Demographic Resources from Cornell University

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

The Cornell University Program on Applied Demographics (PAD) website possesses some great Census related resources. The first is a margin of error calculator for American Community Survey data which was created based on this U.S. Census Bureau document. The calculator allows you to enter values and operations in order to compute new margins of errors or test for significance of the difference between values.

Second, if you are looking for maps of current demographic data for the state of New York, then this site’s Census 2010 Atlas will be especially helpful. It has an easy to use index that allows users to choose what map to display. Once the map is displayed you can easily download a professionally prepared map in the form of a JPEG file.

The PAD website also has additional resources including white papers, presentations and more.

The Uninsured Population of Connecticut

Posted on October 24, 2011 by

One of the variables measured in the 2010 American Community Survey is the number of people who do not have health insurance. In order to find statistics related to the uninsured population in Connecticut, I downloaded two tables from the American Fact Finder: Health Insurance Coverage Status (Table S2701) by state and by Connecticut counties, respectively. Connecticut has a relatively low percentage of the population that is uninsured; it ranks fourth out of the fifty states in the country (see table below). Out of the counties in Connecticut (see map above), Fairfield County has the highest percentage (11.7%) while Tolland County has the lowest percentage (5.1%).

Percentage of state populations that are uninsured from the 2010 American Community Survey 1 Year Estimate

Geography Awareness Week Kickoff Event – November 3, 2011 @ UConn

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

Geography: The Adventures in Your Community
Thursday, November 3, 2011 4:45-8:00pm
Thomas J Dodd Research Center at UConn
Storrs, Connecticut

The heart of this year’s theme will revolve around a series of topics that encourage individuals or teams of students, families, or friends to explore their own communities through geographic eyes, and challenge them to look at things from a geographic perspective.

Program Agenda

4:00-4:30	Pre-conference tour of UConn Libraries – MAGIC
4:30-4:45	Registration – Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
4:45-5:00	Welcome – Bill DeGrazia & Tom Brodnitzki, CGA Co-Coordinators
5:00-6:00	Keynote Speaker – Arthur Bakis – U.S. Census Bureau Boston Regional Office
6:05-6:55	Buffet Dinner and Remarks
7:00-7:50	Breakout Sessions I – Elementary Teachers – Allyson Lubs, Professional Development CGA II – Middle & High School Teachers – Kristie Blanchard, NE Geography Teacher of the Year III – Exploration of American Community Survey (ACS) – Michael Howser, Connecticut State Data Center
7:50-8:00	CEU Records and Drawings

Participation Fee: $25 (add $10 if you would like to be awarded .3 CEUs upon completion of the program). The fee includes registration and a light dinner. Checks should be made payable to “Connecticut Geographic Alliance.“

Pre-Service Teachers receive a reduced registration fee of $10 and currently enrolled UConn Students receive free admission.

This workshop is a collaboration of the Connecticut Geographic Alliance, University of Connecticut Department of Geography, University of Connecticut Libraries Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC), and the Connecticut State Data Center.

To register for this event download the Registration form.

Percentage of Populations in the US Living in Poverty

Posted on October 13, 2011 by

Yesterday, I generated the above map of poverty using TIGER shapefiles and data from the 2010 American Community Survey 1 Year Estimate. This map demonstrates the unequal geographic distribution of poverty in the United States. Most notably, there is a sharp contrast between the relatively low percentages of the northern states and the higher percentages of southern states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. According to the data, Mississippi (18.9%) has the highest percentage of its population living below the poverty level while New Hampshire (7.8%) has the lowest.

Here is a shot of the data I acquired from the American Fact Finder:

Although ACS estimates can be useful in identifying patterns, they can also have a large margins of error, so it should be understood that the data is limited in its capabilities.

Media Advisory — Census Bureau to Hold Webinar Prior to Releasing List of Jurisdictions Required to Offer Language Assistance to Voters

Posted on October 10, 2011 by

What:

The U.S. Census Bureau will hold a webinar to discuss the upcoming release of a list of jurisdictions that must provide language assistance to voters. Under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, jurisdictions must provide assistance to specific minority groups who are unable to speak or understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process. This is the first time American Community Survey estimates will be used to determine the list of jurisdictions.

The event will consist of an audio conference and online presentation. The webinar will explain background information on Section 203, how the list of jurisdictions is determined and provide information on the upcoming release. It will conclude with a question-and-answer session for reporters. We suggest participants log in and call in early.

When:

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, 1 p.m. (EDT)

Who:

Cathy McCully, chief, Census Redistricting Data Office
Rod Little, associate director, Research and Methodology Directorate

Details:

Audio conference ― access information
Toll free number: 1-888-324-8115
Participant passcode: CENSUS
Note: Stay on the line until operator asks for the passcode. Do not key in passcode.

Online presentation ― access information
Please login early, as some setup is required.
URL: https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join/

Conference number: PW8555041
Audience passcode: CENSUS

2010 ACS 1 Year Estimates Released – 9/22/2011

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

The 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) 1 year estimates were released today (9/22/2011). These estimates provide detailed social, economic and housing estimates (e.g. education, langauge, income, poverty, housing value, etc.) for geographic areas with a population of at least 65,000.

The 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) 1 year estimates include data for the state of Connecticut, Connecticut Counties, and Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Norwalk, Stamford, and Waterbury.
For additional information on the release visit: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2010_release/

The 2010 ACS 1yr Estimates are accessible through the NEW American Factfinder located here: http://factfinder2.census.gov/

USA Counties Reference Resource now includes ACS and 2010 Census Data

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

The USA Counties reference resource includes demographic, economic and governmental data from the Census Bureau and other federal agencies, presented for the purpose of multi-county comparisons or single county profiles. National- and state-level data are presented as well.

The data files cover topics such as agriculture, crime, education, health, retail trade and vital statistics. New in this update are 2010 Census race data, additional statistics from the American Community Survey 2005-2009, Internal Revenue Service statistics on individual taxes, and 2007 Economic Census data, including statistics from the Survey of Business Owners.

To check out the latest edition of USA Counties visit: http://censtats.census.gov/usa/usa.shtml

Get MicroData from the DataFerret!

Posted on April 6, 2011 by

DataFerret is a tool that mines and extracts data from 4 main types of data:

MicroData
Aggreagate or Summarized Data
Longitudinal Datasets
Time Series Datasets

This tool is very easy to use and may be helpful to user of PUMS data. The program has the ability to export custom tables in a number of different formats and has the ability to create maps.

Check out the following links to get some more background information on the DataFerret and how to make use of this tool:

QuickTour
Tutorials
Users’ Guide
Get Data – Run the Ferrett! (Federated Electronic Research, Review, Extraction, and Tabulation Tool)

Here is a sample map of Average Income by PUMA’s in Connecticut, no GIS needed.

ACS 2005-2009 PUMS Data for Average Income

The U.S. Census on YouTube

Posted on February 12, 2011 by

Check out the following video highlighting the interactive Census data tools:

Now Available: 2007-2009 American Community Survey (ACS) 3-Year Estimates

Posted on January 12, 2011 by

This release covers the same topics included in the previously released 2009 ACS 1-year estimates and the 2005-2009 ACS 5-year estimates. The 2007-2009 ACS estimates have a 3-year time frame and are only available for areas with populations of 20,000 or more (unlike the 5-year estimates, which are available for all areas). The more than 70 topics covered include occupation, educational attainment, commute to work, foreign-born population, language spoken at home, ancestry, number of vehicles available, housing costs, income and poverty.

Follow this link to the ACS Data Page of the American Factfinder.

Follow this link for the original news bulletin from the U.S. Census Bureau

University Libraries Outside the Neatline

Category Archives: American Community Survey