Skip to main content

HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files

HUD.GOV HUDUser.gov
Dataset Banner Image

HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files

    Dataset/HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files

HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files

One of the many challenges that social science researchers and practitioners face is the difficulty of relating data between census tracts which are re-delineated with each decennial census. While some methods of harmonizing or crosswalking data between census tracts exist, to provide additional avenues for merging these data, PD&R has released the HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files. These unique files are derived from the USPS Vacancy Data which are regularly updated by the USPS which makes them uniquely positioned to describe human settlements patterns between census tract delineations. These data use the locations of ZIP+4 centroids, an extremely granular level of geography, the number of addresses of various types (residential, business, other, and total), and do not rely on ancillary data to map where population or households might be located.


 

The HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files remain available to all users. To access the data, please login here.

Register Here


When a census tract is split into another census tract (e.g., one 2010 census tract becomes two or more in the 2020 census tract delineation), that census tract is duplicated in the crosswalk file below. For example, the 2010 census tract 23031700205 was split into three census tracts in the 2020 census tract re-delineation.

  • Residential Ratio (RES_RATIO) – Describes the share of residential addresses from 2010 census tract that intersects with one or more 2020 census tracts. In the example below, <1% of residential addresses intersect with census tract 24031700206, ~73% intersect with census tract 24031700209, and ~27% intersect with census tract 24031700210.
  • Business Ratio (BUS_RATIO) – Describes the share of Business addresses from 2010 census tract that intersects with one or more 2020 census tracts. In the example below, 0% of business addresses intersect with census tract 24031700206, ~62% intersect with census tract 24031700209, and ~38% intersect with census tract 24031700210.
  • Other Ratio (OTH_RATIO) – Describes the share of other addresses from 2010 census tract that intersects with one or more 2020 census tracts. There are no other address types in this example.
  • Total Ratio (TOT_RATIO) – Describes the share of total addresses from 2010 census tract that intersects with one or more 2020 census tracts. In the example below, <1% of total addresses intersect with census tract 24031700206, ~73% intersect with census tract 24031700209, and ~27% intersect with census tract 24031700210.

GEOID_2010GEOID_2020RES_RATIOBUS_ RATIOOTH_RATIOTOT_RATIO
24031700205240317002060.0010.00000.00000.001
24031700205240317002090.7320.6250.0000.731
24031700205240317002100.2670.3750.00000.268


GEOID_2010 – The 2010 11-character census tract GEOID.
GEOID_2020 – The 2020 11-character census tract GEOID.
RES_RATIO – The share of the residential addresses that intersect between census tracts.
BUS_RATIO – The share of the business addresses that intersect between census tracts.
OTH_RATIO – The share of the other addresses that intersect between census tracts.
TOT_RATIO – The share of the total addresses that intersect between census tracts.

A Note About Geocoding

HUD is unable to geocode a small number of records that we receive from the USPS. As a result, there are some records (<1%) omitted in the process of creating these files. Since the HUD geocoding base map is updated regularly, an effort is made to re-geocode addresses. As a result, HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files produced later may differ slightly from previous versions.

When are the HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files typically posted?

We intend to post updates to the files in April of each year.

What is the spatial coverage of the HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files?

The HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files cover approximately 99.8 percent of census tracts in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. These files do not have coverage in Puerto Rico or other outlying territories. There are a small number of census tracts in the United States that do not have coverage, particularly certain census tracts in the Southwest that intersect with Tribal Areas.

Why do census tracts appear multiple times in the HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files?

Some census tracts are split following each decennial census. The files show the relationship between residential, business, other, and total addresses between a given set of census tracts from each delineation.

What time frames do the HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files cover?

The HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files are produced annually using the first quarter data of each

Are HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files available prior to 2010 Q1?

Unfortunately, the HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files are not available prior to 2010 Q1.

Are quarterly HUD-USPS Census Tract Crosswalk Files available instead of annually?

No.

What type of organizations use the Crosswalk Files?

Industries that use these questions include but are not limited to health, financial, energy, policy/think tank, government, and journalism organizations. Many students also use the files.





Questions regarding these crosswalk files can be directed to Alex Din with the subject line HUD-Crosswalks.