NHGIS 1980 census block shapefiles depict 1980 block boundaries for selected areas throughout the U.S. The current version (v6.0) includes blocks for 238 of the 318 1980 U.S. metropolitan areas. We will update and extend the shapefiles in future releases as we complete more areas.
These files provide a more accurate and complete representation of 1980 block boundaries than is available from the U.S. Census Bureau's 1992 TIGER/Line Files, the only previously existing source of digital 1980 block definitions for the nation.
We currently provide the boundary files through this web page along with documentation and census summary statistics for 1980 blocks. In the future, we will provide both the boundary files and summary tables through the NHGIS Data Finder, where we already provide block-level summary data for 1970 and later censuses and block-level boundary data for all censuses after 1980. Boundary data for 1970 blocks are available through the 1970 Block Boundaries page.
- Overview
- Technical Details
- Download: Boundaries
- Download: Statistics
- Download via API
- Feedback and Questions
- Citation and Use
- Credits
Overview
The U.S. Census Bureau's 1992 TIGER/Line Files include both 1990 and 1980 census block boundaries, but the 1980 blocks are badly incomplete and often inaccurate. Of the 2.5 million blocks that appear in the 1980 census summary tables, about 765,000 do not appear in the 1992 TIGER/Line Files, and there are missing cases in nearly every county where block data were provided.
Using the 1980 paper census block maps as a guide, NHGIS staff are manually editing data from the 1992 TIGER/Line Files to recover as many missing blocks as possible. The Census Bureau published the paper maps in volumes organized by Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA), so NHGIS editing work is also organized by SMSA.
Initial versions of our 1980 block shapefiles will cover only the SMSAs that we have completed. We plan to release more versions including more SMSAs at regular intervals until the project has ended.
NHGIS validates the edited geographic block data against the statistical block data from 1980 Summary Tape File 1 (STF1). For a small portion of the blocks that appear in STF1, we are unable to find corresponding blocks on the paper maps or in the TIGER/Line data, so we cannot provide complete block definitions for all reported statistics. Our validation process produces summaries of the discrepancies between the edited boundary data and statistical data. We supply these summaries for user reference along with the shapefiles.
We also provide separate files of block-level summary tables derived from the 1980 STF1 dataset. This is important because the original STF1 includes data only for block parts and not for the whole collection blocks that the boundary files depict.
Technical Details
Basics
- The boundary data are stored in shapefiles within ZIP archives
- There is a separate shapefile for each state (or state equivalent) where boundaries are currently available
- There is a nationwide shapefile that includes all block boundaries available at this time
- Two supplemental CSV (comma-separated-values) files accompany each shapefile within the ZIP archives
- data_missing_polygon - Lists blocks that have records in the statistical tables but do not have polygons in the shapefile
- polygon_missing_data - Lists blocks that have polygons in the shapefile but do not have records in the statistical tables
- The statistical and boundary files include standard NHGIS GISJOIN identifiers
- The statistical table data are stored in a CSV file within a ZIP archive
- There are two nationwide CSV files
- One includes all tables
- One includes a collection of popular tables
- There is a CSV file for each state (or state equivalent) with boundaries currently available
- All ZIP archives include human-readable codebooks describing the contents of the data files
Geographic Coverage
We plan to produce 1980 block shapefiles for all of the Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSAs) that are covered (imperfectly) in the 1992 TIGER/Line Files. In 1980, the Census Bureau's block data program covered only urbanized areas and large incorporated places (those with 10,000 or more residents based on pre-1980 sources). State and local agencies also contracted with the Bureau to obtain block data for many additional areas, but the 1992 TIGER/Line Files provide very limited information for the blocks in these areas, so we do not expect to complete those.
The 1980 block shapefiles are organized by state for consistency with NHGIS block boundary files for later years. A given state's shapefile includes blocks only for counties that NHGIS has completed within that state. Future versions of the shapefiles will extend coverage within currently included states and may add new files for other states.
We have generally prioritized the largest SMSAs. The current version includes all of the 60 largest SMSAs (by 1980 population) and 88 of the 90 largest.
For most of the included SMSAs, the shapefiles include nearly all of the SMSA's 1980 blocks (wherever they could be identified in our sources), but for some SMSAs, the shapefiles omit large sections of blocks. This occurs in outlying areas where there are no 1980 blocks in the 1992 TIGER/Line files. We plan to fill in these areas in future releases.
We detail current coverage by state and by SMSA in this spreadsheet:
- 1980 Block Shapefile Coverage (Excel spreadsheet)
Click below for a list of currently covered SMSAs ordered by population:
Covered Metro Areas by Population
Rank | Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area | Population |
|---|---|---|
1. | New York, N.Y.-N.J. | 9,120,346 |
2. | Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. | 7,477,503 |
3. | Chicago, Ill. | 7,103,624 |
4. | Philadelphia, Pa.-N.J. | 4,716,818 |
5. | Detroit, Mich. | 4,353,413 |
6. | San Francisco-Oakland, Calif. | 3,250,630 |
7. | Washington, D.C.-Md.-Va. | 3,060,922 |
8. | Dallas-Fort Worth, Tex. | 2,974,805 |
9. | Houston, Tex. | 2,905,353 |
10. | Boston, Mass. | 2,763,357 |
11. | Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y. | 2,605,813 |
12. | St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. | 2,356,460 |
13. | Pittsburgh, Pa. | 2,263,894 |
14. | Baltimore, Md. | 2,174,023 |
15. | Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.-Wis. | 2,113,533 |
16. | Atlanta, Ga. | 2,029,710 |
17. | Newark, N.J. | 1,965,969 |
18. | Anaheim-Santa Ana-Garden Grove, Calif. | 1,932,709 |
19. | Cleveland, Ohio | 1,898,825 |
20. | San Diego, Calif. | 1,861,846 |
21. | Miami, Fla. | 1,625,781 |
22. | Denver-Boulder, Colo. | 1,620,902 |
23. | Seattle-Everett, Wash. | 1,607,469 |
24. | Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. | 1,569,134 |
25. | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. | 1,558,182 |
26. | Phoenix, Ariz. | 1,509,052 |
27. | Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. | 1,401,491 |
28. | Milwaukee, Wis. | 1,397,143 |
29. | Kansas City, Mo.-Kans. | 1,327,106 |
30. | San Jose, Calif. | 1,295,071 |
31. | Buffalo, N.Y. | 1,242,826 |
32. | Portland, Oreg.-Wash. | 1,242,594 |
33. | New Orleans, La. | 1,187,073 |
34. | Indianapolis, Ind. | 1,166,575 |
35. | Columbus, Ohio | 1,093,316 |
36. | San Antonio, Tex. | 1,071,954 |
37. | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Fla. | 1,018,200 |
38. | Sacramento, Calif. | 1,014,002 |
39. | Rochester, N.Y. | 971,230 |
40. | Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah | 936,255 |
41. | Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, R.I.-Mass. | 919,216 |
42. | Memphis, Tenn.-Ark.-Miss. | 913,472 |
43. | Louisville, Ky.-Ind. | 906,152 |
44. | Nashville-Davidson, Tenn. | 850,505 |
45. | Birmingham, Ala. | 847,487 |
46. | Oklahoma City, Okla. | 834,088 |
47. | Dayton, Ohio | 830,070 |
48. | Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, N.C. | 827,252 |
49. | Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Portsmouth, Va.-N.C. | 806,951 |
50. | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. | 795,019 |
51. | Toledo, Ohio-Mich. | 791,599 |
52. | Honolulu, Hawaii | 762,565 |
53. | Jacksonville, Fla. | 737,541 |
54. | Hartford, Conn. | 726,114 |
55. | Orlando, Fla. | 700,055 |
56. | Tulsa, Okla. | 689,434 |
57. | Akron, Ohio | 660,328 |
58. | Syracuse, N.Y. | 642,971 |
59. | Gary-Hammond-East Chicago, Ind. | 642,781 |
60. | Northeast Pennsylvania | 640,396 |
61. | Charlotte-Gastonia, N.C. | 637,218 |
63. | Richmond, Va. | 632,015 |
64. | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 601,680 |
65. | New Brunswick-Perth Amboy-Sayreville, N.J. | 595,893 |
66. | West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla. | 576,863 |
67. | Omaha, Nebr.-Iowa | 569,614 |
68. | Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C. | 569,066 |
69. | Jersey City, N.J. | 556,972 |
70. | Austin, Tex. | 536,688 |
71. | Tucson, Ariz. | 531,443 |
72. | Youngstown-Warren, Ohio | 531,350 |
73. | Raleigh-Durham, N.C. | 531,167 |
74. | Springfield-Chicopee-Holyoke, Mass.-Conn. | 530,668 |
76. | Wilmington, Del.-N.J.-Md. | 523,221 |
77. | Flint, Mich. | 521,589 |
78. | Fresno, Calif. | 514,621 |
79. | Long Branch-Asbury Park, N.J. | 503,173 |
80. | Baton Rouge, La. | 494,151 |
81. | Tacoma, Wash. | 485,643 |
82. | El Paso, Tex. | 479,899 |
83. | Knoxville, Tenn. | 476,517 |
84. | Lansing-East Lansing, Mich. | 471,565 |
85. | Las Vegas, Nev. | 463,087 |
86. | Albuquerque, N. Mex. | 454,499 |
87. | Paterson-Clifton-Passaic, N.J. | 447,585 |
88. | Harrisburg, Pa. | 446,576 |
89. | Mobile, Ala. | 443,536 |
90. | Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va. | 433,638 |
92. | Chattanooga, Tenn.-Ga. | 426,540 |
93. | New Haven-West Haven, Conn. | 417,592 |
94. | Wichita, Kans. | 411,313 |
95. | Columbia, S.C. | 410,088 |
96. | Canton, Ohio | 404,421 |
98. | Bridgeport, Conn. | 395,455 |
99. | Little Rock-North Little Rock, Ark. | 393,774 |
101. | Fort Wayne, Ind. | 382,961 |
103. | Shreveport, La. | 376,710 |
104. | Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange, Tex. | 375,497 |
105. | Worcester, Mass. | 372,940 |
107. | Newport News-Hampton, Va. | 364,449 |
110. | Spokane, Wash. | 341,835 |
112. | Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, Calif. | 334,402 |
113. | Augusta, Ga.-S.C. | 327,372 |
114. | Corpus Christi, Tex. | 326,228 |
115. | Madison, Wis. | 323,545 |
116. | Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla. | 321,652 |
118. | Utica-Rome, N.Y. | 320,180 |
119. | Lexington-Fayette, Ky. | 317,629 |
120. | Colorado Springs, Colo. | 317,458 |
122. | Huntington-Ashland, W. Va.-Ky.-Ohio | 311,350 |
123. | Evansville, Ind.-Ky. | 309,408 |
124. | Huntsville, Ala. | 308,593 |
125. | Trenton, N.J. | 307,863 |
127. | Santa Rosa, Calif. | 299,681 |
129. | Appleton-Oshkosh, Wis. | 291,369 |
130. | Salinas-Seaside-Monterey, Calif. | 290,444 |
131. | Pensacola, Fla. | 289,782 |
132. | Mcallen-Pharr-Edinburg, Tex. | 283,229 |
133. | Lawrence-Haverhill, Mass.-N.H. | 281,981 |
134. | South Bend, Ind. | 280,772 |
135. | Erie, Pa. | 279,780 |
136. | Rockford, Ill. | 279,514 |
137. | Kalamazoo-Portage, Mich. | 279,192 |
138. | Eugene-Springfield, Oreg. | 275,226 |
139. | Lorain-Elyria, Ohio | 274,909 |
140. | Melbourne-Titusville-Cocoa, Fla. | 272,959 |
141. | Montgomery, Ala. | 272,687 |
142. | Charleston, W. Va. | 269,595 |
143. | Duluth-Superior, Minn.-Wis. | 266,650 |
144. | Modesto, Calif. | 265,900 |
145. | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 264,748 |
148. | Hamilton-Middletown, Ohio | 258,787 |
149. | Daytona Beach, Fla. | 258,762 |
150. | Macon, Ga. | 253,794 |
151. | Salem, Oreg. | 249,895 |
152. | New London-Norwich, Conn.-R.I. | 248,554 |
153. | Fayetteville, N.C. | 247,160 |
156. | Columbus, Ga.-Ala. | 239,196 |
157. | Lowell, Mass.-N.H. | 233,410 |
158. | Savannah, Ga. | 230,728 |
159. | Waterbury, Conn. | 228,178 |
160. | Saginaw, Mich. | 228,059 |
161. | Roanoke, Va. | 224,341 |
163. | Provo-Orem, Utah | 218,106 |
164. | Killeen-Temple, Tex. | 214,656 |
166. | Brownsville-Harlingen-San Benito, Tex. | 209,727 |
167. | Springfield, Mo. | 207,704 |
168. | Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla. | 205,266 |
169. | Fort Smith, Ark.-Okla. | 203,511 |
170. | Sarasota, Fla. | 202,251 |
171. | Stamford, Conn. | 198,854 |
173. | Atlantic City, N.J. | 194,119 |
174. | Reno, Nev. | 193,623 |
175. | Lincoln, Nebr. | 192,884 |
176. | Biloxi-Gulfport, Miss. | 191,918 |
178. | Springfield, Ill. | 187,789 |
179. | Battle Creek, Mich. | 187,338 |
182. | Salisbury-Concord, N.C. | 185,081 |
183. | Springfield, Ohio | 183,885 |
184. | Portland, Maine | 183,625 |
185. | Muskegon-Norton Shores-Muskegon Heights, Mich. | 179,591 |
187. | Asheville, N.C. | 177,761 |
188. | Fall River, Mass.-R.I. | 176,831 |
189. | Terre Haute, Ind. | 176,583 |
190. | Green Bay, Wis. | 175,280 |
194. | Boise City, Idaho | 173,036 |
196. | Benton Harbor, Mich. | 171,276 |
199. | New Bedford, Mass. | 169,425 |
200. | Brockton, Mass. | 169,374 |
202. | Lake Charles, La. | 167,223 |
203. | Portsmouth-Dover-Rochester, N.H.-Maine | 163,880 |
204. | St. Cloud, Minn. | 163,256 |
205. | Steubenville-Weirton, Ohio-W. Va. | 163,099 |
206. | Parkersburg-Marietta, W. Va.-Ohio | 162,836 |
207. | Manchester, N.H. | 160,767 |
208. | Tallahassee, Fla. | 159,542 |
210. | Alexandria, La. | 151,985 |
211. | Longview-Marshall, Tex. | 151,752 |
212. | Jackson, Mich. | 151,495 |
213. | Gainesville, Fla. | 151,348 |
215. | Lafayette, La. | 150,017 |
216. | Fort Collins, Colo. | 149,184 |
217. | Bradenton, Fla. | 148,442 |
219. | Danbury, Conn. | 146,405 |
221. | Chico, Calif. | 143,851 |
222. | New Britain, Conn. | 142,241 |
224. | Anderson, Ind. | 139,336 |
227. | Abilene, Tex. | 139,192 |
228. | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, Iowa | 137,961 |
229. | Fargo-Moorhead, N. Dak.-Minn. | 137,574 |
231. | Elkhart, Ind. | 137,330 |
232. | Altoona, Pa. | 136,621 |
234. | Anderson, S.C. | 133,235 |
235. | Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, N.J. | 132,866 |
237. | Decatur, Ill. | 131,375 |
239. | Eau Claire, Wis. | 130,932 |
240. | Wichita Falls, Tex. | 130,664 |
244. | Muncie, Ind. | 128,587 |
248. | Texarkana, Tex.-Texarkana, Ark. | 127,019 |
249. | Norwalk, Conn. | 126,692 |
250. | Pueblo, Colo. | 125,972 |
253. | Kenosha, Wis. | 123,137 |
254. | Ocala, Fla. | 122,488 |
255. | Lafayette-West Lafayette, Ind. | 121,702 |
256. | Newark, Ohio | 120,981 |
259. | Bloomington-Normal, Ill. | 119,149 |
261. | Pascagoula-Moss Point, Miss. | 118,015 |
262. | Sioux City, Iowa-Nebr. | 117,457 |
264. | Odessa, Tex. | 115,374 |
265. | Nashua, N.H. | 114,221 |
266. | Burlington, Vt. | 114,070 |
276. | Fort Walton Beach, Fla. | 109,920 |
278. | Sioux Falls, S. Dak. | 109,435 |
279. | Billings, Mont. | 108,035 |
281. | Rock Hill, S.C. | 106,720 |
283. | Kokomo, Ind. | 103,715 |
285. | Kankakee, Ill. | 102,926 |
288. | Grand Forks, N. Dak.-Minn. | 100,944 |
291. | Fitchburg-Leominster, Mass. | 99,957 |
294. | Bloomington, Ind. | 98,785 |
295. | Panama City, Fla. | 97,740 |
296. | Elmira, N.Y. | 97,656 |
298. | Dubuque, Iowa | 93,745 |
299. | Bryan-College Station, Tex. | 93,588 |
300. | Rochester, Minn. | 92,006 |
301. | La Crosse, Wis. | 91,056 |
303. | Pittsfield, Mass. | 90,505 |
304. | Sherman-Denison, Tex. | 89,796 |
306. | San Angelo, Tex. | 84,784 |
307. | Bangor, Maine | 83,919 |
308. | Midland, Tex. | 82,636 |
309. | Iowa City, Iowa | 81,717 |
310. | Great Falls, Mont. | 80,696 |
311. | Bismarck, N. Dak. | 79,988 |
312. | Bristol, Conn. | 73,762 |
313. | Lewiston-Auburn, Maine | 72,378 |
315. | Victoria, Tex. | 68,807 |
318. | Meriden, Conn. | 57,118 |
Download: Boundaries
The 1980 block boundaries are available as statewide or nationwide shapefiles.
The nationwide file includes boundaries for all covered metro areas, as listed here:
1980 Census Block Boundary Data by State | ||
|---|---|---|
Download: Statistics
Summary statistics for whole collection blocks, derived from 1980 STF1, are available as statewide or nationwide comma-separated values (CSV) files.
- Nationwide files:
- All Tables (424 MB) *
- Popular Tables Only (121 MB, tables listed here)
* If you run into issues unzipping a data file, we recommend using the Unarchiver tool or the command line. See this IPUMS User Forum post for additional information.
1980 Census Block Statistical Data by State | ||
|---|---|---|
Download via API
Users who would like to access these 1980 block files directly from within a programming environment (R, Python, etc.) may use the IPUMS API. The IPUMS Developer Portal provides complete details on the IPUMS API. The API for IPUMS NHGIS page describes which NHGIS supplemental data resources are available through the API (including the 1980 block files) and identifies how to construct a valid API URL for these resources. The Workflows & Code pages include some example code for accessing NHGIS supplemental data.
Feedback and Questions
You may direct any comments or questions about these files to [email protected].
Citation and Use
Use of the NHGIS 1980 Block Boundary Files is subject to the same conditions as for all NHGIS data. See Citation and Use of NHGIS Data.
Credits
Our production of 1980 Block Boundary Files is supported by funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (R01HD057929).