The TIGER/Line geopackages and related database files (.dbf) 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 shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. The primary legal divisions of most States are termed counties. In Louisiana, these divisions are known as parishes. In Alaska, which has no counties, the equivalent entities are the organized boroughs, city and boroughs, and municipalities, and for the unorganized area, census areas. The latter are delineated cooperatively for statistical purposes by the State of Alaska and the Census Bureau. In four States (Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia), there are one or more incorporated places that are independent of any county organization and thus constitute primary divisions of their States. These incorporated places are known as independent cities and are treated as equivalent entities for purposes of data presentation. The District of Columbia and Guam have no primary divisions, and each area is considered an equivalent entity for purposes of data presentation. The Census Bureau treats the following entities as equivalents of counties for purposes of data presentation: Municipios in Puerto Rico, Districts and Islands in American Samoa, Municipalities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Islands in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The entire area of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas is covered by counties or equivalent entities. The 2010 Census boundaries for counties and equivalent entities are as of January 1, 2010, primarily as reported through the Census Bureau's Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS).
Purpose
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.
Temporal Extent
Currentness Reference
publication date
Time Instant
2013
Bounding Box
West
-179.231101
East
179.859666
North
71.441059
South
-14.601806
Theme Keyword
boundaries
planningCadastre
society
Theme Keyword Thesaurus
ISO 19115 Topic Categories
Place Keyword
United States
Place Keyword Thesaurus
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Temporal Keyword
2013
Temporal Keyword Thesaurus
None
Access Restrictions
None
Use Restrictions
None
Spatial Data Organization Information
Direct Spatial Reference Method
Vector
Point and Vector Object Information
SDTS Terms Description
SDTS Point and Vector Object Type
GT-polygon composed of chains
Point and Vector Object Count
3234
Spatial Reference Information
Horizontal Coordinate System Definition
Geographic
Latitude Resolution
8.983152841195215e-009
Longitude Resolution
8.983152841195215e-009
Geographic Coordinate Units
Decimal Degrees
Geodetic Model
Horizontal Datum Name
D WGS 1984
Ellipsoid Name
WGS 1984
Semi-major Axis
6378137.0
Denominator of Flattening Ratio
298.257223563
Entity and Attribute Information
Entity Type
Entity Type Label
county_pol
Entity Type Definition
2010 Census County and Equivalent State-based
Entity Type Definition Source
U.S. Census Bureau
Attributes
FID
Internal feature number. (Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.)
Definition Source
Esri
Shape
Feature geometry. (Coordinates defining the features.)
Definition Source
Esri
STFIPS
CTFIPS
STATE
COUNTY
fafid
ID of faf region county resides in
Distribution Information
Distributor
Research and Innovative Technology Administration/Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Online Access
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger
Name
Metadata Reference Information
Metadata Date
20140925
Metadata Contact
Contact Information
Contact Organization Primary
Contact Organization
Research Data Services (RDS), Columbia University Libraries
Contact Person
GIS/Metadata Librarian
Contact Address
Address
420 W. 118th St., 215 IAB, MC 3301
City
New York
State or Province
NY
Postal Code
10027
Country
USA
Contact Voice Telephone
(212)854-6012
Contact Electronic Mail Address
data@library.columbia.edu
Metadata Standard Name
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
