Studies with open data
We work out figures that were not published anywhere, using official data from the Census Bureau, the USGS and Spain’s statistics office (INE) and National Geographic Institute (IGN). We explain how, and we publish the data so anyone can check it, use it in class or quote it in a story.
United States
- The highest and lowest state capitals in the US Santa Fe (6,997 ft) is the highest and Providence (9 ft) the lowest. All 50, with USGS data.
- The geographic center of every US state Recalculated from Census boundaries: half lie within 3.1 mi of the USGS center, and 40 of 47 in the same county.
- Population within 1, 3, 5, 10, 25 and 50 miles of the 100 largest US cities 19.5 million people live within 50 miles of New York, the most; within 10 miles, Jersey City comes second. All 100 cities, from 1 to 50 miles.
Spain
- The highest and lowest provincial capitals in Spain Ávila (1,125 m) is the highest and Cádiz (4 m) the lowest. All 50, with IGN data.
- The geographic center of Spain, its regions and provinces Mainland Spain’s falls in Madrid, 12 km from the Cerro de los Ángeles. Plus every region and province.
- Population within 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 km of Spain’s provincial capitals 7.42 million people live within 50 km of Madrid, and 63,500 within 50 km of Teruel. All 52 capitals, from 1 to 50 km.
How to use them
Every study is published under a CC BY 4.0 license: you may copy the figures, the table and the maps, including in news outlets and commercial websites, as long as you credit the source with a link to the study page. Each study includes a suggested citation.
The data downloads as CSV (UTF-8, comma-separated). If something looks wrong, tell us: we fix it and log the change on our corrections page.
Contact us Methodology Corrections
spain-provincial-capitals-elevation.csv us-state-capitals-elevation.csv spain-geographic-centers.csv us-state-geographic-centers.csv us-cities-population-rings.csv spain-capitals-population-rings.csv
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this data in a story or in class?
Yes. It is licensed under CC BY 4.0: you may use, publish and adapt it as long as you credit “Source: All Map Tools” with a link to the study.
Where does the data come from?
From official open sources: the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Spain’s INE and National Geographic Institute (IGN) and, outside those two countries, the European Commission’s GHS-POP population grid. Each study names the exact product and its license.
How often are the studies updated?
When the source data changes: the Census and IGN boundaries are released once a year. Each study shows its publication date.