• Support added in get_estimates() for the 2023 PEP datasets. A new argument, vintage, allows users to request data by vintage and then by year within that vintage.
  • Default year in get_acs() and get_pums() updated to 2022 following full release of the 2022 ACS datasets.
  • Geometry support for the 118th Congress in get_decennial() when sumfile = "cd118" is used, and in get_acs()
  • Various bug fixes and performance improvements.
  • Support added for the new Detailed DHC-A file, which includes the ability to query for detailed population groups. This functionality is now enabled for Summary Files 2 and 4 in past years as well with the pop_group argument.
  • Full geometry support enabled for the 2022 1-year American Community Survey.
  • Various bug fixes and performance improvements, including the pesky ‘Error in UseMethod(“gather”) no applicable method for ’gather’ applied to an object of class “character”’ problem.
  • get_estimates() now supports the newer Population Estimates Program (PEP) datasets not found on the Census API. Please review the package documentation at https://walker-data.com/tidycensus/articles/other-datasets.html for examples of how to use the new datasets, which differ slightly from older versions.
  • Decennial Census data for island areas and some historical decennial Census files (for 2000) are now available. To see a full list of decennial Census datasets available in tidycensus, use the summary_files() function.
  • get_decennial() has been updated to accommodate the new Demographic and Housing Characteristics and Demographic Profile summary files. Use sumfile = "dhc" for the DHC file, and sumfile = "dp" for the DP file.
  • The default year in get_decennial() is now 2020. This may be a breaking change for some legacy code that omits the year, so be sure to update scripts to hard-code the year for years earlier than 2020.
  • sumfile = "pl" is the default for get_decennial() and will remain so to avoid existing code breakages. Please note that variable IDs are replicated across the PL and DHC files, but may represent different topics.
  • Given that the Census API allows for 500 queries per day without an API key, the API key requirement in the package has been removed to support reproducibility. Users without a key are now warned of potential performance limitations.
  • PUMS variables for 2021 have been added to the pums_variables data dictionary object.
  • Various bug fixes and performance improvements; browse the GitHub issues for a complete listing.
  • Minor release with bug fixes and performance improvements. Fixes include support for the 2000 SF3 Data Profile; improvements to the interpolate_pw() function; and correct geometry usage for PUMA geography in the 2021 ACS.
  • get_acs() and get_pums() now default to year = 2020 to retrieve data from the 2016-2020 5-year ACS. 2020 1-year data are not available in tidycensus and the package throws an error message; users should hard-code a different year to get 1-year ACS data.
  • A new as_dot_density() function allows users to quickly generate dots from data for dot-density mapping. This function requires the terra package to be installed.
  • A new interpolate_pw() function supports population-weighted interpolation of data between incongruent geometries, based on Esri’s weighted block centroid apportionment algorithm. A common use-case will be interpolating pre-2020 data to 2020 geometries like Census tracts and block groups.
  • get_pums() now correctly returns vacant housing units either when the VACS variable is requested or when return_vacant = TRUE.
  • get_acs() now supports the ACS Comparison Profile data, helping users perform longitudinal demographic analyses correctly.
  • load_variables() now returns a geography column for the 5-year ACS Detailed Tables that tells users the smallest geography at which any given variable is available.
  • Numerous bug fixes and performance improvements.
  • tidycensus now supports the 2020 decennial Census PL-94171 redistricting data. Use year = 2020 in a call to get_decennial() to access the data, and load_variables(2020, "pl") to look up variable IDs.
  • A new geography, "voting district" is now available for 2020 to assist with redistricting analyses.
  • Support for the ACS Migration Flows API is available in a new function, get_flows(). Browse the supporting documentation for information on how to analyze and map migration flows data in tidycensus.
  • The shift_geo argument is deprecated in favor of using the new tigris::shift_geometry() function. This allows for shifting of geometries for any geography in national mapping projects.
  • Various bug fixes and performance improvements; browse the GitHub issues for a complete listing.
  • Added support for the 2015-2019 5-year ACS PUMS data in get_pums(). Updated variable definitions are found in the data object pums_variables.
  • The default year in get_pums() is updated to 2019.
  • For 2015-2019 ACS aggregate data, get_acs() now supports the state parameter for zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs) to allow subsetting by state.
  • Various bug fixes and internal improvements; browse the GitHub issues for a complete listing.
  • Added a NEWS.md file to track changes to the package.
  • get_acs() now defaults to year = 2019, meaning that 2015-2019 5-year estimates and 2019 1-year estimates are retrieved if no year is specified.
  • get_estimates() now also defaults to year = 2019.
  • tidycensus can once again access the 2000 Summary File 3 in get_decennial() as the Census Bureau has restored its API endpoint.
  • Various bug fixes and internal improvements; browse the GitHub issues for a complete listing.
  • geometry = TRUE now works for all geographies currently available in tidycensus.
  • get_acs() can now support the ACS Supplemental Estimates API.
  • get_acs() now defaults to the 2014-2018 five-year American Community Survey estimates, or the 2018 1-year estimates if users set survey = "acs1".
  • Various improvements and bug fixes (largely thanks to Matt Herman’s contributions).
  • Bug fixed that was causing GEOIDs for some states to be converted to NA on certain Linux platforms

  • A new parameter, shift_geo, allows tidycensus users to get US state and county geometry originally obtained with the albersusa R package with Alaska and Hawaii shifted and re-scaled for better cartographic display of the entire US.


library(tidycensus)
library(tidyverse)
library(viridis)

us_county_income <- get_acs(geography = "county", variables = "B19013_001", 
                            shift_geo = TRUE, geometry = TRUE)

ggplot(us_county_income) + 
  geom_sf(aes(fill = estimate), color = NA) + 
  coord_sf(datum = NA) + 
  theme_minimal() + 
  scale_fill_viridis_c()