Website for Population by Zip Code, But Specifically...
February 19, 2014 9:52 AM   Subscribe

Hello Mefites! I'm looking for a reliable online service to pull population numbers by zip code, and while I know there are tons out there, I need one that isn't just plugging in one zip code at a time. Ideally, I'd like to be able to just download a database list of zip codes and their corresponding populations for the country, or state by state, to a CSV or XML file. Does this exist? The "reliable, up to date (as much as possible) source" part is important, as this data will be used as part of a franchise sale package. Thank you in advance!
posted by assasinatdbeauty to Society & Culture (4 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
The US Census website offers downloadable datasets. Try their Current Estimates Data. Specifically you'll probably be looking for population data by "ZIP Code Tabulation Area". More info about downloadable data here.
posted by asperity at 10:15 AM on February 19, 2014 [2 favorites]


Is that going to be enough data for you?

If you're looking for population density, before you go down this road, go to this ZIP code area map and compare the size of, say, 10001 with the size of, say, 59421. Just saying.

If population by ZIP code is good enough, than ignore my advice.
posted by tckma at 1:08 PM on February 19, 2014 [1 favorite]


Also, some ZIP codes don't really have population, per se. Take 00501 for the IRS, for example, and ZIP codes that are for PO Boxes only, or only for colleges/universities that have seasonal population changes as students arrive and depart from campus.
posted by tckma at 1:10 PM on February 19, 2014


Best answer: I think the Missouri Census Data Center has some of the best tools for getting various types of population data.

In your case, I think you could run the application at http://mcdc.missouri.edu/cgi-bin/broker?_PROGRAM=websas.sf12010x_extract_menu.sas&_SERVICE=appdev&st= to get the zip code data you need for the entire US by zip code for 2010 census.

I ran it for you and will MeMail you the link to the data.
posted by Dansaman at 3:04 PM on February 19, 2014


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