Random Samplings

New Findings on Metropolitan and Micropolitan America and Change Between 2000 and 2010

Posted on November 1, 2012 by jennifer

Written by: Marc Perry and Steven Wilson

Within metro and micro areas, what were the geographic patterns of population growth between 2000 and 2010? How did growth compare in the central and outlying census tracts of the areas? How did population growth vary by age group, or by race and Hispanic origin? How does population growth for the decade compare when you examine different distances from city hall for a metro area’s largest principal city?

These are just a few of the questions that can be addressed with an online thematic map viewer, released today, or the recently released 2010 Census Special Report, Patterns of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Population Change: 2000 to 2010, and its associated online tools. The report examined population distribution and change in the nation’s largest centers of population and economic activity. The thematic map viewer complements the report and provides a high-resolution view of 2010 Census residential patterns and changes in those patterns since Census 2000 using all census tracts in the United States and Puerto Rico. The map viewer displays data for 34 different characteristics, including population density and change, race and Hispanic origin, and broad age groups. With the map viewer, you can look at national patterns and zoom in to any metro or micro area. Alternatively, you can use a handy query tool that allows you to scroll through an alphabetized list of areas or find an area by typing in an area’s title. Clicking within a metro or micro area brings up a pop-up window containing summary data for the statistical area and the United States, adding context to the tract-level results.

In addition to the online thematic maps, three other online tools released with the report provide more detailed views of individual metro or micro areas:

Population pyramids showing age and sex structure
Comparative distance profiles that graph U.S. metro area populations and visualize how they are spatially distributed in relation to their largest city’s city hall
Excel files containing Census 2000 and 2010 Census data for each metro or micro area, with population change for the decade already calculated

This suite of tools is a great way to examine both the broader patterns for all metro and micro areas as well as to dive a little deeper into the data. For example, the 2010 Census Special Report includes a section on metropolitan population distribution and change by distance from city hall. One of the findings showed metro areas with the largest population increase and decrease within two miles of the city hall for their most populous principal city, providing a general impression of the basic degree of centrality of a city’s population growth and decline. Using the data from the online distance profiles tool—which contains population data in one-mile increments from city hall—we see somewhat different patterns for the narrower one-mile distance. The Chicago area is still the largest gainer, just as it had been for two miles, but San Diego, CA and Portland, OR join the list of areas with the largest numeric gains in population.

Intriguingly, some areas that declined in population within two miles saw population growth within the smaller one-mile distance. Baltimore, for instance, switches from population loss of about 10,000 at the two-mile distance to growth of almost 1,600 people within one mile. The pattern is visible in the below map of the central area of Baltimore City. Most of the census tracts in the one to two mile range from city hall show population declines, often of 10 percent or more, but within one mile of city hall, some tracts more than doubled in population. Other areas with losses of 5,000 or more at the two-mile distance but population gains in the smaller area include Toledo, Pittsburgh, and Grand Rapids.

Similarly, some areas with overall population growth at the two-mile distance also saw faster population growth within one mile. In the Kansas City metro area, for instance, overall growth of about 1,000 persons at the two-mile distance reflected growth of 3,600 within one mile and population decline of 2,600 in the one-to-two mile range. In the map of the central part of the city of Kansas City, Mo., we see two census tracts more than doubled in population.

The report and additional content are available on the Census Bureau’s Internet site here.

Posted in Data Tools | Tagged geography, population | 4 Comments

Faster vs. Bigger: Size and Growth of the Foreign-Born from Asia and Latin America

Posted on October 16, 2012 by jennifer

Rapid Growth Doesn’t Necessarily Trump a Big Population Base

Written by: Elizabeth M. Grieco and Christine Gambino

The foreign-born population from Asia increased over the last decade – from 8.2 million in 2000 to 11.6 million in 2011 – and now represents more than one-fourth (29 percent) of all immigrants in the United States.

While sizeable, the foreign-born population from Asia is still smaller than the number of foreign born from Latin America and the Caribbean. As of 2011, there were 21.2 million foreign-born from Latin America and the Caribbean, up from 16.1 million in 2000. More than half (53 percent) of today’s foreign-born population is from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mexico has remained the largest single country-of-birth group throughout the decade, increasing from 9.2 million in 2000 to 11.7 million in 2011. Currently, the foreign-born from Mexico represents 29 percent of the total foreign-born population. By comparison, the next largest country-of-birth group – the foreign-born from China – accounts for 6 percent of all foreign-born.

Since 2000, the foreign-born population from Asia has grown at a faster rate than the foreign-born population from Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 2000 and 2011, the foreign-born from Asia grew by 41 percent, or 3.7 percent each year. During this same period, the foreign-born from Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 32 percent, or 2.9 percent each year.

For both region-of-birth groups, there were notable differences in the rates of change between the earlier and latter half of the period, with growth slowing considerably during the last five years. Between 2000 and 2006, the foreign-born population from Asia increased 3.7 percent per year, declining to 3.0 percent per year between 2006 and 2011. The foreign-born population from Latin America and the Caribbean increased 4.1 percent per year between 2000 and 2006, dropping to 1.2 percent between 2006 and 2011.

The decline in growth rate of the foreign-born population from Latin America and the Caribbean is largely attributable to the remarkable change in growth rate for the foreign born from Mexico in the latter half of the 2000 to 2011 period. Between 2000 and 2006, the foreign-born population from Mexico increased by 4.3 percent per year. Between 2006 and 2011, the size of the annual increase dropped to less than one-half of 1 percent per year.

Despite the faster rate of growth for the foreign born from Asia in recent years, the size of the foreign-born population from Latin America and the Caribbean will likely remain larger than the foreign-born population from Asia in the near future. Patterns of immigration and emigration between the United States and any region of the world can – and frequently do – change quickly, so it is unclear if the relatively low growth rates seen in the last 5-6 years for some region and country-of-birth groups will continue in the long term.

But what will happen if the foreign-born population from Asia continues to grow at the same higher rate over the next few decades, while the foreign-born from Mexico increases at the same lower rate? Will the foreign-born population from Asia (11.6 million in 2011) grow larger than the population from Latin America and the Caribbean (21.2 million in 2011)?

Even if growth rates stayed the same as those seen in the past 5-6 years, it would take much longer than a few decades for that to happen. Due to its much larger population base in 2011, the foreign-born population from Latin America and the Caribbean will remain the largest region-of-birth group for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how growth patterns change over coming decades and affect the relative size of the populations from Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regions.

Posted in Population | Tagged ACS, American Community Survey, foreign-born | Leave a comment

No Commute? Americans Who Work at Home

Posted on October 9, 2012 by jennifer

Written by: Peter Mateyka

Have you noticed more of your colleagues, friends, and family have been working from home? Well, a Census Bureau report released last week titled “Home-Based Workers in the U.S: 2010” has found an upward trend in home-based work rates.

During a typical week in 2010, 13.4 million people worked at least one full workday at home. From 1997 to 2010, the number of people who worked at least one day a week at home increased by about 4.2 million, or from 7.0 percent of all employed people to 9.5 percent.

The report uses the strengths of two surveys that estimate home-based workers, the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the American Community Survey (ACS), to study trends in home-based work over the last decade. According to both surveys, a growing number of Americans are working at least some of the workweek at home. Yet, each survey provides unique information about the characteristics of these workers. Home-based workers are most likely to work from home on Mondays and Fridays. On average, they are older, more highly educated, more likely to be self-employed.

For more information, please visit the news release and report.

Posted in Economy | Tagged American Community Survey, home-based workers | 1 Comment

The Health Care Picture for the Uninsured

Posted on October 3, 2012 by jennifer

Written by: Brett O’Hara

In general, a doctor’s visit is a fairly standard event, as about three in four adults made a trip to a medical provider at least once during 2010. If you lack health insurance, however, the picture completely changes, as only a little more than one quarter without coverage made a visit.

A new report from the Census Bureau sheds light on the relationship between health insurance coverage, health status and the utilization of medical services. According these findings, uninsured adults who visit medical providers or dentists often went to the emergency room or to low-cost or free clinics, rather than to a regular provider.

Among those who did visit a medical provider or dentist while uninsured, 13 percent visited the emergency room and 10 percent a hospital (excluding the ER), while 20 percent relied on free services and 30 percent on discounted services. Furthermore, about one in 10 of the uninsured received routine check-ups.

Those without insurance and with poor health are more likely to forego medical attention than the general population. For those who were uninsured and had poor health, 68 percent visited a medical provider during the year, compared with 94 percent of those in the overall population with poor health.

Lacking insurance is associated with less medical utilization for the healthy, too: only 15 percent of the uninsured whose health was reported to be excellent paid a visit to the doctor during the year, considerably lower than the 68 percent whose health was excellent in the overall population.

For more information on the findings, see the news release.

Posted in Health Care | Tagged Health Insurance | 1 Comment

2011 American Community Survey Estimates Tell Us about our Communities

Posted on September 20, 2012 by jennifer

Written by: James B. Treat

Do you want to know more about statistics for your local community, such as educational attainment, how many people have health insurance, poverty rates or commute times? Have you ever wondered what the median income is for your state? How about how it compares with other states?

The Census Bureau released estimates from the 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) today, which is distinguished from all other surveys for its ability to produce annual statistics on housing, economic and population measures for even the smallest geographic areas and population groups. Census survey questions have collected information on the demographic characteristics of the nation’s population since the first census was conducted under the direction of Thomas Jefferson in 1790.

The ACS is used by everyone from retailers, homebuilders and police departments to town and city planners to make decisions about their communities, such as where to locate a school or firehouse. Business owners also rely on the ACS to plan and expand into new products or communities.

So what does this latest ACS release tell us?

In 2011, median household income for the U.S. was $50,502, with ranges from $36,919 (Mississippi) to $70,004 (Maryland). While there was a decline in median household income in 18 states, the estimates show that for 32 states and the District of Columbia, the median household income between 2010 and 2011 was virtually unchanged. You can read more about income in a report released today.

Also released today were two additional short reports supplementing detailed tables with additional analysis on poverty and health insurance. Highlights regarding income and poverty from today’s release include:

Between 2010 and 2011, Vermont was the only state that showed an increase in median household income. The state median decreases ranged from 1.1 percent in Ohio to 6.0 percent in Nevada.
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, New Hampshire (8.8 percent) had the lowest poverty rate, and Mississippi (22.6 percent) had one of the highest poverty rates.
The number and percentage of people in poverty increased in 17 states between 2010 and 2011. For 10 states, this was the third consecutive annual increase.

Do you want to know more about your local community?

Today’s release of ACS one-year estimates are available in detailed tables for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 65,000 or more. Over the next few months, the Census Bureau will also release three-year and five-year estimates that will include small area estimates for the more than 40 topics the survey covers. These topics are wide-ranging, including subjects such as educational attainment, income, occupation, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry, and selected monthly homeowner costs.

If you would like to learn more about your hometown or local area, you can explore statistics using American FactFinder .

For additional information regarding the ACS estimates, please visit www.census.gov/acs. If you have questions, you may also email acso.users.spport@census.gov or call 301-763-1405.