TIGER/Line Shapefile, 2017, 2010 nation, U.S., 2010 Census 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA5) National

The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation.

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. The Census Bureau delineates ZCTA boundaries for the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands once each decade following the decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery.

The Census Bureau uses tabulation blocks as the basis for defining each ZCTA. Tabulation blocks are assigned to a ZCTA based on the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses contained within that block. The most frequently occurring ZIP Code also becomes the five-digit numeric code of the ZCTA. These codes may contain leading zeros.

Blocks that do not contain addresses but are surrounded by a single ZCTA (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA. Because the Census Bureau only uses the most frequently occurring ZIP Code to assign blocks, a ZCTA may not exist for every USPS ZIP Code. Some ZIP Codes may not have a matching ZCTA because too few addresses were associated with the specific ZIP Code or the ZIP Code was not the most frequently occurring ZIP Code within any of the blocks where it exists.

The ZCTA boundaries in this release are those delineated following the 2010 Census.

Data and Resources

Field Value
access_constraints [" Access Constraints: None", " Use Constraints:The TIGER/Line Shapefile products are not copyrighted however TIGER/Line and Census TIGER are registered trademarks of the U.S. Census Bureau. These products are free to use in a product or publication, however acknowledgement must be given to the U.S. Census Bureau as the source.\nThe boundary information in the TIGER/Line Shapefiles are for statistical data collection and tabulation purposes only; their depiction and designation for statistical purposes does not constitute a determination of jurisdictional authority or rights of ownership or entitlement and they are not legal land descriptions. Coordinates in the TIGER/Line shapefiles have six implied decimal places, but the positional accuracy of these coordinates is not as great as the six decimal places suggest."]
bbox-east-long 179.859681
bbox-north-lat 71.439786
bbox-south-lat -14.601813
bbox-west-long -179.231086
coupled-resource []
dataset-reference-date [{"type": "publication", "value": "2017"}]
frequency-of-update notPlanned
graphic-preview-description URL for the TigerWeb Web Mapping Service
graphic-preview-file https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/services/TIGERweb/tigerWMS_Census2010/MapServer/WmsServer?REQUEST=GetMap&SERVICE=WMS&VERSION=1.3.0&LAYERS=Zip Code Tabulation Areas,Zip Code Tabulation Areas Labels&STYLES=default,default&FORMAT=image/svg+xml&BGCOLOR=0xFFFFFF&TRANSPARENT=FALSE&CRS=EPSG:4326&BBOX=42.299053,-71.408142,42.35679,-70.798861&WIDTH=891&HEIGHT=751
graphic-preview-type URL for the TigerWeb Web Mapping Service
guid tl_2017_us_zcta510.shp.iso.xml
licence []
metadata-date 2019-08-08
metadata-language eng
metadata_type geospatial
old-spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-179.231086, -14.601813], [179.859681, -14.601813], [179.859681, 71.439786], [-179.231086, 71.439786], [-179.231086, -14.601813]]]}
progress completed
resource-type dataset
spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-179.231086, -14.601813], [179.859681, -14.601813], [179.859681, 71.439786], [-179.231086, 71.439786], [-179.231086, -14.601813]]]}
spatial_harvester true
temporal-extent-begin 2016-06
temporal-extent-end 2017-05
Groups
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • National Provider
  • North America
Tags
  • AmeriGEO
  • AmeriGEOSS
  • CKAN
  • GEO
  • GEOSS
  • National
  • North America
  • United States
  • nation
  • polygon
  • u.s.
  • united states
  • zcta
  • zip code
  • zip code tabulation area
isopen False
metadata_created 2025-09-24T17:54:55.775779
metadata_modified 2025-09-24T17:54:55.775789
notes The TIGER/Line shapefiles and related database files (.dbf) are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER/Line shapefile is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates to present statistical data for each decennial census. The Census Bureau delineates ZCTA boundaries for the United States, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands once each decade following the decennial census. Data users should not use ZCTAs to identify the official USPS ZIP Code for mail delivery. The USPS makes periodic changes to ZIP Codes to support more efficient mail delivery. The Census Bureau uses tabulation blocks as the basis for defining each ZCTA. Tabulation blocks are assigned to a ZCTA based on the most frequently occurring ZIP Code for the addresses contained within that block. The most frequently occurring ZIP Code also becomes the five-digit numeric code of the ZCTA. These codes may contain leading zeros. Blocks that do not contain addresses but are surrounded by a single ZCTA (enclaves) are assigned to the surrounding ZCTA. Because the Census Bureau only uses the most frequently occurring ZIP Code to assign blocks, a ZCTA may not exist for every USPS ZIP Code. Some ZIP Codes may not have a matching ZCTA because too few addresses were associated with the specific ZIP Code or the ZIP Code was not the most frequently occurring ZIP Code within any of the blocks where it exists. The ZCTA boundaries in this release are those delineated following the 2010 Census.
num_resources 3
num_tags 15
title TIGER/Line Shapefile, 2017, 2010 nation, U.S., 2010 Census 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA5) National