical area description code for place
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city
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municipality
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town
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village
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city and borough
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comunidad
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census designated place (CDP)
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zona urbana
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(balance)
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consolidated government (balance)
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corporation
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government
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metropolitan government (balance)
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metropolitan government
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metro government (balance)
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unified government (balance)
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urban county
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unified government
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2010 Census Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 55 class code
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An active incorporated place that does not serve as a county subdivision
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An active incorporated place that is legally coextensive with a county subdivision but treated as independent of any county subdivsion
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An incorporated place that is independent of any county subdivision and serves as a county subdivision
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An active incorporated place that is coextensive with or approximates an Alaska Native village statistical area
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An incorporated place that is independent of any county
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The balance of a consolidated city excluding the separately incorporated place(s) within that consolidated government
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An inactive or nonfunctioning incorporated place
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A military or other defense installation entirely within a place
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A census designated place with an official federally recognized name
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A census designated place without an official federally recognized name
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A census designated place that is coextensive with a county subdivision
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A census designated place that is coextensive with or approximates an Alaska Native village statistical area
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2010 Census metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area principal city indicator
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Not a principal city of a CBSA
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Is a principal city of a CBSA
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2010 Census New England city and town area principal city indicator
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Geographic entity is not a principal city of a NECTA
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Geographic entity is a principal city of a NECTA
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MAF/TIGER feature class code
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Incorporated place
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Census designated place
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2010 Census functional status
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Active government providing primary general-purpose functions
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Active government that is partially consolidated with another government but with separate officials providing primary general-purpose functions
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Fictitious entity created to fill the Census Bureau geographic hierachy
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Inactive governemental unit that has the power to provide primary special-purpose functions
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Nonfunctioning legal entity
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Statistical entity
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2010 Census land area (square meters)
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Blank
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2010 Census water area (square meters)
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Blank
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2010 Census latitude of the internal point
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Blank
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2010 Census longitude of the internal point
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Blank
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4600 Silver Hill Road, Stop 7400
No warranty, expressed or implied is made with regard to the accuracy of these data, and no liability is assumed by the U.S. Government in general or the U.S. Census Bureau in specific as to the spatial or attribute accuracy of the data. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty and no responsibility is assumed by the U.S. government in the use of these files. The boundary information in the TIGER/Line Shapefiles is for statistical data collection and tabulation purposes only; their depiction and designation for statistical purposes do not constitute a determination of jurisdictional authority or rights of ownership or entitlement and they are not legal land descriptions.
To obtain more information about ordering TIGER/Line shapefiles visit http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger
4600 Silver Hill Road, Stop 7400