New from the US Census Bureau... The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are extracts containing selected geographic and cartographic information from the Census Bureau's MAF/TIGER^® (Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) database. 

The MAF/TIGER database was developed at the Census Bureau to support a variety of geographic programs and operations including functions such as mapping, geocoding, and geographic reference files that are used in decennial and economic censuses and sample survey programs. Spatial data for geographic features such as roads, railroads, rivers, and lakes, as well as legal and statistical geographic areas are included in the product. Other information about these features, such as the name, the type of feature, address ranges, and the geographic relationship to other features, also are included. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are made available to the public for no charge and are typically used to provide the digital map base for a Geographic Information System or for mapping software.

The 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain current geographic areas (boundaries of governmental units as of January 1, 2008), Census 2000 vintage geography, and Economic Census geography. The shapefiles also contain some additional feature updates reported in the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). All counties have now been realigned as a result of the MAF/TIGER Accuracy Improvement Project (MTAIP) and are included in the 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles. For more information about the MTAIP please refer to the 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefile Technical Documentation available in [PDF] or TEXT.

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles contain attribute data only and do not include mapping software. They are designed for use with geographic information system (GIS) software. The TIGER/Line Shapefiles do not contain demographic data from any census or survey, but do include the geographic entity codes, which provide a link between the Census Bureau’s demographic data and the TIGER/Line Shapefiles.

TIGER/Line Shapefiles Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage .

Download TIGER/Line Shapefiles and Relationship Files

The TIGER/Line Shapefiles are available to download by nation, state, county, or American Indian Area (AIA). For example, the state shapefile is nation based, therefore it will include all 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Island areas. For more information about how to download the data, please refer to the organizational structure of the shapefiles and relationship files.

Download 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles now.

Download multiple 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles at a time via our FTP site.

Entities that are defined independently from states and counties, such as American Indian Areas, are available in nation-based shapefiles that encompass the entire country. Though defined within states, county boundaries are available in nation-based as well as state-based shapefiles. The following layers are included:

• American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Area (Census 2000 and current)
• American Indian Tribal Subdivision (Census 2000 and current)
• County and Equivalent (Census 2000 and current)
• Combined New England City and Town Area (current)
• Combined Statistical Area (current)
• Metropolitan Division (current)
• Metropolitan/Micropolitan Statistical Area (current)
• New England City and Town Area (current)
• New England City and Town Area Division (current)
• State and Equivalent (Census 2000, current, and Economic Census)
• Urban Areas (Census 2000 and corrected Census 2000)
• 3-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (Census 2000 and 2002)
• 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (Census 2000 and 2002)
• Military Installation (current)

To download these layers, click on the 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles download page.

Source: US Census Bureau - See Here for MORE