Title: American Factfinder and the U.S. Census Tools for Businesses
1American Factfinder and the U.S. CensusTools for
Businesses
- Lora Amsberryaugier
- Government Documents/Reference Librarian
- 05/26/05lamsberr_at_uno.edu
2Decennial vs. Economic Census
- Decennial or Demographic data collected from
households - Economic data collected from businesses
3Lets start with the Decennial Census
- Census taken every 10 years
- Long form or short form sent to every household
- Measures data down to detailed geographic areas
4Demographics for Business
- Who are your customers?
- Where do they live?
- Who do they live with?
- How much money do they make?
- How much education do they have?
52000 Questionnaires100 and Sample
- 100 Questionnaire
- Age
- Sex
- Race (Multiple)
- Hispanic origin
- Household relationship
- Occupied v. vacant housing units
- Owner v. renter occupied housing
6Race Groups in 2000
- White
- Black or African-American
- American Indian or Alaskan Native
- Asian
- Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- Other
- Two or More Races (Based on Self-Identification)
- Note Race groups not necessarily comparable from
previous censuses.
7Individual Races
- Some files break the 6 racial groups into 250
specific categories - Includes Chippewa Indians, Hmong, Pakistanis
- Israelis, Arabs, Iranians and Afghanis are
considered as white (broken out as ancestry in
sample data) - Racial definitions appear at
- http//www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/census2/
- sf3td/sf3tdg7.pdf
8Household Relationships
- Relationship to Householder
- Spouse
- Child
- Stepchild
- Grandchild
- Brother/Sister
- Parent
- Non-relative
- Unmarried partner is separate category
- Group Quarters
- College dorms
- Prisons
- Mental hospitals
- Shelters for abused spouses
- Military barracks
- Nursing homes
92000 Sample Questionnaire(generally 1/6 of
population)
- Marital status, housing value and rent (100 in
1990) - Grandparents as caregivers (new)
- Language
- School enrollment and educational attainment (and
dropouts) - Employment
- Industry and occupation
- Transportation to and place of work
- Disability and mental illness
- Veteran status
- Income and poverty
- Income calculated for households (related,
unrelated, single), families (related), and
individuals - Income includes salaries, interest, social
security, retirement, public assistance - Median means half earn below and half earn above
- Aggregate means all of the income in that
geographic area
10 Importance of 100 and Sample Surveys
- 100 and sample data on the same subject (e.g.
race, age, total pop, housing) dont always match
(data for New Orleans matches) - Ann Arbor 100 114,024 Sample 114,110
- If one variable comes from sample data, try to
get all variables from sample data - Only 100 data used at block level
- Sample data only to tract or block group level
- Larger the area, the more detailed the subject
variables
11Census Geography
- Census-Designated Areas
- Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Urbanized Area and Urban Cluster
- Census Tract
- Block Group
- Block
- Zip Code Tabulation Area
12Tracts Block Groups
- Census Tracts - Areas of about 4000 people.
- Block Groups-Smallest area for sample data
Tract w/ 4 Block Groups
13Blocks
All blocks in 2000 have 4-digit numbers. Some
100 data but no sample data
1 block
14http//factfinder.census.gov/
Basic Info
15Fact Sheet
16Geographic Area
- If you know the geographic area proceed directly
to DATA SETS - If you need to determine the geographic area, go
to REFERENCE MAPS
17Reference Maps
- Internet Explorer 5 works best if you want to
click and zoom - Choose Breadcrumbs/Geography for three better
options
18 Address Searching
Search for a known address to find its county,
city, tract, block group, block number, and map
Retrieve map of Geographic area By clicking on
Map It
19Data Sets
20Five Types of Data
2000 and 1990 Census Most detailed
demographic and housing data American Community
Survey Updates of sample data for counties
and places of 65,000 Population Estimates
Annual state and county population estimates.
Totals only - no race or age. Economic Census
Business payrolls and sales for all types of
industries for the nation, states, counties,
large cities and zip codes Annual Economic
SurveysManufacturing surveys listed in
FactFinder. National level.
21Data Files for 2000 Census
- Summary File 1 100
- Race, sex, age, households and families, housing
tenure - Summary File 2 100
- Detailed cross classifications by type of
Hispanic origin, Indian tribe, or Asian
subcategory (about 250 total) - Summary File 3 Sample
- Income, language, ethnicity, occupation,
commuting, housing value and rent - Summary File 4 Sample
- Detailed cross classifications by race and
ethnicity - STF4 in 1990 not on Factfinder
22Summary File 1
- Most data by age, race, sex, households, group
quarters down to block level
23Detailed Tables Geography
- You can choose
- All states
- All counties in a state
- All tracts in a county
- All 5 digit zip codes in a 3-digit zip code
- All block groups in a tract
- All blocks in a block group.
- To choose all 5 digit zip codes or tracts in
state, block groups in city, use Geography within
Geography
24Detailed Tables Geography
- Choose lowest level of geography you want
- Follow pop-up menus to choose place
- Once you select a geographic area, be sure to add
it
25Population (P) Tables by Subject
- Race
- Age
- Households by Age, Type, and Relationship
- Families and Family Type
- Group Quarters
- Imputations of data when questionnaire not
answered
26Housing (H) Tables Clustered by Subject
- Housing Units (occupied and vacant)
- Occupied Housing Units by race and household size
- Owner/Renter Occupied by Race
- Imputations of data when questionnaires not
answered
27Detailed Spreadsheet and Downloading Options
For best results use Factfinders button for
downloading data
28 Downloading Options Comma, tab, rtf, zipped
- Comma-delimited spreadsheets easily export to
EXCEL - You can also transpose rows and columns
- Default is downloading entire spreadsheet
- Data compatible formats are zipped
29U.S. Economic Census a quick look
- Every 5 years (years ending in 2 7)
- Industry/product detail
- Detailed Geography
30Private Sector UsesCurrently most data is
limited to the 1997 economic census
- Study your industry
- Market share
- Product trends
- Strategic planning
- Study business markets
- Site locations
- Sales territories
- Forecasting sales
- Evaluate investments
- Estimate market size
- Data for loan applications
31(No Transcript)
32Questions?
- Please fill out the survey and test your
knowledge of American Factfinder. - Thank You!