Census Loader

A Python wrapper around the U.S. Census Bureau API that abstracts away variable codes, dataset endpoints, and FIPS identifiers behind a clean, human-readable interface. Installs as census-loader, for anyone who pulls Census data into pandas.

Instead of this:

data = census.acs5.get(
    ("B19013_001E",),
    {"for": "county:*", "in": "state:25"},
    year=2022
)

You write this:

cfg = Config(
    "output.pkl", "./data",
    year=2022,
    geo="county_in_state",
    state="Massachusetts",
    series=["MEDIAN_HH_INCOME", "TOTAL_POP", "MEDIAN_RENT"],
)
result = pull_census(cfg)

Setup

pip install census-loader

Or from a checkout of this repository: pip install -e ..

Dependencies (installed automatically by pip; requirements.txt is kept for reference): pandas, numpy, census, python-dotenv, requests.

Get a free key at api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html, then add it to a .env file in your project root:

CENSUS_API_KEY=your_key_here

Quickstart

from census_loader import Config, pull_census

cfg = Config(
    "ma_counties.pkl", "./output",
    year=2022,
    geo="county_in_state",
    state="Massachusetts",
    series=["TOTAL_POP", "MEDIAN_HH_INCOME", "MEDIAN_RENT"],
)

result = pull_census(cfg)   # dict of DataFrames keyed by friendly name
result["Median_Household_Income"]

Exploring the catalog

You never need to open series.py. Three discovery functions browse, search, and inspect everything from a REPL or notebook:

• available(): browse categories; available("INCOME") drills into a category or subcategory.
• search("poverty"): search by keyword.
• info("MEDIAN_HH_INCOME"): full details (name, category, dataset, underlying variable codes).
• geos(): browse geography templates.

Output format

pull_census returns a dict[str, pd.DataFrame] and saves a pickle to your output path. Each DataFrame has geo columns on the left (FIPS codes + human-readable names) and data columns on the right. Column naming depends on the series type (single variable, multi-variable, group table); labels are fetched automatically from the Census metadata API. pickle_loader flattens a saved pickle to one DataFrame.

API limits

Free Census API keys allow 500 requests per day with a batch size of 50 variables per request. The loader sleeps 0.5s between calls to stay well under rate limits. Metadata label fetches are not rate-limited and are cached per session.

Reference

The sections below hold the full reference: Config options, series selection, geography templates, flattening into a single DataFrame, worked examples, and the complete category table.

Project layout

Census_Loader/
  pyproject.toml
  requirements.txt
  README.md
  .env-example
  src/census_loader/
    __init__.py       # public API re-exports
    utils.py          # Config, loader, discovery tools
    load.py           # pull_census entry point
    series.py         # series catalog, GEO templates, FIPS codes

Config Reference

Config(
    filename,       # Output filename (auto-corrects to .pkl)
    output_path,    # Directory for output files
    year=2022,      # ACS/PEP vintage year
    geo=...,        # Geography level (see below)
    state=...,      # State name or FIPS code
    county=...,     # County FIPS (3-digit)
    tract=...,      # Tract code
    series=...,     # What to pull (see below)
    batch_size=50,  # Max series per API batch
)

Series selection

The series parameter accepts any granularity: individual series, subcategories, categories, or a mix:

series=None                                         # everything (169 series)
series="TOTAL_POP"                                  # one series
series="INCOME"                                     # whole category (18 series)
series="HOUSEHOLD_INCOME"                           # subcategory (9 series)
series=["TOTAL_POP", "INCOME", "MEDIAN_RENT"]       # mix & match
series=["POVERTY", "HOUSEHOLD_INCOME", "TOTAL_POP"] # category + subcategory + series

Case-insensitive. Overlapping selections deduplicate automatically.

Geography

Pass a template name and fill in the required parameters:

# All states (default)
Config(..., geo="state_all")

# All counties in one state
Config(..., geo="county_in_state", state="Massachusetts")

# Tracts in one county
Config(..., geo="tract_in_county", state="Massachusetts", county="017")

# School districts in a state
Config(..., geo="school_district_in_state", state="Massachusetts")

# All ZCTAs
Config(..., geo="zcta_all")

State names resolve automatically, so "Massachusetts" and "25" both work. For edge cases not covered by templates, pass a raw dict: Config(..., geo={"for": "county:017", "in": "state:25"}).

Flattening into a single DataFrame

Since every series in a pull shares the same geography, you can merge on the shared geo columns:

from functools import reduce
import pandas as pd

frames = list(data.values())
shared = set(frames[0].columns)
for df in frames[1:]:
    shared &= set(df.columns)

merge_keys = [c for c in shared
              if all(not pd.api.types.is_numeric_dtype(df[c]) for df in frames)]

flat = reduce(
    lambda left, right: pd.merge(left, right, on=merge_keys, how="outer"),
    frames,
)

Examples

# County-level dashboard data for one state
cfg = Config(
    "ma_dashboard.pkl", "./output",
    year=2022, geo="county_in_state", state="Massachusetts",
    series=["TOTAL_POP", "MEDIAN_HH_INCOME", "MEDIAN_RENT", "MEDIAN_HOME_VALUE",
            "HOMEOWNERSHIP_RATE", "HH_INCOME_BRACKETS"],
)
pull_census(cfg)

# Tract-level deep dive
cfg = Config(
    "middlesex_tracts.pkl", "./output",
    year=2022, geo="tract_in_county", state="Massachusetts", county="017",
    series=["TOTAL_POP", "MEDIAN_HH_INCOME", "POP_65_PLUS"],
)
pull_census(cfg)

# Full category pull, all states
cfg = Config("national_income.pkl", "./output", year=2022, series="INCOME")
pull_census(cfg)

# School district comparison
cfg = Config(
    "ma_schools.pkl", "./output",
    year=2022, geo="school_district_in_state", state="Massachusetts",
    series=["TOTAL_POP", "MEDIAN_HH_INCOME", "HH_INCOME_BRACKETS"],
)
pull_census(cfg)

Available Categories

License

MIT

Start here

src/census_loader/series.py is the heart of this project: the catalog that maps every friendly series name onto its Census variable codes, and the reason the wrapper exists at all. src/census_loader/load.py then shows how a Config becomes batched API calls and labelled DataFrames, and tests/test_catalog.py shows the catalog's invariants.