Get Population Estimates
Retrieves Population Estimates Program (PEP) data from the US Census Bureau API. Use this tool when you need: - Total population estimates for states, counties, or the nation - Components of population change (births, deaths, migration) - Population by demographic characteristics (age, sex, race, Hispanic origin) Response is a 2D array where index 0 is the header row (e.g., [['POP','NAME','state'],['39512223','California','06'],...]); always use row 0 as column keys when parsing. Important notes: - Available datasets and variables vary significantly by vintage year - For broadest compatibility, use vintage=2019 with dataset='population' - Variable names may include year suffixes in newer vintages (e.g., POP_2021 instead of POP) - Check Census API documentation for valid variable names per vintage/dataset