How to get the Census tract and FIPS codes for an address list
A Census tract GEOID lets you join an address to ACS, HMDA, CDC or FEMA data. Pinloft API geocodes up to 5 addresses per call and returns latitude/longitude, a cleaned address and, for US addresses, the state, county, tract, block group and block FIPS codes plus congressional and state legislative districts. Census codes are included in every result, not billed as an extra lookup.
Try it free on your own input
Real output
| Address | Latitude | Longitude | County | Census tract | Congress district | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606 | 41.87892 | -87.63660 | Cook County | 17031839100 | 7 | us-census |
| 350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118 | 40.74785 | -73.98508 | New York County | 36061007600 | 12 | us-census |
| 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA | 37.33167 | -122.03010 | Santa Clara County | 06085508101 | 17 | openstreetmap |
| 400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109 | 47.61982 | -122.34887 | King County | 53033007101 | 7 | us-census |
Source: Real run on Apify of the same Pinloft geocoder, 24 Sep 2026 (8 of 8 matched).
What a Census tract GEOID looks like
A tract GEOID has 11 digits: 2 for the state, 3 for the county and 6 for the tract. 233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago comes back as 17031839100: Illinois (17), Cook County (031), tract 8391.00.
Block group adds one digit (12) and block adds three more (15). Keep them as text, not numbers, so leading zeros survive in a spreadsheet.
Where the codes come from
US addresses go to the official US Census Bureau geocoder, which is public domain, so you can store and share the results. Addresses it misses get a second try on OpenStreetMap; a row says which source matched and how confident the match is.
Pinloft vs the alternatives
Published prices, each checked on the date shown; prices change, so confirm on each site.
| Product | Price | Free | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinloft API | $5 once for 5,000 calls; $19/month for 25,000 (FIPS included) | 100 calls every day, no key | live |
| Geocodio | $1 per 1,000 lookups after the free tier; each data append (such as Census identifiers) counts as one more lookup per record | 2,500 lookups a day | 2026-10-10 |
| OpenCage | X-Small $50/month for 10,000 requests a day; Small $125/month for 30,000 a day | Trial: 2,500 a day, testing only | 2026-10-10 |
Why teams pick Pinloft
- County, tract, block group, block and districts in every US result, at no extra charge.
- US results come from the public-domain Census geocoder: store, share and reuse them.
- 8 of 8 benchmark addresses matched; the top OpenStreetMap rivals matched 7 of 8 (24 Sep 2026).
- Worldwide addresses work too, through OpenStreetMap (no FIPS outside the US).
- $5 for 5,000 calls that never expire; 100 free calls a day.
Try it in one call
curl 'https://pinloft.cybermaxtools.com/api/geocode?address=233%20S%20Wacker%20Dr%2C%20Chicago%2C%20IL%2060606'How it works
- Call /api/geocode with an address (up to 5 per call). No key needed for 100 calls a day.
- Read tractFips from each matched result: an 11-digit GEOID (state + county + tract), plus countyFips, blockGroupFips and blockFips.
- Join tractFips to your Census or ACS table on its GEOID column.
- For coordinates you already have, call /api/reverse?lat=&lon= to get the same codes.
FAQ
Can I do this for free with the Census geocoder directly?
Yes. The Census Bureau's own geocoder is free; Pinloft adds the OpenStreetMap fallback for misses, worldwide addresses, one JSON shape, districts and an MCP server.
How accurate is a Census match?
Census matches are street-range interpolations, flagged exact or non_exact; OpenStreetMap matches say whether they hit a building, a street or only an area, with a confidence score.
What about addresses outside the US?
They are geocoded through OpenStreetMap (Nominatim, with Photon as fallback). FIPS codes and districts exist only for US locations.
How many addresses per call?
Up to 5. A call with 5 addresses counts as one call against your plan; failed calls are not counted.
How do I credit the data?
Each row has an attribution field: Census data is public domain; show © OpenStreetMap contributors for OpenStreetMap rows.