PAD-US Data Download
Science Center Objects
Download the Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) 2.0 Data:
Data are available for download Nationally, by Department of the Interior (DOI) Region, or State/Territory boundary. Select your desired file type — either ESRI ArcGIS 10 Geodatabase or Shapefile. KMZ files are also available for States and Territories.
<< Back to PAD-US Data Overview: Data & Tools
The latest version of the Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 2.1) is now available - access the dataset here. Additional download options for PAD-US 2.1 will be made available on this web page soon. The download options below provide access to PAD-US 2.0 data.
NOTE ON COMPARING VERSIONS OF PAD-US:
We strongly discourage comparing two PAD-US versions to look for changes in protection status as many changes reflect improvements to agency and organization GIS systems and data, rather than actual changes in protected area acquisition on the ground.
PAD-US does include a Date of Establishment field defined as: The Year (yyyy) the protected area was designated, decreed, or otherwise established. Currently this field is not fully attributed and data gaps are difficult to address. Values in the Date_Est field strive to represent the year the area received its current Name and Designation, but this is a complex topic due to changes over time with names and designations. Individual agencies/field offices are the best source of more time specific management practices.
Download PAD-US Nationally
A Combined PAD-US Fee, Designation, Easement shapefile or KMZ is not available given file format size limitations. Separate Fee, Designation, Easement, or Marine shapefiles are available nationally.
Download PAD-US by Department of the Interior Region
The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) version 2.0 dataset was clipped to the 12 unified regional boundaries for the Department of the Interior (DOI) to provide data downloads for each of the regions. This may be especially helpful for users interested in a Combined PAD-US Fee, Designation, Easement shapefile. The unified regional boundaries are primarily based on a science-based approach to promote management efficiencies. The unified regions provide better management on an ecosystem basis to include critical components such as wildlife corridors, watersheds, and trail systems. For more information about the DOI regional boundaries see: https://www.doi.gov/employees/reorg/unified-regional-boundaries.
- North Atlantic-Appalachian Geodatabase | North Atlantic-Appalachian Shapefile
- South Atlantic Gulf Geodatabase | South Atlantic Gulf Shapefile
- Great Lakes Geodatabase | Great Lakes Shapefile
- Mississippi Basin Geodatabase | Mississippi Basin Shapefile
- Missouri Basin Geodatabase | Missouri Basin Shapefile
- Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas Gulf Geodatabase | Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas Gulf Shapefile
- Upper Colorado Basin Geodatabase | Upper Colorado Basin Shapefile
- Lower Colorado Basin Geodatabase | Lower Colorado Basin Shapefile
- Columbia-Pacific Northwest Geodatabase | Columbia-Pacific Northwest Shapefile
- California-Great Basin Geodatabase | California-Great Basin Shapefile
- Alaska Geodatabase | Alaska Shapefile
- Pacific Islands Geodatabase | Pacific Islands Shapefile
Download PAD-US by State / Territory
The Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) version 2.0 dataset was clipped to 56 State and Territorial boundaries to provide data downloads for areas of interest. This may be especially helpful for users interested in a Combined PAD-US Fee, Designation, Easement shapefile. The Census Bureau is the national steward for legally defined geographic area boundaries for State and Equivalent areas. The national sub-state geography geodatabase is updated annually and contains multiple layers reflecting selected geography, including state name and jurisdiction; this dataset is translated by USGS and used to standardize "State-Name" and improve boundary quality as a common reference for agencies contributing data for PAD-US. For more information about Census State boundaries see: https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-geodatabase-file.html.
- Alabama Geodatabase | Alabama Shapefile | Alabama KMZ
- Alaska Geodatabase | Alaska Shapefile | Alaska KMZ
- American Samoa Geodatabase | American Samoa Shapefile | American Samoa KMZ
- Arizona Geodatabase | Arizona Shapefile | Arizona KMZ
- Arkansas Geodatabase | Arkansas Shapefile | Arkansas KMZ
- California Geodatabase | California Shapefile | California KMZ
- Colorado Geodatabase | Colorado Shapefile | Colorado KMZ
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Geodatabase | Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Shapefile | Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands KMZ
- Connecticut Geodatabase | Connecticut Shapefile | Connecticut KMZ
- Delaware Geodatabase | Delaware Shapefile | Delaware KMZ
- District of Columbia Geodatabase | District of Columbia Shapefile | District of Columbia KMZ
- Florida Geodatabase | Florida Shapefile | Florida KMZ
- Georgia Geodatabase | Georgia Shapefile | Georgia KMZ
- Guam Geodatabase | Guam Shapefile | Guam KMZ
- Hawaii Geodatabase | Hawaii Shapefile | Hawaii KMZ
- Idaho Geodatabase | Idaho Shapefile | Idaho KMZ
- Illinois Geodatabase | Illinois Shapefile | Illinois KMZ
- Indiana Geodatabase | Indiana Shapefile | Indiana KMZ
- Iowa Geodatabase | Iowa Shapefile | Iowa KMZ
- Kansas Geodatabase | Kansas Shapefile | Kansas KMZ
- Kentucky Geodatabase | Kentucky Shapefile | Kentucky KMZ
- Louisiana Geodatabase | Louisiana Shapefile | Louisiana KMZ
- Maine Geodatabase | Maine Shapefile | Maine KMZ
- Maryland Geodatabase | Maryland Shapefile | Maryland KMZ
- Massachusetts Geodatabase | Massachusetts Shapefile | Massachusetts KMZ
- Michigan Geodatabase | Michigan Shapefile | Michigan KMZ
- Minnesota Geodatabase | Minnesota Shapefile | Minnesota KMZ
- Mississippi Geodatabase | Mississippi Shapefile | Mississippi KMZ
- Missouri Geodatabase | Missouri Shapefile | Missouri KMZ
- Montana Geodatabase | Montana Shapefile | Montana KMZ
- Nebraska Geodatabase | Nebraska Shapefile | Nebraska KMZ
- Nevada Geodatabase | Nevada Shapefile | Nevada KMZ
- New Hampshire Geodatabase | New Hampshire Shapefile | New Hampshire KMZ
- New Jersey Geodatabase | New Jersey Shapefile | New Jersey KMZ
- New Mexico Geodatabase | New Mexico Shapefile | New Mexico KMZ
- New York Geodatabase | New York Shapefile | New York KMZ
- North Carolina Geodatabase | North Carolina Shapefile | North Carolina KMZ
- North Dakota Geodatabase | North Dakota Shapefile | North Dakota KMZ
- Ohio Geodatabase | Ohio Shapefile | Ohio KMZ
- Oklahoma Geodatabase | Oklahoma Shapefile | Oklahoma KMZ
- Oregon Geodatabase | Oregon Shapefile | Oregon KMZ
- Pennsylvania Geodatabase | Pennsylvania Shapefile | Pennsylvania KMZ
- Puerto Rico Geodatabase | Puerto Rico Shapefile | Puerto Rico KMZ
- Rhode Island Geodatabase | Rhode Island Shapefile | Rhode Island KMZ
- South Carolina Geodatabase | South Carolina Shapefile | South Carolina KMZ
- South Dakota Geodatabase | South Dakota Shapefile | South Dakota KMZ
- Tennessee Geodatabase | Tennessee Shapefile | Tennessee KMZ
- Texas Geodatabase | Texas Shapefile | Texas KMZ
- United States Virgin Islands Geodatabase | United States Virgin Islands Shapefile | United States Virgin Islands KMZ
- Utah Geodatabase | Utah Shapefile | Utah KMZ
- Vermont Geodatabase | Vermont Shapefile | Vermont KMZ
- Virginia Geodatabase | Virginia Shapefile | Virginia KMZ
- Washington Geodatabase | Washington Shapefile | Washington KMZ
- West Virginia Geodatabase | West Virginia Shapefile | West Virginia KMZ
- Wisconsin Geodatabase | Wisconsin Shapefile | Wisconsin KMZ
- Wyoming Geodatabase | Wyoming Shapefile | Wyoming KMZ
How to Cite Data:
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Gap Analysis Project (GAP), 2018, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P955KPLE.
More data and resources: https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5b030c7ae4b0da30c1c1d6de