# US Census Data API

Category: [Statistics](https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/statistics/)  
Page: https://free-web-services.com/web-services/open-data/statistics/us-census-data-api.html  
Documentation: https://www.census.gov/data/developers.html

The Census Data API from the US Census Bureau gives population, housing, income and business statistics from the decennial census, the American Community Survey and other surveys, down to states, counties and tracts, for example to show the population of every county. Name the dataset, the variables and the geography in the URL and get a JSON table. Free with a free API key. An official MCP server (github.com/uscensusbureau/us-census-bureau-data-api-mcp) lets AI agents query Census data.

- API key: Needed, free
- Pricing: Free with a free API key.
- From the browser: Yes (CORS)
- Formats: JSON
- Interface: REST, HTTP-GET, MCP
- Provider: census.gov
- Last checked: Working on November 7th, 2026

Example request:

```sh
curl 'https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=NAME,P1_001N&for=state:06&key=YOUR_API_KEY'
```

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your own key. The JavaScript works in a web page as well as in Node.js 18 or newer.