# Census (npm · @pipeworx/mcp-census) Census MCP — U.S. Census Bureau housing-relevant APIs. - Trust score: 82/100 (high trust) - Change this week: +3 - Registry status: active - Liveness: live - Owner verified: no - Last scored: 2026-11-05 ## Components - remote · `gateway.pipeworx.io`: 78/100, [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/census-mcp.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/census-mcp) - npm · `@pipeworx/mcp-census`: 82/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/pipeworx-mcp-census.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/pipeworx-mcp-census) ## Channel facts - Registry: `npm` - Package: `@pipeworx/mcp-census` - Version: `0.2.1` - Transport: `stdio` ## Trust breakdown How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically from public evidence about the published package, including repeated runs of it in an isolated sandbox, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog) Scored 2026-11-05. - **Supply Chain Security**: 100/100 - No malware found by supply-chain analysis. - No known CVEs affecting this package version or its production dependencies. - No install/post-install scripts declared. - No production dependencies, so there is no dependency health to assess. - **Provenance & Transparency**: 97/100 - Source repository is publicly reachable at the declared URL. - Cryptographically verified build provenance (signed, bound to pipeworx-io/mcp-census). - Clear OSI-approved license (MIT). - Actively maintained (last published 5 days ago). - Disclosure check failed: no security disclosure policy was found in the source repository. - **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 63/100 - AI-judged instruction clarity (good). - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1061 tokens (~176/item across 6 items; 6 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. - **Stability & Change Management**: 23/100 - Stability observed for 7 of 30 days with no destabilising changes; credit accrues until the full window elapses. - **Tool Coverage**: 100/100 - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name). - 100% of tool parameters carry a description. - Structured output schemas are declared (17% of tools); any adoption earns full credit. - **Tool Safety**: 100/100 - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured. - We read all 6 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation. - An AI judge read all 7 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it. - **Capabilities**: 100/100 - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28. ## Install ### How do I install the Census MCP server? Census runs locally as an npm package, launched with npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-census. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation. ### Claude ```bash claude mcp add pipeworx-io-census -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-census ``` ### Cursor ```json { "mcpServers": { "pipeworx-io-census": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-census" ] } } } ``` ### VS Code ```json { "servers": { "pipeworx-io-census": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-census" ] } } } ``` ### Codex ```bash codex mcp add pipeworx-io-census -- npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-census ``` ### opencode ```json { "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json", "mcp": { "pipeworx-io-census": { "type": "local", "command": [ "npx", "-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-census" ], "enabled": true } } } ``` ### OpenClaw ```bash openclaw mcp add pipeworx-io-census --command npx --arg -y --arg @pipeworx/mcp-census ``` ### Hermes ```yaml mcp_servers: pipeworx-io-census: command: "npx" args: ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-census"] ``` ### Netclaw ```json { "McpServers": { "pipeworx-io-census": { "Transport": "stdio", "Command": "npx", "Arguments": [ "-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-census" ] } } } ``` ### Vellum ```bash assistant mcp add pipeworx-io-census -t stdio -c npx -a -y @pipeworx/mcp-census ``` ### Other ```json { "mcpServers": { "pipeworx-io-census": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-census" ] } } } ``` ## Changelog Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims. ### 2026-11-04 (score 82, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 17 to 20. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 5 days of observed history at the previous scan, 6 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-11-02 (score 81, +1) No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 10 to 13. That category is still filling its 30-day observation window: 3 days of observed history at the previous scan, 4 at this one. The score rises as the window fills, whether or not the server changes. ### 2026-11-01 (score 80, +15) - [security improvement] Malware scan: unverified → pass - [functional regression] Security disclosure: unverified → fail ### 2026-10-31 (score 65, −14) - [security regression] Malware scan: pass → unverified - [functional regression] Security disclosure: fail → unverified - [functional] Package version: 0.2.0 → 0.2.1 ### 2026-10-29 (score 79) First indexed and scored. ## MCP tools (6) ### `census_population` (~240 tokens) HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE somewhere in the United States — the population of a county, city, town, ZIP code or state from the American Community Survey. Answers "population of Travis County Texas", "how many people live in Austin", "what is the population of 78701", "Ohio population". Say the place the way a person says it ("Travis County, TX", "Austin, TX", "78701", "Texas"); no FIPS codes and no variable codes needed. Also returns median age, household count and median household income for the same place when the survey publishes them. Figures are 5-year survey estimates, so they describe a period rather than a census-day headcount. For what homes cost or rent there, use census_acs. Input parameters: - `_apiKey` (string): Census API key - `place` (string, required): The place, in plain English: "Travis County, TX", "Austin, TX", "78701", "Texas". A county or place name works best with its state. - `year` (number): ACS 5-year survey year (default 2022; available from 2009). Output parameters: - `estimate_note` (string) - `found` (boolean) - `households` (number) - `median_age` (number) - `median_household_income_usd` (number) - `place` (string) - `population` (number) - `source` (string) - `year` (number) ### `census_acs` (~334 tokens) Median home value and median rent for a US ZIP CODE, city, town, county or state, from the American Community Survey — the keyless way to answer "what do homes cost in 33158" or "median home price in Miami-Dade County" at a grain below metro level. Pass the geography the way a person says it: a 5-digit ZIP ("33158"), a place with its state ("Palmetto Bay, FL"), a county ("Miami-Dade County, FL"), or a state ("Florida"); FIPS codes and raw Census "for" syntax also work. Median home value is B25077_001E and median gross rent is B25064_001E (B25003 is tenure counts, not rent); the same call also serves ownership rates, vacancy and any other ACS variable code. Values are 5-year survey estimates, so they describe a period rather than this month's asking prices. Input parameters: - `_apiKey` (string, required): Census API key - `geography` (string, required): Geographic level and filter using Census "for" syntax (e.g., "state:06" for California, "county:*" for all counties, "state:*" for all states, "county:037&in=state:06" for LA County). - `variables` (string, required): Comma-separated variable codes to retrieve (e.g., "NAME,B25001_001E,B25077_001E"). Always include NAME for place names. - `year` (number): Survey year (default 2022). ACS 5-year estimates available from 2009 onward. ### `census_building_permits` (~134 tokens) Check monthly building permits for new residential construction by geography. Returns count of authorized privately-owned housing units and construction activity trends. Input parameters: - `_apiKey` (string): Census API key - `category_code` (string): APERMITS (annual rate, default) or PERMITS (monthly level). Pass "ALL" to get every residential-construction series for the month. - `time` (string): Month as "YYYY-MM" (e.g. "2026-04"), or "from 2026-01 to 2026-04" for a range. Defaults to the latest published month. ### `census_housing_starts` (~130 tokens) Get residential construction pipeline by geography: new starts, units under construction, and completed units. Returns housing supply and activity trends. Input parameters: - `_apiKey` (string): Census API key - `category_code` (string): ASTARTS (annual rate, default), STARTS, COMPLETIONS, UNDERCONST, AUTHNOTSTD, or "ALL". - `time` (string): Month as "YYYY-MM" (e.g. "2026-04"), or "from 2026-01 to 2026-04" for a range. Defaults to the latest published month. ### `census_homeownership` (~106 tokens) US homeownership rate and housing vacancy rates by quarter, from the Census Housing Vacancy Survey (HVS) — the official source. Returns `headline` (the national homeownership rate as a percent) plus the rental and homeowner vacancy rates. Defaults to the latest published quarter. Input parameters: - `_apiKey` (string): Census API key - `time` (string): Quarter as "YYYY-QN" (e.g. "2026-Q1"). Defaults to the latest published quarter. ### `census_available_datasets` (~66 tokens) Discover Census datasets and their variables. Returns dataset names, descriptions, and variable codes (e.g., B25001_001E) for querying with other census tools. Input parameters: - `_apiKey` (string): Census API key (not required for this endpoint but accepted for consistency) ## Diagnostics Captured diagnostic sections: Provenance, Dependencies. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/pipeworx-mcp-census#diagnostics ## Score history - 2026-11-05: 82 - 2026-11-04: 82 - 2026-11-03: 81 - 2026-11-02: 81 - 2026-11-01: 80 - 2026-10-31: 65 - 2026-10-30: 79 - 2026-10-29: 79 ## Common questions ### What is the Census MCP server? Census is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as io.github.pipeworx-io/census. Census MCP, U.S. Census Bureau housing-relevant APIs. This page covers its npm package (@pipeworx/mcp-census). ### Is the Census MCP server safe to use? Census scores 82 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. We found no known CVEs affecting it as of 5 November 2026. It declares no install or post-install scripts. Its build provenance is signed and verified. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm. ### What tools does the Census MCP server expose? Census exposes 6 tools: census_population, census_acs, census_building_permits, census_housing_starts, census_homeownership, census_available_datasets. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 1,010 tokens of context every time the server is loaded. ### Is the Census MCP server still maintained? Census is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 5 November 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced. ### What licence is the Census MCP server under? Census declares the MIT licence, which is OSI-approved. That covers the source only, and says nothing about the cost of any service it calls. ## Links - npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@pipeworx/mcp-census - Socket report: https://socket.dev/npm/package/@pipeworx/mcp-census - Repository: https://github.com/pipeworx-io/mcp-census - Website: https://pipeworx.io/packs/census - Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/pipeworx-mcp-census.xml - Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/pipeworx-mcp-census.json - HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/pipeworx-io-census/pipeworx-mcp-census