2008 TIGER/Line® ShapefilesThe TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts containing selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's MAF/TIGER® (Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) database. The MAF/TIGER database was developed at the Census Bureau to support a variety of geographic programs and operations including functions such as mapping, geocoding, and geographic reference files that are used in decennial and economic censuses and sample survey programs. Spatial data for geographic features such as roads, railroads, rivers, and lakes, as well as legal and statistical geographic areas are included in the product. Other information about these features, such as the name, the type of feature, address ranges, and the geographic relationship to other features, also are included. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are made available to the public for no charge and are typically used to provide the digital map base for a Geographic Information System or for mapping software.
The 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain current geographic areas (boundaries of governmental units as of January 1, 2008), Census 2000 vintage geography, and Economic Census geography. The shapefiles also contain some additional feature updates reported in the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). All counties have now been realigned as a result of the MAF/TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project (MTAIP) and are included in the 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles. For more information about the MTAIP please refer to the 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefile Technical Documentation available in [PDF] or TEXT.
The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain attribute data only and do not include mapping software. They are designed for use with geographic information system (GIS) software. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not contain demographic data from any census or survey, but do include the geographic entity codes, which provide a link between the Census Bureau’s demographic data and the TIGER/Line Shapefiles.
TIGER/Line Shapefiles Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage .
The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are available to download by nation, state, county, or American Indian Area (AIA). For example, the state shapefile is nation based, therefore it will include all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island areas. For more information about how to download the data, please refer to the organizational structure of the shapefiles and relationship files.
Download 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles now.
Note: Windows XP users may experience problems unzipping files downloaded from this site. Please see User Note 15 for more information.
Download multiple 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles at a time via our FTP site.
Please direct any questions or comments to geo.tiger@census.gov.
2008 TIGER/Line Shapefile Technical Documentation [PDF] [TEXT]
Record layout for the shapefiles and associated relationship files [PDF] [TEXT]
Crosswalk between Census Feature Class Codes (CFCCs) and MAF/TIGER Feature Class Codes (MTFCCs) [Excel] [TEXT] Updated October 30, 2008
Description of the relationship files and an entity relationship diagram that provides the association between the relationship files and the shapefiles [PDF] Description of the relationship files [TEXT]
User Notes are provided to document updates and known data errors that exist in the 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles.
The 2008 TIGER/Line metadata in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format is included with each compressed TIGER/Line Shapefile.
The Spatial Metadata Identifier (SMID) in the All Lines shapefile identifies the source of the coordinates for each line segment and provides the link between the TIGER/Line Shapefile and the source and horizontal spatial accuracy information. Please note that the horizontal spatial accuracy, where reported in the metadata, refers to the realigned street features identified as matched to a positionally accurate source file with that accuracy. Individual feature-based horizontal spatial accuracy does not apply to the entirety of the TIGER/Line Shapefile.
If you obtained the TIGER/Line Shapefiles directly from the U.S. Census Bureau and need further information concerning the content of the files, please contact the Geographic Products Branch, Geography Division at geo.tiger@census.gov. The telephone number is (301) 763-1128.
For information concerning the subject matter and contents of the TIGER/Line Shapefiles obtained from a source other than the U.S. Census Bureau, please contact that source.
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