docs/dimension/crosswalk_zip_county

crosswalk_zip_county

ZIP code (ZCTA) to county mapping. One row per ZIP code. For each ZCTA, maps to the county with the largest land-area overlap per the 2020 Census ZCTA-county relationship file. Use to convert ZIP-level data to county grain.

tier acensusgeographydimensioncrosswalk
grain
county
years
cadence
Refreshed with each decennial census
overview

overview

~33,000 ZCTAs mapped to the county with the largest land-area overlap per 2020 Census relationship file.

current vintage — 2020 Census

history — 2010 and 2020 vintages differ; this table reflects 2020 only

provenance

source & licensing

authority
U.S. Census Bureau
dataset
Census 2020 ZCTA-County Relationship File
license
Public domain (U.S. Federal Government work)
citation
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA-County Relationship File.
schema

fields

nametypedefinition
county_idstring5-character FIPS code identifying the county.Joins dim.counties on county_id.
state_idstring2-character FIPS code identifying the state.Joins dim.states on state_id.
zip_codekeystring5-digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, approximating USPS ZIP code boundaries. Used as the left-hand join key to map postal geographies to county FIPS codes.Joins dim.crosswalk_zip_county on zip_code.
relationships

joins

primary key
zip_code
common joins
Any source dataset with ZIP codes
dim.counties on county_id
usage

how to use this table

method

For each ZCTA, the county with the greatest arealand_part (land area of intersection) is selected. Rural ZCTAs that span multiple counties are assigned to the dominant county by area.

do not use for

Exact ZIP-to-county mapping; ZCTAs are Census constructs that approximate postal ZIPs and may not match perfectly. Multi-county ZCTAs are assigned to one county only.

last updated · May 5, 2026