geographic Data Resources

Shape files for the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area

You may download shape files for the nine counties in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area from this page. We have selected a basic set of files that can be used with ArcGIS (the mapping software that we support). We also provide links to other sites that can provide shape files for parts of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area.

SSDL makes available GIS shape files for Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The shape files include county boundaries, census tracts, and zip code tabulation areas (ZCTAs).

Links to Geographic Data on the Web

These selected links provide access to geographic data on the web, with an emphasis on sites that provide data related to the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

US Census GIS Files (click on geography of choice and scroll down to .shp files)

Pennsylvania Spacial Data Access (PASDA)

City of Philadelphia Shape files from PASDA (everything from parcels to hydrology)

Census Geography

Census geography provides one standard for analyzing much of the data available from the government of the United States, particularly census data. Use this link for more information describing the geographic units used by the Census, such as Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Census Tracts, and the other ways that the census organizes geography.