.. relating ZIP codes to cities .. 214 ZIP code areas intersect with New York city — what are these ZIP codes, their population and how many are completely within the city? What part of a ZIP code area of interest intersects with what city? Conversely, what ZIP code areas intersect with a city of interest? This section provides data and tools that can be used to answer these types of questions and gain insights into geospatial relationships. See more detailed information in the related full Web section.
The 2010 ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) to City/Place relationship data provide a means to equivalence ZCTAs with Census 2010 cities/places. ZCTAs are geographic areas defined as sets of Census 2010 census blocks closely resembling USPS ZIP codes (lines, not areas). ZCTA boundaries are fixed for the intercensal period 2010 through 2020. Census 2010 vintage city/place areas are likewise defined as sets of Census 2010 census blocks. The ZCTA-City/place relationship data are developed through the use of the intersecting census block geography and associated Census 2010 Summary File 1 demographic data.
The following graphic shows relationships between two selected ZCTAs (red boundaries) and related cities/places (blue fill pattern) in the Pima/Cochise County, AZ area. Relationships between these geographies are reviewed in examples shown below.
– View developed using CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
Using the ZCTA-Place Relationship Data
Two examples illustrating how to use the ZCTA-place relationship data are provided below. The examples are interconnected to the GIS project used to develop the map views, interactive table and data file described in this section. Example 1 describes how to use the data for a ZIP code area entirely located within one city/place. Example 2 describes how to use the data for a ZIP code area located in more than one city/place and area not located in any city/place.
ZCTA to Place Relationships: Example 1
In this example, ZCTA 85711, highlighted in red in the graphic shown below, falls wholly within place 77000, outlined in bold black below. As a result, there is only one corresponding record for ZCTA 85711 in the relationship file. The 2010 Census population for this relationship record is 41,251 (POPPT) which is equal to the 2010 Census population for ZCTA 85711 (ZPOP). See more details about this example.
ZCTA to Place Relationships: Example 2
In this example, ZCTA 85630, highlighted below in red in the graphic shown below, contains two places: all of place 62280 and part of place 05770, both are outlined in black below. As a result, there are two corresponding relationship records in the relationship file. For the first relationship record, the total 2010 Census population for ZCTA is 2,819 (ZPOP). See more details about this example.
Using the Interactive Table
Use the full interactive table to examine U.S. national scope ZCTA-city/place relationships. The following graphic illustrates how ZIP code can be displayed/examined for one city — Tucson, AZ. Each row summarizes characteristics of a ZIP code in Tucson. The last row in the graphic shows characteristics of ZIP code 85711 — the same ZIP code reviewed in Example 1 above.
Click graphic for larger view.
Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.
About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.