The primary data set produced by the Geography Division of the U.S. Census Bureau for use with GIS software is the TIGER/Line filesŪ. The TIGER/Line files are a digital database of geographic features, such as roads, railroads, rivers, lakes, legal boundaries, census statistical boundaries, etc. covering the entire United States. The data base contains information about these features such as their location in latitude and longitude, the name, the type of feature, address ranges for most streets, the geographic relationship to other features, and other related information. They are the public product created from the Census Bureau's TIGER database.

The files are not graphic images of maps, but rather digital data describing geographic features. To make use of these data, a user must have mapping or Geographic Information System (GIS) software.  With the appropriate software a user can produce maps ranging in detail from a neighborhood street map to a map of the United States. To date, many local governments have used the TIGER/Line data in applications requiring digital street maps. Also, the private sector has used TIGER/Line data to create products that produce maps for government, business and the general public. THE TIGER/Line PRODUCT DOES NOT INCLUDE DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICS.

To access all TIGER related products produced by the U.S. Census Bureau, visit their web site here.

Some vendors have converted the original TIGER/Line data sets to formats designed to work with their software.  For example, ESRI has published the Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files in shapefile format -- to access those data visit their web site here. 

Additionally, INSIDE Idaho has enhanced the Redistricting Census 2000 TIGER/Line files available from the ESRI web site by creating metadata records and projection files for each data set as well as merging the county data sets together to create statewide layers. To access those data click here.