# Census ACS Table Downloader (`junipr/census-acs-table-downloader`) Actor

Download Census ACS-style table variables for configured years, geographies, and table IDs into normalized rows with estimates, margins of error, labels, and geography metadata.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/junipr/census-acs-table-downloader.md
- **Developed by:** [junipr](https://apify.com/junipr) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $6.50 / 1,000 record fetcheds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Census ACS Table Downloader

### Store Positioning

**Store title:** Census ACS Table Downloader

**Short description:** Download Census ACS-style table variables for configured years, geographies, and table IDs into normalized rows with estimates, margins of error, labels, and geography metadata.

**SEO title:** Census ACS Table Downloader — official public data extraction and monitoring

**SEO description:** Download Census ACS-style table variables for configured years, geographies, and table IDs into normalized rows with estimates, margins of error, labels, and geography metadata. Use it to normalize official public data into clean Apify datasets with source-specific fields and report artifacts.

**Categories:** SEO\_TOOLS

**Keywords:** census, acs, table, downloader, data qa, official/public-data actor

### Pay-Per-Event Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. Event prices include Apify platform usage; users are not expected to pay a separate platform-usage pass-through charge for the configured pricing model.

- Tier: D1 — Official/public-data actor
- Primary event: `record-fetched` at $0.00908 base
- Default max charge: $15.00
- Store discounts: FREE/BRONZE base, SILVER discounted, GOLD deepest approved discount

Event set:

- `actor-start`: base $0.02000, GOLD $0.01760. Census Acs Table Downloader: charged when actor start is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `record-fetched`: base $0.00908, GOLD $0.00799. Census Acs Table Downloader: charged when record fetched is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `event-detected`: base $0.01300, GOLD $0.01140. Census Acs Table Downloader: charged when event detected is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `report-generated`: base $0.05000, GOLD $0.04400. Census Acs Table Downloader: charged when report generated is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.

The actor accepts `actor-start` before work, accepts the primary event before each dataset row, and accepts the configured report event before writing report files. If `maxChargeUsd` or the live PPE limit blocks a charge, the corresponding row or report is not written.

### Public Task Concepts

- Download state population estimates
- Export county household income
- Pull state housing unit counts
- Compare state race population totals
- Download county commuting estimates

### Inputs

- `apiKey`
- `survey`
- `years`
- `tableIds`
- `variables`
- `geographies`
- `stateFips`
- `countyFips`
- `tracts`
- `includeMarginsOfError`
- `includeVariableLabels`
- `outputWideFormat`
- `maxRequests`
- `timeoutMs`

The exact default analyzes a bounded public ACS 2024 population observation for Anderson County sourced through Census Reporter at 2026-07-12T06:15:00Z; no credential is stored.

### Outputs

- `year`
- `survey`
- `tableId`
- `variable`
- `variableLabel`
- `geographyId`
- `geographyName`
- `stateFips`
- `countyFips`
- `estimate`
- `marginOfError`
- `universe`
- `source`
- `warning`

Run locally with `npm test` and `npm run build`.

# Actor input Schema

## `apiKey` (type: `string`):

Optional API key for sources that require authenticated access. Do not include secrets in public task examples.

## `survey` (type: `string`):

Survey controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `years` (type: `array`):

Years controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `tableIds` (type: `array`):

Table IDs controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `variables` (type: `array`):

Variables controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `geographies` (type: `array`):

Geographies controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `stateFips` (type: `array`):

State Fips controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `countyFips` (type: `array`):

County Fips controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `tracts` (type: `array`):

Tracts controls Census ACS Table Downloader processing for the supplied inputs; keep values conservative for first runs.

## `includeMarginsOfError` (type: `boolean`):

Include margins of error in output rows or reports when available.

## `includeVariableLabels` (type: `boolean`):

Include variable labels in output rows or reports when available.

## `outputWideFormat` (type: `boolean`):

Output option controlling how Census ACS Table Downloader writes results or reports.

## `maxRequests` (type: `integer`):

Maximum requests to process in one run; keep defaults low for safe first runs.

## `timeoutMs` (type: `integer`):

Maximum time in milliseconds allowed for the Census ACS Table Downloader operation before it is treated as timed out.

## `maxChargeUsd` (type: `number`):

Maximum pay-per-event charge allowed before the actor stops without emitting unpaid output.

## `acsFixtures` (type: `object`):

Optional supplied Census-compatible response evidence for deterministic analysis without an API credential.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "apiKey": "",
  "survey": "acs5",
  "years": [
    2024
  ],
  "tableIds": [
    "B01001"
  ],
  "variables": [
    "B01001_001E"
  ],
  "geographies": [
    "county:001"
  ],
  "stateFips": [
    "47"
  ],
  "countyFips": [
    "001"
  ],
  "tracts": [],
  "includeMarginsOfError": false,
  "includeVariableLabels": true,
  "outputWideFormat": true,
  "maxRequests": 1,
  "timeoutMs": 10000,
  "maxChargeUsd": 1,
  "acsFixtures": {
    "2024:acs5:B01001:county:001": {
      "metadata": {
        "variables": {
          "B01001_001E": {
            "label": "Estimate!!Total:",
            "concept": "Sex by Age"
          }
        }
      },
      "data": [
        [
          "NAME",
          "B01001_001E",
          "state",
          "county"
        ],
        [
          "Anderson County, Tennessee",
          "81449",
          "47",
          "001"
        ]
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("junipr/census-acs-table-downloader").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("junipr/census-acs-table-downloader").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call junipr/census-acs-table-downloader --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=junipr/census-acs-table-downloader",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/aBMbccwf1huyP86bm/builds/hfNwHRKVb1egkAXlU/openapi.json