How to Get Census Tract Demographics

What's a Census Tract?

Put simply, a Census tract is a geographic area defined for the purpose of taking a Census. In the United States, counties are usually divided into several Census tracts.

Tracts typically range from 1,200 to 8,000 people. Their spatial size varies widely depending on the population density of the area. Tract boundaries donâ??t change often, because they are used to present and compare statistical data over time. Occasionally, Census tracts are split due to population growth or merged due to population decline. The image to the right is of 2 Census tracts in Los Angeles County, California.

How do you get Census tract demographics?

First, you have to figure out which Census tracts intersect your area of interest. There are 3 free online Census tract finder tools that you can use to determine which tracts are in your area. Using the Census tract finder tools, you'll be able to determine the unique geographic identification number that identifies the Census tracts in the area. If you use the Cubit web tool, you'll can identify the unique geographic identification numbers and pull Census tract demographics in seconds. Sign up using the form to try Cubit for free and identify Census tracts in your project area.

Otherwise, you can pull Census tract demographics for the tracts in your area of interest using the unique geographic identification number (FIPS code). You can select the unique identification numbers in the Census' AmericanFactFinder tool and click submit to get demographic data for Census tracts in your area of interest.

You may also be interested in: Census Tracts by County; Census Tract Numbers; and Income by Census Tract