census-data

# US Census Data Skill Query the US Census Bureau API for demographics, population, and economic data. ## When to Use - "What's the population of Texas?" - "Show demographic breakdown by county" - "Get median household income for California" - "Compare poverty rates across states" ## When NOT to Use - Non-US data (use world-bank-data) - Real-time economic data (use financial APIs) - Historical pre-1790 data ## Setup Get a free API key at https://api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html ```bash export CENSUS_API_KEY=your_key_here ``` ## API Base ``` https://api.census.gov/data/ ``` ## Common Commands ### ACS 5-Year Estimates (Most Used) ```bash # Total population by state curl -s "https://api.census.gov/data/2022/acs/acs5?get=NAME,B01001_001E&for=state:*&key=$CENSUS_API_KEY" # Median household income by state curl -s "https://api.census.gov/data/2022/acs/acs5?get=NAME,B19013_001E&for=state:*&key=$CENSUS_API_KEY" # Population by county in California (state FIPS=06) curl -s "https://api.census.gov/data/2022/acs/acs5?get=NAME,B01001_001E&for=county:*&in=state:06&key=$CENSUS_API_KEY" # Poverty rate by state curl -s "https://api.census.gov/data/2022/acs/acs5?get=NAME,B17001_001E,B17001_002E&for=state:*&key=$CENSUS_API_KEY" ``` ### Decennial Census ```bash # 2020 total population by state curl -s "https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N&for=state:*&key=$CENSUS_API_KEY" ``` ### Common Variables | Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | B01001_001E | Total population | | B19013_001E | Median household income | | B17001_002E | Population below poverty | | B25077_001E | Median home value | | B15003_022E | Bachelor's degree holders | | B02001_002E | White alone population | ## Notes - Free API key required for most queries - ACS 5-year estimates are most reliable for small geographies - FIPS codes identify states (e.g., 06=CA, 36=NY, 48=TX) - Rate limit: 500 requests/day without key, more with key - Variables list: https://api.census.gov/data/2022/acs/acs5/variables.html