IPUMS USA GIS Boundary Files
The links below provide digital boundary files in shapefile format within compressed .zip files.
Information about each file's source and contents is provided in the shapefile metadata, supplied in an XML document in each .zip file, in the ArcGIS metadata format. To view the metadata in Esri ArcGIS Pro, right-click on a shapefile name in a Catalog window and select View Metadata.
Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) and County Groups
2020 versions (ACS/PRCS samples, 2022-2031):
- 2020 PUMAs
- 2020 Migration / Place-of-Work PUMAs (2020 migration & place-of-work PUMAs are identical)
2010 versions (2010 decennial census and ACS/PRCS samples, 2012-2021):
- 2010 PUMAs, 2020 TIGER/Line Basis*
- 2010 PUMAs, 2010 TIGER/Line Basis*
- 2010 Migration / Place-of-Work PUMAs (2010 migration & place-of-work PUMAs are identical)
2000 versions (2000 decennial census and ACS/PRCS samples, 2005-2011):
- 2000 PUMAs, 2010 TIGER/Line Basis*: Spatial basis consistent with 2010 files; includes Puerto Rico
- 2000 PUMAs, 2000 TIGER/Line Basis*: Spatial basis consistent with other 2000-or-earlier files; omits Puerto Rico
- 2000 Super-PUMAs
- 2000 Migration PUMAs
- 2000 Place of Work PUMAs
Earlier versions (2000 TIGER/Line Basis*):
- 1990 PUMAs, 5% State Sample Version
- 1990 PUMAs, 1% Metro Sample Version
- 1980 County Groups, 5% State Sample Version
- 1980 County Groups, 1% Metro Sample Version
- 1970 County Groups
- 1960 PUMAs
- 1960 Mini-PUMAs
*IPUMS USA boundary files are derived from the IPUMS NHGIS shapefiles, which are in turn based on U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line files. The "TIGER/Line Basis" year identifies the version of TIGER/Line files from which we derived our boundaries; this can differ from the year of the geographic boundary definitions or the year of the corresponding census or ACS data. E.g., the file that provides 2010 PUMAs with a 2020 TIGER/Line Basis represents 2010 PUMAs—not 2020 PUMAs—based on data from the 2020 TIGER/Line release. Because the Census Bureau regularly makes accuracy improvements to TIGER/Line features between releases, boundaries derived from different TIGER/Line releases are not consistently comparable with each other.
Consistent PUMAs (ConsPUMAs)
- 1980-1990-2000 ConsPUMAs: As identifed by CONSPUMA for 1980-2011 samples
- 0010 ConsPUMAs: As identifed by CPUMA0010 for 2000-2021 samples
State Economic Areas
States, Counties & Other Areas
The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS), another IPUMS project, provides boundary files for states and counties from 1790 through the present, and for many other geographic levels in more recent years.
To join IPUMS USA data with NHGIS boundary files:
- For states, the NHGIS GISJOIN code generally matches IPUMS USA's STATEFIP code, preceded by "G" and a leading zero (for single-digit FIPS codes) and followed by a zero. E.g., a STATEFIP value of 2 corresponds to GISJOIN "G020".
- For counties:
- For 1850-1930 samples, codes from IPUMS USA's COUNTYNHG variable will exactly match the NHGIS GISJOIN code after making one adjustment: append a "G" before the COUNTYNHG code, or remove the "G" from the GISJOIN code.
- For 1940 samples, match the STATEICP and COUNTYICP codes in the microdata with the ICPSRST and ICPSRCTY codes in NHGIS boundary files.
- For 1950 and later samples, most NHGIS GISJOIN codes can be matched by concatenating STATEFIP and COUNTYFIP codes, after first appending leading zeros (to create a 2-character state FIPS and 3-character county FIPS) and a trailing zero after each FIPS code. One exception is Dade County, Florida, which (prior to 1997, when its name was changed to Miami-Dade County) has a COUNTYFIP code of 086 and an NHGIS county GISJOIN code of "G0250".
Supported By
