2002 TIGER/Line® Files
The TIGER/Line files are extracts of selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's TIGER® (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) database.
Seven Files Replaced on June 24, 2003
Because of a unique situation in a very small number of areas we inadvertently created two line segments with the same TIGER/Line ID (TLID) within the same county. We have corrected the problem and regenerated these files. Replacement 2002 TIGER/Line files for these seven counties and statistically equivalent entities are available for download. More information is available about the changes.
March 21, 2003
The same problem described below also was found in Prince William County (FIPS Code 51153) and Manassas City (FIPS Code 51683) Virginia.
February 13, 2003
The same problem described below also was found in Pierce (FIPS Code 13229) and Ware (FIPS Code 13299) Counties, Georgia.
February 3, 2003
A data user brought to our attention a problem in the 2002 TIGER/Line files. To date we have identified only three occurances; in Juneau Borough, Alaska (FIPS Code 02110), in James City County, Virginia (FIPS Code 51095), and in Williamsburg City, Virginia (FIPS Code 51830). We are researching the full extent of this problem and how we will resolve it.
Major Changes to File Structure
The U.S. Census Bureau has made major structural changes to the 2002 TIGER/Line file format. We have deleted two record types (3 and 9) and added others (B, E, T, and U). Several record types were expanded and substantially revised by rearranging the location of the data fields. More Information.
Please note that the distribution unit for the 2002 TIGER/Line files will be by "current", or 2002, county. The 2002 TIGER/Line file coverage is as follows: all counties, parishes, boroughs, census areas and equivalent entities for each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island Areas.
Feature Updates
The 2002 TIGER/Line files contain very few updates to street features or address ranges from the Census 2000 versions of the TIGER/Line files. Some additional features may have been added in some counties where the Census Bureau realigned the street feature coordinates. The Census Bureau expects the 2004 TIGER/Line files to be the first version of the TIGER/Line files to include a significant number of counties with realigned features that have progressed through the MAF/TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project.
The Census Bureau produces the TIGER/Line files in ASCII text format only; therefore, the data are NOT in the form of map images. To create maps with the TIGER/Line files, one would typically use a Geographic Information System (GIS) package or other mapping software.
Users are responsible for converting or translating the files into a format used by their specific software package. For information on how to use the TIGER/Line data with a specific software package one should contact the company that produced that software. For information on companies that sell products that use TIGER/Line data or that provide TIGER/Line related services, refer to the TIGER Vendor List.
Frequently Asked Questions about the 2002 version of TIGER/Line.
Think we've missed a few counties? The 2002 TIGER/Line files are based on the boundaries of counties or statistically equivalent entities as reported to the U.S. Census Bureau to be legally in effect on January 1, 2002.[PDF] or
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