Planning 46: Collecting and Mapping Data from the 1990 Census

1990 Census Geography

Census Questionnaires

What are the STFs?

• STF 1 (Summary Tape File 1): A series of datasets based on questions that everyone answered (100%, short form questions). Data include basic demographic variables only. "Population items include age, race, sex, marital status, Hispanic origin, household type, and household relationship. Population items are cross tabulated by age, race, Hispanic origin, or sex. Housing items include occupancy/vacancy status, tenure, units in structure, contract rent, meals included in rent, value, and number of rooms in housing unit. Housing data are cross tabulated by race or Hispanic origin of householder or by tenure."
• STF 3 (Summary Tape File 3): A series of datasets based on questions that a sample of the population answered (sample data, long form questions). Data for blocks are not available in STF 3. Data include basic demographic variables and socio-economic variables. "Population items include: age, ancestry, citizenship, class of worker, educational attainment, employment status, family type, farm and nonfarm population, foreign-born status, group quarters, Hispanic origin, household type and relationship, income in 1989, industry, language spoken at home, marital status, means of transportation to work, mobility limitation status, occupation, place of birth, place of work, poverty status in 1989, private vehicle occupancy, race, residence in 1985, school enrollment, self-care limitation status, sex, travel time to work, urban and rural population, veteran/military status, work disability status, work status in 1989, workers in family in 1989. Housing items include: age of householder, bedrooms, condominium status, farm and nonfarm housing, heating fuel, Hispanic origin of householder, housing units, kitchen facilities, meals included in rent, mortgage status, occupancy status, plumbing facilities, race of householder, rent, rooms, selected monthly owner costs, sewage disposal, telephone availability, tenure, units in structure, urban and rural housing, utilities in rent, value of housing unit, vehicles available, water source, year householder moved into unit, year structure built."

• Recommended: American FactFinder via the U.S. Census Bureau. "Quick Tables are predefined tables that give you quick access to frequently requested information for a single geographic area." Detailed Tables provide access to 1990 census data from Census Bureau summary tables.

  Choose "Quick Thematic Maps" to do thematic mapping. Only a small number of variables can be mapped.

  To create a thematic map showing the median income of census tracts within Orange County, NC, from "Quick Thematic Maps":

  • Choose "Browse" under "Select Geography" on the left panel. Click on the plus signs ("+") next to "State", then "North Carolina", then "County". Click the radio button next to "Orange County".
  • Choose "Select Theme" on the left panel. Click the radio button next to "Median income".
  • Choose "View" under "Create Map" on the left panel. On the drop down menu next to "Display data by", choose "census tract". (Later on, to compare the census tract data with the data for e.g. Chapel Hill, choose "Place" from this drop down menu.) This will display your map.

  There are many options to alter and customize your map.

  • To "recenter and zoom in": click on that radio button, then click on the point of the map that you would like centered.
  • To identify the census tract number and to get the value of the variable (theme) that you chose, in our example, median income: click on the "Identify" radio button and then click on a census tract within the map.

  Some customization options are available under "Features" (under "Create Map/Customize Map" on the left panel). (To see the new map when you are done, choose "View" under "Create Map" on the left panel.)

  • To see the major roads on your map, click on the box in the "Feature" column for major roads. For names of the roads, click on the "Label" box for "major roads". (To see the new map when you are done, choose "View" under "Create Map" on the left panel.)

  Some customization options under "Boundaries" (under "Create Map/Customize Map" on the left panel):

  • To label the census tracts on your map with the census tract numbers, click on the box in the "Label" column for census tracts. (To actually see the tract numbers on your map, you may need to zoom in.)

  Some customization options under "Classes" (under "Create Map/Customize Map" on the left panel):

  • Change the number of classes
  • Change the classing method (equal interval, quantile, user defined)
  • Change the color scheme

  Some customization options under "Options" (under "Create Map/Customize Map" on the left panel):

  • Change the title of the map

  To see the new map, choose "View" under "Create Map" on the left panel.

  To print your map, choose "Print" under "Create Map" on the left panel.

  To download your map as a .gif file, choose "Download" under "Create Map" on the left panel.

• Also recommended: CensusCD+Maps. Data from the 1990 census via a relatively easy to use software interface on CD-ROM. Includes estimates and projections for state, county, census tract, block group, and ZIP Code. Includes census data and mapping capability. All variables can be mapped. Streets are not included. CD-ROM, Davis Library Reference Electronic Resource.

  To create a thematic map showing the poverty in census tracts within Orange County, NC:

  1. First step
     • Choose File/new request.
     • In the filename box, type: a:\<your filename>.req
  2. Second step
     • Choose Area/Geographic area/Counties.
     • In the left box, choose North Carolina.
     • In the right box, choose Orange County.
     • Click "done".
  3. Third step
     • Choose Subarea/Smaller areas/Tracts to get all of the tracts within the county.
  4. Fourth step
     • Choose Counts/Tailored/Poverty (or your choice of data).
     • In the top box (tables), choose Poverty (or your choice of tables).
     • In the left box (variables=counts), choose variables of your choice so that they appear in the right box. We will choose: In Poverty, persons age 0-4.
     • Click "done".
  5. Fifth step (optional)
     • Choose Run/List report to create a table of data.
  6. Sixth step (optional)
     • Choose Run/Map to create a thematic map.
     • To see the value of the chosen variable in that tract, click on "?i", then on a census tract, then on the "Record" tab.
     • To label a census tract with the census tract number, right click on a census tract and choose "label".
     • 
       FYI:
       
     • The "Area" tab lists the census tracts on your map.
     • The "Record" tab lists the variables that you chose in step 4 (above) and allows you to choose the variable that you want to map.
     • The "Stat" tab allows you to customize the display.
• DDViewer (Demographic Data Viewer) via CIESIN/SEDAC. "DDViewer lets you create maps and calculate statistics for 220 demographic variables from the 1990 U.S.Census."
• TIGER Mapping Service via the U.S. Census Bureau. Only a small number of variables can be mapped.
• Government Information Sharing Project via Oregon State. Provides census data but not thematic mapping capability.

We have many more census resources available. Ask at Davis Library, Reference Desk.

For more information about the Census: A Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000 census data

PLAN 46: Introduction to Urbanism and Planning

Barbara Levergood, Former Electronic Documents Librarian

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