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We noticed that the number of census blocks (shapefiles) in Texas is significantly lower in 2020 vs the 2010 datasets. Here are the two sources/URLs we are using:

2010

ftp://ftp2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2010/TABBLOCK/2010/*

2020

https://www2.census.gov/geo/tiger/TIGER2020PL/LAYER/TABBLOCK/2020/*

We expect block counts to increase, not decrease. Are we fetching from the wrong source/URL?

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    If this is open data then I think the place to ask about it is the Open Data Stack Exchsnge.
    – PolyGeo ♦
    Commented Mar 2, 2022 at 19:53
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    There is potentially lots of reasons this could happen, there was a pandemic and that blocks could have been large student populations that went home during count. I would take 2020 Census data with a lot of skepticism. For example, the population growth my City compared to housing built suggests that in the last 10 years there was only ~1 person per housing unit built, which of course ignores how many bedrooms per unit. It sucks but this is going to a be a major problem for the next 10 years.
    – RomaH
    Commented Mar 2, 2022 at 20:09

1 Answer 1

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Mike Ratcliffe, GEO, Census Bureau, told the New Mexico Data
State Data Center Users Conference that there are fewer census blocks in the 2020 Census than in the 2010 Census. See slide numbered 4 in this deck: https://bber.unm.edu/media/files/RatcliffeNMSDCNovember%202020.pdf

2010 Census blocks such as median strips were combined with other blocks when 2020 census blocks were delineated.

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  • Thanks. Your answer pointed me in the right direction to look further. It appears blocks were combined for privacy reasons. Small block in rural area with little population could tell you a lot about the people living within the block.
    – user44021
    Commented Mar 3, 2022 at 5:24

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