US Census Bureau Data

Extract official US Census Bureau data from the Census Bureau API — demographics, population, housing, income, economics, and business statistics for every geography level in the United States.

Why use this Actor?

• Official government data — direct from the US Census Bureau API
• No API key required — 500 requests/day without registration (free key available for unlimited access)
• No proxy needed — accessible worldwide with no geographic restrictions
• 4 modes in one Actor — fetch data, list datasets, browse variables, and explore geography levels
• 1,749+ datasets — ACS, Decennial Census, County Business Patterns, Population Estimates, and more
• 87 geography levels — nation, state, county, tract, block group, ZIP code, congressional district

How much does it cost?

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. You are charged per result item returned.

No proxy costs. No API key costs. Census Bureau data is freely accessible from any location.

What data is available?

Access 1,749+ Census datasets including:

• American Community Survey (ACS): Demographics, income, education, housing, commuting, health insurance — 28,000+ variables
• Decennial Census: Population counts, redistricting data (every 10 years)
• County Business Patterns: Number of businesses, employees, payroll by industry (NAICS codes)
• Population Estimates: Monthly/annual population estimates and components of change
• Economic Census: Detailed business statistics by industry and geography

Data available at 87 geography levels: nation, state, county, city/place, tract, block group, ZIP code (ZCTA), congressional district, metropolitan area, and more.

Four modes

1. Fetch Data (default)

Retrieve Census statistics for any geography.

Example: Population and median income by state:

• Dataset: 2022/acs/acs5
• Variables: B01001_001E,B19013_001E
• Geography For: state:*

Example: County data for California:

• Variables: B01001_001E,B19013_001E,B25077_001E
• Geography For: county:*
• Geography In: state:CA

2. List Datasets

Search available Census surveys and years.

3. Browse Variables

Discover available data fields for a dataset. ACS 5-Year alone has 28,000+ variables.

4. Geography Levels

See what geography levels are available for a dataset.

Common variable aliases

You can use friendly aliases instead of Census variable codes:

Alias	Code	Description
population	B01001_001E	Total population
median_income	B19013_001E	Median household income
median_age	B01002_001E	Median age
total_housing	B25001_001E	Total housing units
median_home_value	B25077_001E	Median home value

Example output

{
    "NAME": "California",
    "state": "06",
    "B01001_001E": 39538223,
    "B19013_001E": 91905,
    "B25077_001E": 573200,
    "dataset": "2022/acs/acs5",
    "geography_for": "state:06"
}

Use cases

• Market research — analyze demographics, income, and spending patterns by region for site selection and targeting
• Urban planning — study population density, housing, commuting, and infrastructure needs at tract level
• Social science research — demographic analysis, inequality studies, migration patterns, and public health
• Business intelligence — assess market size, labor force, and economic conditions for expansion decisions
• Real estate analysis — compare housing values, rental rates, and demographic profiles across geographies
• Grant writing — cite official Census data for funding proposals and needs assessments

FAQ

Q: Do I need a Census API key? A: No. This Actor works without an API key (500 requests/day limit from the Census Bureau). For most use cases, this is more than enough since each Actor run makes relatively few API calls.

Q: What's the most commonly used dataset? A: The American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (acs/acs5). It has the most variables (28,000+) and covers all geographies down to block group level. Use the most recent year available (e.g., 2022/acs/acs5).

Q: How do I find the right variable codes? A: Use the "Browse Variables" mode with a keyword search. Or use the built-in aliases: population, median_income, median_age, total_housing, median_home_value. For advanced searches, check data.census.gov.

Q: Can I get ZIP code level data? A: Yes. Use zip code tabulation area:* as the geography. Note: Census uses ZCTAs (ZIP Code Tabulation Areas) which approximate but don't exactly match USPS ZIP codes.

Q: How often is Census data updated? A: ACS 5-Year data releases annually (typically in December). Decennial Census data releases every 10 years. Population estimates update monthly/annually.

Q: Can I compare data across years? A: Yes. Run the Actor multiple times with different dataset years (e.g., 2020/acs/acs5 and 2022/acs/acs5) and compare the results. Variable codes are generally consistent across years.

Integration with Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN")

# Get population and income by state
run = client.actor("aligned_kettledrum/us-census-data").call(
    run_input={
        "mode": "data",
        "dataset": "2022/acs/acs5",
        "variables": "population,median_income,median_home_value",
        "geographyFor": "state:*",
    }
)

# Load into pandas
import pandas as pd
items = list(client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items())
df = pd.DataFrame(items)

# Top 10 states by median income
df["B19013_001E"] = pd.to_numeric(df["B19013_001E"], errors="coerce")
top = df.nlargest(10, "B19013_001E")[["NAME", "B19013_001E", "B01001_001E"]]
print(top.to_string(index=False))

Technical details

This Actor uses the official Census Bureau Data API. The API allows 500 requests/day without a key (a free key is available for unlimited requests — but this Actor works without one).

State abbreviations (CA, TX, NY) are automatically converted to FIPS codes. No manual lookups needed.

Data is sourced directly from the US Census Bureau — no intermediaries, no scraping.