(The following post and data visualization is by guest blogger Emily Wilson, highlighting her project for Prof. Harmon’s Economics service learning class).

With the growing size of the aging population in Connecticut, this project highlights  the resources available for this population.  Senior Centers and nursing facilities are scattered throughout the state, with the highest concentrations in the Connecticut River valley.

Future analysis could delve deeper into to the needs of the citizens in the smaller towns, which only offer either a nursing facility or a senior center to ensure that the senior population is receiving a sufficient amount of services.  Additionally, future analysis could also include the proportion of seniors residing in each town in relation to the number and extent of services provided.

The data used in this visualization was acquired from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2009-2013 American Community Survey on Work Status in the Past 12 Months by Age by Employment Status for the Civilian Population 65 Years and Over. Each value represents the estimated amount of citizens in each age group who are either employed of unemployed.

The data collected for poverty levels in Vernon, Connecticut, indicates that a majority of the population is living above a 200% of the poverty level. The remainder of the population is split similarly between a 100%-200% poverty level and below the poverty level. On average, poverty is more prevalent in single parent households than in households where both parents are present. The data was drawn from the American Community Survey 2009-2013 5-year estimates tables for Population Under 18 Years by Age and Poverty Level for Vernon. This data may be useful in future studies of community characteristics.

The information represented was drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 1-Year American Community Survey on Grandparents. Each value represents a percentage of an age group who composes each category. This data may be useful in the observation of grandparent demographic information for Connecticut.

The data represented was drawn from the American Community Survey 2009-2013 5-year estimates tables for Employment Status by Age. The measured values represent a percentage of the total population within a given age group in the labor force, the percentage of the total population within a given age group that are employed, and the percentage of the total population within a given age who that are unemployed. Ages 16-54 saw decreases in employment rates between 2010 and 2013. Ages 55 and over saw increases in employment rates between 2010 and 2013.

The data used for this visualization was acquired from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates on Comparative Demographic Estimates. The measured values represent the percentage of the total population comprised of each given age group from 2010 to 2014. The total population has seen small fluctuations in size between 2010 and 2014. While age group 5-years and below have experienced decreases between 2010 and 2014, age groups 55-years and older have seen increases in total population composition between 2010 and 2014.

This visualization, created for a presentation at the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education‘s Annual Summer Leadership Conference on July 27 includes data from the Connecticut State Data Center’s Population Projections for school districts in Connecticut, along with demographic, socioeconomic, and enrollment data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and the CT Department of Education CEDAR data portal. This dashboard was created by Steve Batt, Zachary Guarino and Qiwei Zheng.

States have remarkably diverse approaches to taxes; the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections collects data on revenue derived from five tax categories for 2014: Income taxes, Property taxes, License taxes, Sales and gross receipts taxes, and Other taxes. This visualization compares the relevant importance of each of these categories in contributing to the tax base of each state.