datacommons-client

Data Commons Client

Overview

Provides comprehensive access to the Data Commons Python API v2 for querying statistical observations, exploring the knowledge graph, and resolving entity identifiers. Data Commons aggregates data from census bureaus, health organizations, environmental agencies, and other authoritative sources into a unified knowledge graph.

Routing Boundary

Use this skill when the user explicitly asks for Data Commons/datacommons, Data Commons statistical variables, Data Commons entities/DCIDs, or population/economic indicators that fit the Data Commons knowledge graph.

Generic public data, open data, public dataset search, or public download-link collection by itself is not enough to select this skill. Those requests need a clearer Data Commons/statistical-graph signal before this skill becomes the route owner.

Installation

Install the Data Commons Python client with Pandas support:

uv pip install "datacommons-client[Pandas]"

For basic usage without Pandas:

uv pip install datacommons-client

Core Capabilities

The Data Commons API consists of three main endpoints, each detailed in dedicated reference files:

1. Observation Endpoint - Statistical Data Queries

Query time-series statistical data for entities. See references/observation.md for comprehensive documentation.

Primary use cases:

• Retrieve population, economic, health, or environmental statistics
• Access historical time-series data for trend analysis
• Query data for hierarchies (all counties in a state, all countries in a region)
• Compare statistics across multiple entities
• Filter by data source for consistency

Common patterns:

from datacommons_client import DataCommonsClient

client = DataCommonsClient()

# Get latest population data
response = client.observation.fetch(
    variable_dcids=["Count_Person"],
    entity_dcids=["geoId/06"],  # California
    date="latest"
)

# Get time series
response = client.observation.fetch(
    variable_dcids=["UnemploymentRate_Person"],
    entity_dcids=["country/USA"],
    date="all"
)

# Query by hierarchy
response = client.observation.fetch(
    variable_dcids=["MedianIncome_Household"],
    entity_expression="geoId/06<-containedInPlace+{typeOf:County}",
    date="2020"
)