Screenshot of U.S. Census Bureau TIGER files.
U.S. Census Bureau TIGER Files – Accurate Detailed Vector Street Base Maps 

http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html 

 

Program Highlights 

Data Product 

• Street centerline files with road names and address ranges for geocoding. 


Advantages 

• Realigned files accurate enough to 
use as Flood Insurance Rate Map 
(FIRM) base map and are now 
considered the default source for 
FIRM Database transportation 
features. 
• Smaller, often easier to work with 
than orthophotographs. 
• Vector-based maps can be easier to 
read. 
• Topologically Integrated Geographic 
Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) 
spatial data are available in shapefile 
format. 


Disadvantages 

• Some communities may prefer orthophotographs. 
• Local planimetric data could be more current or contain better attributes (i.e., local road names). 
• TIGER/Line files may still contain features that have not been realigned to more accurate source 
data. 


Program Overview 

The U.S. Census Bureau realigned the street features for all counties in the United States in preparation 
for the 2010 Census. 

Data Details and Availability 

The U.S. Census Bureau has continued to release updated TIGER/Line files on a regular basis. The 
newest files incorporate updates discovered during the field activities for the 2010 Census and 
information reported by cooperators. 

Data Applicability to Flood Mapping Program 

Realigned files are accurate enough to use as FIRM base maps and are now considered the default source 
for FIRM Database transportation features. 


Data Ordering 

Files containing nationwide primary roads and State-by-State primary and secondary roads are available 
directly from the U.S. Census Web site at ftp://ftp2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2013/. Files containing 
all roads by county are available at ftp://ftp2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2013/ROADS/. 

In addition, you can purchase the files on CD-ROM or DVD from the Customer Services Center at 
(800) 923-8282 or (301) 763-INFO (4636).