Free GIS Shapefiles for New York Counties

You have several reliable options for obtaining freely available county-level GIS shapefiles for New York State:

1. New York State GIS Clearinghouse

• The Civil Boundaries Program provides official county boundary shapefiles (“Counties”) and shoreline versions (“Counties Shoreline”), available for download in Shapefile or Geodatabase format. Perfect for general mapping and planning use.

2. U.S. Census Bureau – TIGER/Line Shapefiles

• The Census Bureau offers comprehensive coverage of county polygons.
  • Topological Faces (2023): Polygon layers with full geocoding attributes—ideal for precise geographic representation.
  • General TIGER/Line County Shapefiles: Includes county boundaries and related data. Free to use with attribution to the Census Bureau.
• Additionally, Cartographic Boundary Files are simplified shapefiles suitable for small-scale thematic mapping.

3. Koordinates

• Hosts a vector polygon dataset of all New York State county boundaries, downloadable in multiple formats and projections.

4. Historical Boundary Data

• If you’re working with historical county outlines, the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries provides shapefiles from 1600s to 2000 for New York, all free to use under no restrictions.
• The NHGIS (National Historical Geographic Information System) also offers historical and contemporary county boundary shapefiles alongside census data.

Summary Table

Source	Data Offered	Best For
NYS GIS Clearinghouse	Counties & shoreline polygons	Up-to-date, authoritative local data
U.S. Census Bureau (TIGER)	County polygons, boundaries	Comprehensive and standardized coverage
Cartographic Boundary Files	Simplified county outlines	Thematic or small-scale mapping
Koordinates	County boundary polygons	Flexible downloads in various formats
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries	Historical county shapefiles	Research or genealogical applications
NHGIS	Historical/contemporary data	Census-linked boundary datasets

Getting Started

• For the most current, official county boundaries: Use shapefiles from the NYS GIS Clearinghouse.
• For standardized, census-based data: Download from Census TIGER/Line or Cartographic Boundaries.
• For historical analysis or lineage mapping: Explore Atlas of Historical County Boundaries or NHGIS.

Here are direct links and details to access free GIS shapefiles for New York State counties from official and reliable sources:

1. NYS GIS Clearinghouse – Official State Source

Website: gis.ny.gov/civil-boundaries

Download Links:

• NY Counties (Shapefile)
• NY Counties (Shoreline-adjusted)

Format: Shapefile (.shp)
Projection: NAD 1983 StatePlane New York East/West FIPS
Description: Provides current legal county boundaries as maintained by NYS Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) GIS Program Office.

2. U.S. Census Bureau – TIGER/Line Shapefiles

Website: data.census.gov

Direct Downloads:

• TIGER 2023 County Shapefiles (All States)
  • Inside, look for files named tl_2023_36_county.zip
  • “36” is the FIPS code for New York State.

Format: Shapefile (.shp)
Projection: Geographic (WGS84)
Description: Standardized county boundary data used across federal agencies, includes GEOIDs, area codes, and more.

3. U.S. Census Cartographic Boundary Files (Simplified)

Website: Cartographic Boundary Files

Direct Download:

• 2023 County Boundaries (500k scale)

Filter by STATEFP = 36 to get NY counties only.

Format: Shapefile (.shp)
Projection: WGS84
Use Case: Best for mapping where high-precision detail is not required.

4. Koordinates – User-Friendly Interface

Website & Download:

• New York State Counties (Koordinates)

Format: Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, etc.
Projection Options: Customizable
Notes: Easy to preview, select projections, and download specific formats.

5. NHGIS – Historical GIS Data

Website: nhgis.org

Access: Requires free registration
Steps:

1. Register/Login
2. Use the Data Finder to select:
   • Geographic Level: County
   • State: New York
   • Years: Select historical decades
   • Choose boundary shapefiles

Use Case: Best for historical and demographic research.

6. Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Website: New York Historical Boundaries (AHCB)

Data for New York:

• Direct Download – NY County Boundaries (Historical)

Format: Shapefiles (.shp)
Years Available: 1600s to 2000
Use Case: Genealogy, historical boundary changes, legal research