The API provides access to many different types of data, and the API Discovery Tool shows the complete list of datasets in the Census Data API.

When you visit the Discovery Tool, browse the column titled “Dataset Type” (see Figure 1). This will tell you whether an API dataset is:

• Aggregate: Provides data that the Census Bureau have tabulated to get results for a specific geography.
• Microdata: Provides untabulated, raw data. You can use these individual records to create custom statistics using the appropriate weights, universe, and geography.
• N/A: A timeseries dataset.

This user guide describes how to use the microdata API. If the statistics you need are available through an aggregate or timeseries dataset, we recommend using those datasets instead of the microdata API. To learn how to use aggregate and timeseries datasets, please see the API User Guide.