US ZCTA Reference Points — 2024 Census Gazetteer
Quick answer: Download 33,791 ZCTA representative internal points from the official 2024 Census Gazetteer as GeoJSON or CSV. GEOID/zcta identifiers remain five-character strings. ZCTAs are Census statistical areas, not a complete USPS ZIP-code list.
Download, inspect and select Census records
- 1.Choose a bundled GeoJSON or CSV below. GEOID and ZCTA codes are text; preserve leading zeros.
- 2.Use the radius tool for ZCTA representative points, or filter vector attributes and select features before exporting. A point-in-radius result does not mean the entire ZCTA polygon is inside.
- 3.ACS files contain 2020–2024 five-year estimates and 90% margins of error. Read field notes and join diagnostics; missing or special values are not zero. Bundled ZCTA polygons cover Puerto Rico only.
About this dataset
Download all 33,791 official Census ZCTA representative points and land/water area attributes, with leading-zero identifiers preserved.
A real national download prepared from the 2024 Census Gazetteer. It includes 33,791 published ZCTAs, including Island Area entries present in the source, as GeoJSON representative internal points and a CSV reference table. These points support radius lookup and statistical joins. They are not geometric centroids, polygon boundaries or a current USPS postal address directory.
Data source: U.S. Census Bureau
Attribution: U.S. Census Bureau: 2024 Gazetteer; 2020 and 2024 Cartographic Boundary Files; 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year Detailed Tables B01003, B19013, B01002, B25001. Prepared by GeoDataViewer. Source estimates and special codes retained; cartographic outlines generalized for web display. Public domain — U.S. Census Bureau public data
Actual bundled Census data on the map; map and basemap credits shown. Captured 24 October 2026.
How to download
- 1 Read the coverage, survey period and ZIP/ZCTA definitions below.
- 2 Download GeoJSON to view in Studio or continue in a tool; choose CSV for a table join and import identifiers as text.
- 3 Keep the published estimate and its margin of error together; null observations are not zero.
- 4 Retain the U.S. Census Bureau citation and provenance when sharing derivatives.
ZCTA points GeoJSON — 33,791 records (8.85 MB)
ZCTA reference CSV — 33,791 records
Source rights and citation
Census public data policy and attribution
Field definitions
Types, units, exact ACS source variables and missing-value interpretation
Provenance and checksums
Exact official source URLs, build timestamp, output checksums and join coverage
Join diagnostics
Every unmatched source geography, without inferred or fabricated observations
README and reuse notes
ZIP/ZCTA distinction, coverage, coordinate/simplification limits and attribution
Official national Gazetteer ZIP
FAQ
Are ZIP codes and ZCTAs the same?
No. USPS ZIP codes describe mail delivery routes and addresses. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate ZIP-code areas for statistical mapping. Not every ZIP has a ZCTA; these packages are not a complete or current USPS ZIP directory. A ZCTA can cross state or county boundaries.
How do I preserve leading zeros?
GEOID and zcta are five-character strings, for example 00601. GeoJSON preserves that type. Import CSV identifier columns as text in Excel or other spreadsheets; do not join numeric IDs or guess a state from a ZCTA prefix.
Is radius matching based on area overlap?
No. A radius lookup tests this representative internal point. A ZCTA whose polygon overlaps the radius may be excluded if its point lies outside; a point inside does not mean all of that ZCTA or its population is inside.