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Cite census data by naming the U.S. Census Bureau (plus any sponsor) as author, then the table or dataset name, the product, the vintage, the URL and the date you accessed it. The Census Bureau publishes its own templates for this, and the quickest correct route on data.census.gov is the table’s Cite tool. This guide shows the Bureau’s elements, maps them onto APA 7th author-date references for manuscripts and theses, and covers restricted-use data, which most library guides skip.
The format
The Census Bureau’s citation policy says to use the suggested citation when one is provided with a publication, dataset, code or tool, and that author names should include “U.S. Census Bureau” and all sponsors of the product. For tables on data.census.gov it gives this template (read 2026-11-08):
Author/s, "Table Name," Full Product Name, Vintage, <URL>, accessed on date.
For the Census API the template is:
Author/s, "Dataset Title," Vintage, <API Base URL>, accessed on date.
| Element | What to put | Where an APA 7th reference carries it |
|---|---|---|
| Author/s | U.S. Census Bureau, plus any listed sponsors | Author position (group author) |
| Table or dataset name | The title as shown on the table or API page, with the table ID (for example S0101) | Title of dataset, with the ID in the parenthetical |
| Full product name | For example, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables | Title or parenthetical, so the product is identifiable |
| Vintage | The data year the estimates describe (a 2022 vintage, not the year you downloaded) | Version slot of the parenthetical, or the title |
| URL | The table page, or the API base URL | Final URL element |
| Accessed on | The date you retrieved the figures | Retrieval-date form only (see below) |
APA 7th’s dataset pattern is Author. (Year). Title of dataset (ID; Version) [Data set]. Publisher. URL, and a group author’s publisher is dropped when it is the same as the author. Because the Census Bureau is both author and publisher, the reference ends with the URL.
Examples
The Bureau’s own examples
The Census Bureau’s citation page gives these two models, both with an access date of July 1, 2024:
- Table: U.S. Census Bureau, “Age and Sex,” American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S0101, 2022, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2022.S0101?q=people, accessed July 1, 2024.
- API: U.S. Census Bureau, “American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates: Comparison Profiles 5-Year,” 2022, http://api.census.gov/data/2022/acs/acs5, accessed July 1, 2024.
Illustrative APA 7th construction (an example, not a Census-issued string)
Applying the APA dataset pattern to the same table gives the form below. The year shown is illustrative: use the release year given on the table page or by the Cite tool.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). American Community Survey 5-year estimates subject tables: Age and sex (Table S0101; vintage 2022) [Data set]. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2022.S0101
Retrieval-date form
APA 7th uses “Retrieved Month Day, Year, from” before a URL only when a retrieval date is needed, for example for a page that changes. That form is Group Name. (n.d.). Title. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL. The Census Bureau’s own templates always end with an access date, so when a journal or institution follows the Bureau’s pattern, keep it.
Restricted-use data (Federal Statistical Research Data Centers)
The Census Bureau gives a separate pattern for restricted-use microdata: Dataset Source, Full Dataset Name (SAP [Number]) [Restricted-use data], Vintage <SAP URL>. Its example is “U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (SAP 691) [Restricted Data], 2023” with the ResearchDataGov product URL for SAP 691. Results cleared for release also carry a disclosure-avoidance disclaimer, with wording supplied through your disclosure release or your research data center administrator, and where a data-use agreement bars naming the provider the Bureau supplies a statement to use instead. Follow the wording you are given exactly.
In-text citation version
In APA 7th author-date style the in-text form is (Author, year) or Author (year). For a Census table that reads (U.S. Census Bureau, 2023) in parentheses or U.S. Census Bureau (2023) in narrative, matching the year in your reference entry. A direct quotation adds the page or table location after the year. See parenthetical citation for how this form differs from narrative citation.
If your style is numbered, footnoted or Harvard, the Census elements stay the same and only their order and punctuation change. Generate the string with the Cite tool, then check it against your style guide edition.
Common errors
- Citing “census.gov” as the source. A home-page URL does not identify a table. Give the table or dataset name and ID.
- Omitting the vintage. ACS 5-year tables for different vintages report different values; the Bureau’s templates require the vintage for that reason.
- Using the access date as the publication year. The access date goes in the accessed slot; the year element is the release year or vintage as your style directs.
- Leaving out sponsors. The Bureau lists “U.S. Census Bureau” and all sponsors as authors.
- Treating restricted-use data like public tables. Restricted-use results need the SAP number and the [Restricted-use data] label.
- Citing a secondary source for the figure. The Bureau’s guidance is to cite its product; for the wider principle see the data citation principle.
Style-guide edition
Patterns here follow the APA Publication Manual, 7th edition (2020), using the APA Style reference examples handout last updated March 3, 2026, checked 2026-10-28. Current editions of the other major manuals are MLA 9th (2021) and Chicago 18th (2024). For those styles, use the Cite tool output and confirm punctuation against the manual your journal names. Many journals publish their own variant, and a journal’s author instructions override a general manual.
FAQ
Do I need permission to cite or use Census data?
The Census Bureau’s FAQ on citing ACS data states that no permission is needed; it points to its citation policy for the format.
Should the table ID be in the citation?
Yes. The Bureau’s own table example includes it (Table S0101), and it identifies the exact table where several tables share a title.
What is a vintage?
It is the data year of the release, such as the 2022 vintage in the example above. Always name it.
How do I cite Census data in a thesis or manuscript?
Use one pattern throughout, give each table its own reference entry, and keep the same author name in text and in the reference list. Our guide on citing a social media post shows the same author-date logic for another source type, and the Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles explains why datasets get full entries. Before relying on survey estimates, check survey weighting and coverage error.
What about decennial census products?
The Bureau’s citation page gives no decennial-specific example. Use the Cite tool on the table page, or the table template above.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, “Citing our Data, Tools, Technical Documents and Research”: https://www.census.gov/about/policies/citation.html (read 2026-11-08).
- U.S. Census Bureau, “How do I cite or source ACS data?”: https://www.census.gov/help/topics/faq.how-do-i-cite-or-source-acs-data.html (read 2026-11-08).
- U.S. Census Bureau, “Citations for Restricted-Use Data”: https://www.census.gov/topics/research/guidance/restricted-use-microdata/citations-for-restricted-use-data.html (read 2026-11-08).
- APA Style, reference examples handout (7th edition; updated March 3, 2026) and In-Text Citation Checklist, apastyle.apa.org (checked 2026-10-28).
