ACS data download at zip code level

Assuming you already know which table(s) you want, you can get ZCTA (ZIP Code Tabulation Areas) for 2016 5 year ACS by
going to Factfinder.Census.gov,
clicking on "advanced search",
then "show me all",
then click "Geographies" on the left side,
select "5 Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area- 860" (ZCTA) (ignore that fact that "5 digit ZIP code" is an option, as it is not available for ACS and therefore won't give you any options to select ACS data if you choose it),
then select "ALL 5 Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Areas in the United States and Puerto Rico",
click the "Add to your selections" button,
click close (for the geographic selection window).

You will then see ALL the tables available, and you can filter these by entering a "topic or table name".

I would suggest that you play around using a smaller set of ZCTAs (like all within a county or a smaller state) before you try downloading ALL of them, just so you can explore the file download options and make sure you can open it and get what you expect in the program you are going to read it into. All or which will be less unwieldy with a smaller data set.

Hi Peter,

I am trying to follow these steps on the new census.data.gov site, but I can't seem to find the right filter to get to a zip code/zcta option - any ideas?

Thanks,

Olivia

Olivia:

I've found that if you have the wrong set of filters on data.census.gov, it can prevent you from adding ZCTAs. This always seems to happen to me if I choose a table suggestion directly from the search box at data.census.gov/cedsci

What has worked for me is to go to the "tables" page  (you may get there if you click "search" or type return instead of accepting a suggestion).  Then, on that page, you should see "filter" near the top of the sidebar on the left. Click on that, and navigate as in the screenshot:

If when you get to "Zip Code Tabulation Area (Five-Digit)" you don't see options as in the screenshot, check "selected filters" below. Remove any that you don't actually need, as they seem to sometimes prevent the option from appearing -- or remove them all so that you can choose "all ZCTAs in the United States" and then, after that, build up the rest of the filters you need.

Hope that helps!

Olivia:

I've found that if you have the wrong set of filters on data.census.gov, it can prevent you from adding ZCTAs. This always seems to happen to me if I choose a table suggestion directly from the search box at data.census.gov/cedsci

What has worked for me is to go to the "tables" page  (you may get there if you click "search" or type return instead of accepting a suggestion).  Then, on that page, you should see "filter" near the top of the sidebar on the left. Click on that, and navigate as in the screenshot:

If when you get to "Zip Code Tabulation Area (Five-Digit)" you don't see options as in the screenshot, check "selected filters" below. Remove any that you don't actually need, as they seem to sometimes prevent the option from appearing -- or remove them all so that you can choose "all ZCTAs in the United States" and then, after that, build up the rest of the filters you need.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Joe. I'm saving this tip!