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Census.gov Transformation - Pardon Our Dust

Stephen Buckner, Center for New Media and Promotions, U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census Bureau has launched a newly redesigned census.gov homepage.

 This is the first of several steps in a progressive series of enhancements to census.gov over the next year to make our content more accessible, useful, comprehensible and interesting to the broadest possible audience.  Our goal is to make it easier for visitors to reach their desired destination, increase user satisfaction, and expand the public’s understanding of how the Census Bureau measures America’s people, places and economy. 

Some of the new features and tools users will experience are:

• A prominent dashboard featuring our economic indicators
• A top dropdown menu for quick navigation to key topics
• A new interactive map showing a mash up of economic and demographic statistics
• A “Stat of the Day” highlighting Census Bureau statistics across all the data we collect
• A “mega footer” with links categorized under familiar topics and highly trafficked pages
• A feature for users to provide feedback
• More prominent placement of our latest releases

We hope the public will gain greater accessibility to our statistics through both their desktops and mobile devices.   Also, users will eventually see improved search and navigation, thematic pages and additional features. 

If you have any comments, please click on the “Tell us what you think” section on the homepage.

 

 

 

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American Community Survey Takes Our Nation’s Demographic Pulse Each Year

Written by: James Treat, US Census Bureau

In every census between 1940 and 2000, millions of American households received a “long form”, which contained scores of questions on a wide range of demographic, socioeconomic and housing topics.

Following the 2000 Census, the long form was, in effect, split off from the census and turned into the American Community Survey. The rationale was simple: because our nation changes so rapidly, our communities needed this kind of information on a much more frequent basis − annually, rather than once a decade − in order to make informed decisions about where to build roads, construct schools and locate emergency services. And businesses sought these key data much more often than once every 10 years too for the purposes of site selection and marketing.

Yesterday, the Census Bureau released results from the annual ACS, which cover 2010. The information was collected from almost 2 million housing unit interviews across the country.

The survey offers statistics on more than 40 subjects, such as income, health insurance coverage, commuting to work, educational attainment, language spoken at home, ancestry, selected monthly homeowner costs, the foreign-born population, occupation, and military veterans. The numbers are available for not only the nation as a whole and all of our states and congressional districts, but also for counties and cities with total populations of more than 65,000. Statistics for smaller areas will be available later in the year.

Dig deep into this goldmine of numbers and here are a few of the nuggets you will find:

• Average travel time to work was highest for Maryland (31.8 minutes) and then New York (31.3 minutes). North Dakota had the lowest average travel times (16.1) followed by South Dakota (16.8).
• Real median household income decreased between the 2009 ACS and 2010 ACS in 35 states. For 15 states and the District of Columbia, real median household income in the 2010 ACS was not statistically different from that in the 2009 ACS.
• In 2010, 32 percent of the foreign-born population from Latin America were naturalized citizens. Among counties of birth, Jamaica (61 percent) and Cuba (56 percent) had the highest percent naturalized. Mexico (23 percent) and Honduras (21 percent) were among the countries with the lowest percent naturalized.
• In 2010, the percent of individuals 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree ranged from 17.5 percent in West Virginia to 39.0 percent in Massachusetts. In six states more than one-third of those 25 and over had a bachelor’s degree: Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia.

In October, the Census Bureau will release a set of ACS estimates covering all areas with populations of 20,000 or more, based on data collected between 2008 and 2010. A third set of ACS estimates, covering the 2006-2010 period, will be released in December, providing information for all geographic areas regardless of size.

Nowhere else will one see data on such a wide array of key attributes about our communities. To dig into the data yourself, visit the American FactFinder.

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Visualizing Income and Poverty Estimates

Written by: Wesley Basel and KaNin Reese, US Census Bureau

Recently the U.S. Census Bureau added interactive maps to the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates program's (SAIPE) website. This web-based interactive tool allows users to select, map, and display estimates of poverty by state, county and school district, and median household income by state and county.

The SAIPE program is the only source of poverty estimates for every county and school district based on the most recently available year of survey and auxiliary data. The school district poverty estimates are used by the U.S. Department of Education in the formula for allocating Title I funds, as directed by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Currently $14 billion are allocated to school districts for Title I purposes.

COUNTY MAP: United States

The default display when you first click on the SAIPE interactive map link is state-level poverty for all people. To display the county map, choose counties in the first dropdown on the upper left, then press the Go button.

In addition to the poverty estimate for all ages, the user may also select percent in poverty for under age 18 or ages 5-17 in families. One can also view the county-level data for median household income.

To see more detail on the interactive map, you can double-click to zoom in. There are also zoom controls below the map pane.  This snapshot emphasizes the ability to concentrate on a specific geographic area. In this case, the range of median household income in the St. Louis area is the focus. Note that when one hovers over an individual area, a pop-up balloon displays the name and estimates value for that specific area. Also the table of estimates displayed below the map pane is linked to the area being highlighted.

MULTIPLE STATE COUNTY MAP: St. Louis Metropolitan Area

The final snapshot depicts school district poverty estimates for children age 5 to 17 in families, which can be viewed for each individual state. In the drop-downs at the top of the map pane, select “Unified and Elementary Districts” from the left drop down, and then Texas (for e.g.) from the right. The zoom feature allows you to focus on a detailed portion of the state and the hover feature allows you to view poverty estimates from one school district to another, as well as displaying the name to help one locate a specific district.

Note also you can select different backgrounds for the map from the dropdown box at the lower right of the map pane. You can have a blank background to present a clearer picture of the poverty differences in the area, or you can display street view as shown below, to assist in placing the district boundaries in the context of streets and cities in the area.

SCHOOL DISTRICT MAP: Houston Independent School District, Texas

The SAIPE interactive mapping tool was released in May 2011 and features estimates from 2009. More options for downloading the 2009 SAIPE estimates are also available. SAIPE estimates for 2010 are planned for release in December 2011.

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Why is geography important to the Census Bureau?

Katy Rossiter, Geographer, US Census Bureau

Geography is at the heart of taking a census. The U.S. Census Bureau is tasked with counting everyone in the United States once every ten years, but we do not just count people; we count people where they live. Here are several reasons why geography is important to the Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau uses geography as the basis for taking the census.

Leading up to the decennial census, several kinds of geographic areas are delineated to aid in the collection of address information and the delivery and collection of census forms. These areas include local census offices, crew leader districts, assignment areas, and several others. Creating geographic boundaries allows us to take the census in an organized and systematic fashion. It also allows us to track our progress spatially. It ensures we cover all parts of the United States completely and as efficiently as possible.

Geography also takes on the role of ensuring we get our field workers out to everyone’s home. The Census Bureau stores all residential addresses that are included in the decennial census or on-going survey. In addition, we store all of the geographic features that need to go on a map to help field workers find all of the addresses. For the 2010 Census, and for our on-going survey work, we use both electronic and paper maps.

The Census Bureau uses geography as the basis for tabulating census data.

Data the Census Bureau collects are meaningless unless they are tied to a geographic area. Every number or statistic released by the Census Bureau relates to a specific geographic area. For instance, data users can find out the number of school-age children for the nation or for their city or even for their neighborhood. In fact, you can find data for more than 29 different geographic areas from the census blocks to counties to American Indian Reservations. Geography gives the data meaning and relevance. Visit Factfinder to learn more about available data.

The Census Bureau maintains unique geographic area boundaries that other local, state, and federal agencies use.

The Census Bureau collects, defines, and maintains boundaries for over 29 different geographic areas for our purposes, but the entities are often important to other federal, state, and local agencies as well. For example, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development use census tracts in their programs. The Census Bureau’s urban areas are used by other agencies for a variety of urban and rural programs. Furthermore, agencies utilize our boundaries for incorporated places, minor civil divisions, and counties since we update and maintain these legal boundaries from year to year.

Geography is important to the Census Bureau and census geography is a key component of the data products for decision makers and data users. Without the where, it’s all merely numbers.

Visit the Census Bureau's Geography website.

Data Visualization: Watch the Mean Center of Population move across America.

Learn more about the 2010 Census.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about Census Bureau products.

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What are census blocks?

Written by: Katy Rossiter, Geographer, US Census Bureau

Census blocks are:

- Statistical areas bounded by visible features such as roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and by nonvisible boundaries such as property lines, city, township, school district, county limits and short line-of-sight extensions of roads.

- The building blocks for all geographic boundaries the Census Bureau tabulates data for, such as tracts, places, and American Indian Reservations.

- Generally small in area. In a city, a census block looks like a city block bounded on all sides by streets. Census blocks in suburban and rural areas may be large, irregular, and bounded by a variety of features, such as roads, streams, and transmission lines. In remote areas, census blocks may encompass hundreds of square miles.

- A wall-to-wall coverage across the entire territory of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas.

- Numbered uniquely with a four-digit census block number ranging from 0000 to 9999 nesting within each census tract, which nest within state and county. The first digit of the census block number identifies the block group. Block numbers beginning with a zero (in Block Group 0) are associated with water-only areas.

- Delineated by the U.S. Census Bureau once every ten years. An automated computer process looks for all visible and nonvisible features in our geographic database (MAF/TIGER) that should be a block boundary and creates a block each time those features create a polygon.

- The smallest level of geography you can get basic demographic data for, such as total population by age, sex, and race.
 

Census blocks are not:

- Delineated based on population. In fact, many census blocks do not have any population.

- Permanent throughout the decade. They may be split when a change in another geographic boundary occurs, such as an incorporated place annexation. If a block is split in between decades, a suffix will be added to the block number. For example, block 1000 would become block 1000A and 1000B.

- A boundary that can be used with American Community Survey (ACS) data. ACS data only go down to the block group level.

If you'd like to learn more, visit these links to block-related products created by the U.S. Census Bureau:

P.L. 94-171 County Block Maps – 2010 Census

Access to the 2010 TIGER/Line block Shapefiles

2010 Census Block Assignment Files

Block Relationship Files

Census Bureau Geography products

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Visualizing Foreign Trade Data

Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau added interactive graphs to the U.S. international trade data released each month. For example, these two graphs help you better understand international trade in petroleum.

The first graph shows the effect of prices on petroleum imports. The orange line shows the “nominal value” of petroleum imports for the month. The blue line shows the “real dollar” value, adjusted for 2005 prices. While the nominal value has a range of over $40 billion, the real dollar value range is less than $8 billion. To see the values for a month, just hover over the data point. (Visit the Foreign Trade website to interact with the graph). You can also turn either data series on-and-off by clicking it in the ledger.

You may have already heard of the U.S.’s significant imports of petroleum, but are you aware of the role petroleum plays in the U.S. trade deficit? Since 2006, petroleum has accounted for between 32% and 65% of the U.S. trade deficit in a given month. This interactive graph shows petroleum as a percent of the U.S. deficit for each month. You can hover over a data point to see the exact figure for that month.

All of the graphs we’ve added so far can be found here. We plan to add many more interactive graphs in the coming weeks and months. If there are any suggestions for data series you’d like to see included, please leave a comment below.

For more information on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade division, click here.

To read the Foreign Trade blog, click here.

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International Data Base: June 2011

Written by: Daniel Goodkind, Loraine West and Dave Zaslow, US Census Bureau

If you were asked on a quiz show, you might know that the two countries with the largest populations in the world are China and India. But could you name the remaining countries in the top 10? And do you know which countries are expected to join the top 10 in the coming decades?

Answers can be found in the U.S. Census Bureau’s International Data Base (IDB). This leading source of demographic information on the Web is being updated today. Projections of country populations are based on assumed changes in births, deaths, and migration — information that is also available on the IDB.

The United States is currently the third most populous country in the world and is projected to remain so through 2050. In contrast, the rankings of other countries in the top 10 are expected to change. For instance, Russia and Japan are projected to drop out of this group by 2025 due to persistent low fertility, which has already caused their populations to decline. Also, by 2025 India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country (see graph below). But in the future, countries with high fertility, such as Ethiopia and Nigeria, are likely to advance in the rankings.

If you are interested in countries with smaller populations, the IDB provides information about them too. The IDB provides estimates and projections for 228 countries and areas that have a population of at least 5,000 people.

Two new countries or areas are being added to the IDB with this update — Curacao and Sint Maarten — and one is being removed — Netherlands Antilles. The Netherlands Antilles dissolved on October 10, 2010. Curacao and Sint Maarten (the Dutch two-fifths of the island of Saint Martin) became autonomous territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire, Saba, and Saint Eustatius, the other islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, now fall under the direct administration of the Netherlands.

Students, researchers, international organizations, governments, planners, businesses, and quiz show aficionados find international data on population to be extremely useful. The IDB is a very popular demographic resource, receiving nearly 400,000 hits per month.

Read the press release.

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Mapping the 2010 Census

The Census Bureau recently released a series of new maps illustrating 2010 Census data for each state. The 2010 Census Profile maps showcase population and housing data for each state in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A national map will also be available.

In addition to a population density map, each includes a pie chart showing percent of total population by race, a population pyramid, and a bar chart illustrating housing occupancy rates.

The maps are being released on a flow basis, with more than 25 available now. To find out more information about your state, click here.

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Census Innovation is "OnTheMap"

State and local officials increasingly need detailed local information about their economies to make informed decisions - and yet are frustrated by the lack of timely local data. The Census Bureau's LED/state partnership works to fill critical data gaps and provide indicators needed by state and local authorities.

You can participate in this year's Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership Workshop from March 9-10 to learn more. Held at the Hilton Arlington Hotel in Arlington, Virginia; the workshop's agenda is jam packed with keynote presentations, examples of innovative LED analysis from a wide variety of data users and a demonstration and "under the hood" look at the exciting new features of OnTheMap.

Discover how state partners and private sector planners utilize LED tools and other census data to analyze travel patterns from park and ride areas to major destinations, study the impact of economic recession on employment opportunities of various age groups of the population at the state and county levels, and identify policy strategies to better connect residents with their workplaces through mass transit.

Hear what the Census Bureau's State Data Centers are using LED for -- including land use planning, reporting to the State Legislature on the state of the labor market, determining job creation trends, and more.

In keeping with the workshop's "Innovation" theme, the LED award for innovation will be presented. Innovation in federal statistics, technology and social media will be addressed by Steve Jost, Associate Director for Communications, U.S. Census Bureau, Jürgen Schwärzler, Google Public Data Team, and Sirinya Tritipeskul, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Further details and a preliminary agenda are available on our conference registration site.

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A Bird’s Eye View

The Census Bureau has begun releasing local-level 2010 Census population counts, delivering the data on a state-by-state rolling basis through March. These data include official census population totals, as well as data on race, Hispanic or Latino origin and voting age for multiple geographies within each state.

The Census Bureau has launched an interactive map widget that showcases these data for each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The application enables users to view county-level population change from 1960 to 2010, as well as state level data on race and Hispanic or Latino origin.

The widget can be embedded on your website and will be updated as additional states are released.

American Fact Finder can be used to access data from multiple geographies within each state, including census blocks, tracts, voting districts, cities, counties and school districts.

Additional Resources:

US Census Bureau Redistricting Website

2010 Census Newsroom

Redistricting Data Press Kit

Full data set for download - FTP site

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