Variables

Tip

For a list of all variables currently in the registry, see variables.csv on Github.

A single file, variable.json, serves as a central lookup for all variables, each one being defined as a Frictionless Field Descriptor, with some extra properties that we have added for our own needs. The key for each item in the lookup must be the same as its name property.

Fields are defined by a JSON object that adheres to the field descriptors portion of the table schema standard, though not all possible attributes are required or implemented.

The following additional attributes are also supported and in some cases required:

Property Format Description Comment
name Primary identifier Same as key for this item, must be CamelCase and <= 10 characters long.
title Human-readable title Appears in data dictionaries and OEPS Explorer interfaces
type Datatype of this variable See Frictionless Data field descriptor types
example Varies An example value for the field
description A description for the field
source Abbreviated data source This information appears in OEPS Explorer interfaces
source_long Long-form data source info
longitudinal N/A N/A
analysis N/A N/A
table_sources List of all table sources this variable appears in Table source names are in this list

Example variable entry

"TotPop": {
    "title": "Total Population",
    "name": "TotPop",
    "type": "integer",
    "example": "1632480",
    "description": "Total population",
    "metadata": "Demographics",
    "source": "ACS 2018, 5-Year; Census 2010; IPUMS NHGIS",
    "source_long": "American Community Survey 2014-2018 5 Year Estimate; 2010 Decennial Census; Integrated Public Use Microdata Series National Historic Geographic Information System",
    "longitudinal": true,
    "analysis": false,
    "table_sources": [
      "county-1980",
      "county-1990",
      "county-2000",
      "county-2010",
      "county-2018",
      "county-2020",
      "county-2023",
      "state-1980",
      "state-1990",
      "state-2010",
      "state-2000",
      "state-2018",
      "tract-1980",
      "tract-1990",
      "tract-2010",
      "tract-2000",
      "tract-2020",
      "tract-2018",
      "tract-2023",
      "zcta-2018",
      "zcta-2020",
      "zcta-2023"
    ]
  },
}