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Understanding Census Geography

This workshop focuses on understanding census geography and how to analyze poverty and socioeconomic trends using the American Community Survey (ACS). It covers available resources such as maps, lookup tables, and PUMAs, and provides information on census tracts, zip codes, and metropolitan areas.

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Understanding Census Geography

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  1. Understanding Census Geography Lisa Neidert NPC Workshop: Analyzing Poverty and Socioeconomic Trends Using the American Community Survey June 23 – June 27, 2008

  2. Census Geography

  3. 2006 Geographic Areas

  4. Geographic AreasACS (2006) . . .

  5. What’s available in the ACS: via maps • Maps showing counties and places • http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/2006_maps_for_counties_places.htm

  6. Almost all counties:DE, MD, MA

  7. Few counties, no places:VT and WY

  8. State with American Indian Places: AK, AL, LA, NC, OK

  9. What’s available in the ACS 2006: via Look-up table: • Geographic entities available for ACS (2006) • https://ctools.umich.edu/access/content/group/34a72eab-daa4-4d14-80e0-9150727aed6c/Assignments/ACS2006_Geographies.xls

  10. Not ready for prime-time: census tracts and zip codes • Need 5-year estimates file • 2005 – 2009 • Available 2010 • Annual updates thereafter • 2006 – 2010 • 2007 – 2011, etc. • Test site available • – selected counties (34) • Selected profiles (demographic, social, economic, housing)http://www.census.gov/acs/www/AdvMeth/Multi_Year_Estimates/overview.html#noteforusers

  11. ExampleCensus Tracts for community districts

  12. Community District 11:Manhattan, East Harlem

  13. Zip codes • Not census geography • However, big demand for zip code data • Census Bureau builds ZCTAs via census blocks • ZCTA FAQs • http://www.census.gov/geo/ZCTA/zctafaq.html • Fun resource • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip_code

  14. What are PUMAs? • Public Use Microdata areas • Combination of population geographies that sum to at least 100,000 population. • In rural areas, several counties will form a PUMA. In an urban area, a county will be subdivided into multiple PUMAs. • PUMAs do not cross state boundaries

  15. PUMAs. . . . • PUMAs do not have good comparability over time (1990, 2000). • PUMA geographies for the ACS are the same as the 2000 boundaries • PUMAs are reasonable substitutes for counties • Smallest geography available in the microdata.

  16. PUMAs via Maps • Reasonable tool for rural parts of a state • Somewhat unwieldy for urban areas • Multiple maps per state http://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/2000pumas.shtml

  17. PUMAs via text • Describes PUMA composition • By: • County • County subdivision • Place • Census tract • http://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/2000pumas.shtml • http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/data/ref/PUMA/SUPERPUMA-2000-5pct.html

  18. Metropolitan areas • Defined by Office Management Budget (OMB) • http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metrodef.html • Historical Definitions • http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/pastmetro.html • Researcher is free to follow own definitions • Census Bureau follows OMB definitions

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