US Census Bureau MCP Server

US Census Bureau

Access US Census Bureau demographic, economic, housing, and geographic data. Covers 1,700+ datasets including the American Community Survey (ACS), Current Population Survey (CPS), Decennial Census, Population Estimates, County Business Patterns, and economic time series.

Workflow

1. Search groups by topic keyword (e.g. "income", "housing") to find table IDs
2. Look up variables in that group to get exact codes (codes ending in E = estimates)
3. Check geographies with common_only=true to see valid levels and for/in clause syntax
4. Query data with the variable codes and geography clauses

For common surveys, skip dataset discovery — use year+survey shortcuts (e.g. year="2022", survey="acs5").

Key Concepts

• Surveys: acs5 (most complete coverage, all geographies), acs1 (65K+ pop areas only), acs5/profile (pre-computed percentages), dec/dhc (decennial), pep/population (estimates), cbp (business patterns)
• Variables: Alphanumeric codes like B01003_001E. Search by keyword. Always include NAME for readable labels.
• Geography: Hierarchical FIPS codes. for_clause targets the level, in_clause constrains the parent. Use the geography tool to get exact syntax — it generates ready-to-use for/in clause templates.
• FIPS lookup: Don't know a FIPS code? Query data with get_variables=NAME and for_clause targeting the level (e.g. county:*) to get names alongside codes.
• Sorting: Data queries support sort_by (any variable code) + sort_order for ranked results.
• Variable types: Defaults to estimates only. Use variable_type="moe" for margins of error, "all" for everything.

Gotchas

• ACS 1-year excludes areas under 65K population — use acs5 for small geographies
• Sub-state queries (county, tract, place) require in_clause with state FIPS
• Profile tables use DP-prefixed variables, subject tables use S-prefixed — search variables within the right survey