Download Mapping Files

NHGIS Shape Finder

Users may obtain boundary files through the NHGIS Shape Finder. The application prompts the user to select a geographic unit (e.g., state, county, metropolitan area, census tract), the geographic extent of the unit (e.g., all census tracts in Hennepin County, Minnesota), and the decade(s) for which they want boundary files. The application then provides links to zipped files containing the selected boundary files. To use the boundary files in a GIS, users must extract the files from the zipped archives using decompression software. There are many applications available for decompressing files. The links below direct you to some of the more popular shareware and freeware programs.

• WinZip and WinRAR: the most popular compression applications for Windows. WinRAR is also available for Mac and Linux.

• MacGZIP and Aladdin's Stuffit Expander: the most popular compression applications for Macs
  

NHGIS Data Finder

Users may also obtain boundary files through the NHGIS Data Finder. When available, a GIS boundary file that corresponds to the selected geography will be created at the same time a statistical data extract is created. Please note that most of the boundary files are released at the nation-wide level and may represent a wider geographic extent than the aggregate data selected (e.g., aggregate data may be selected for all counties in Texas for 1990, but the county boundary file will contain all counties in the US for 1990.)

The boundary file can be selected in the final step in the statistical data retrieval process. Please note that not all statistical data within the NHGIS have corresponding boundary files (see the Boundary File Availability for more details about the census geographic units represented in the NHGIS boundary files).