Cartographic Boundary Files

As of May 19, 2023, all 1:500,000 scale layers have been replaced to incorporate the newly defined Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) and Urban Areas. All 1:500,000 files were recreated after their delineations so that all geographies continue to topologically align with one another. 

To learn more about the filenames, please see:

Cartographic Boundary Files by Scale

You can download these files one geographic layer at a time by visiting the “Cartographic Boundary Files by Geography” section below or you can download the entire dataset available for a given scale here:

1 : 500,000 (national)   shapefile [407 MB]  |  geodatabase [298 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)   shapefile [8.2 MB]   |  geodatabase [4.9 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)   shapefile [2.2 MB] |  geodatabase [1.5 MB]

Cartographic Boundary Files by Geography

You can download files one geographic layer at a time for the entire nation or by state, when available, below.

American Indian Area Geographies

American Indian/Alaska Native Areas/Hawaiian Home Lands

1 : 500,000 (national)   shapefile [1.5 MB]  |  kml [1.1 MB ]

American Indian Tribal Subdivisions

1 : 500,000 (national)   shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB ]

Alaska Native Regional Corporations (ANRC)

1 : 500,000   shapefile [1.2 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Tribal Block Groups

1 : 500,000 (national)   shapefile [1.6 MB]  |  kml [1.1 MB ]

Tribal Census Tracts

1 : 500,000 (national)   shapefile [1.2 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB ]

Census Block Groups

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [96 MB]

Census Tracts

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [59 MB]

Congressional Districts: 116th Congress

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [7.1 MB]  |  kml [5.2 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [1.7 MB]  |  kml [1.1 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Consolidated Cities

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]

Counties

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [11 MB]  |  kml [8.5 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [2.6 MB]  |  kml [2.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Counties within Congressional Districts: 116th Congress

1 : 500,000 (national)   shapefile [13 MB]  |  kml [9.2 MB]

County Subdivisions

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [40 MB]

Divisions

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [2.5 MB]  |  kml [1.9 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Estates

1 : 500,000  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas and Related Statistical Areas

Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs):

1: 500,000 (national)  shapefile [4.5 MB]  |  kml [3.4 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [1.1 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs):

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [1.8 MB]  |  kml [1.4 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Metropolitan Divisions

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs):

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

New England City and Town Area (NECTA) Divisions:

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Combined New England City and Town Areas (CNECTAs):

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Places

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [22 MB]

Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs)

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [11.5 MB]

Regions

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [2.3 MB]  |  kml [1.7 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

School Districts

School Districts - Elementary

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [2.1 MB]

School Districts - Secondary

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [1.0 MB]

School Districts - Unified

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [24 MB]

State Legislative Districts

State Legislative Districts - Lower Chamber

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [18 MB]

State Legislative Districts - Upper Chamber

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [12 MB]

States

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [3.3 MB]  |  kml [2.6 MB]

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Subbarrios

1 : 500,000  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

United States Outline

1 : 5,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

1 : 20,000,000 (national)  shapefile [<1.0 MB]  |  kml [<1.0 MB]

Urban Areas

Please see the 2020 Census Urban Area Errata before using either file.

 

Original 2020 Census Urban Areas Delineation 

Use this delineation if you are mapping 2020 Census data.

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [9.2 MB]  |  kml [6.7 MB]

 

Corrected 2020 Census Urban Areas 

Use this delineation if you are mapping data for the 2022 data year and beyond.

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [9 MB]  |  kml [6.5 MB]

 

Voting Districts

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [80 MB]

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)

1 : 500,000 (national)  shapefile [64 MB]  |  kml [44 MB]

Page Last Revised - May 15, 2024