Finding Census Data and Maps Online
Barbara Levergood
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Introduction
We will cover the basics of American FactFinder's interfaces for accessing statistics and doing mapping. We will also introduce Census 2000 geography and questionnaires that will facilitate your work with American FactFinder. (American FactFinder is the U.S.
Census Bureau's premier vehicle on the web for Census 2000
data and mapping. It is freely available on the web at http://factfinder.census.gov/.)
On the agenda
Census 2000 Basics
Finding Statistical Data on American FactFinder
Mapping on American FactFinder
Tables on Race
Some Useful Web Pages
Where to go for Help with Census 2000 Data or Maps
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Census 2000 Basics
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Finding Statistical Data on American FactFinder
Portals for Data
For more detail, see also
A Guide to American FactFinder Geography and Functionality.
| Portal |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
| Basic Facts - Tables |
It is good for novices.
It is good for when you aren't sure what dataset you
need to use or when you don't know the terminology.
|
Census tracts is the smallest level of geography you can
get.
You can only get one table at a time.
|
| Quick Tables |
You can choose table(s) for one or more geographical
areas.
You can get more than one table at a time.
|
Census tracts is the smallest level of geography you can
get.
You need to know what dataset you need to use since you
need to choose it first.
|
| Detailed Tables |
Has the most tables (except for "See list of all tables").
Has the most detailed subjects in tables.
Has the smallest levels of geography.
You can choose table(s) for one or more geographical
areas.
You can get more than one table at a time.
|
You need to know what dataset you need to use since you
need to choose it first.
|
| Geographic Comparison Tables |
Designed to compare data for e.g. all the counties in
the state or all the census tracts within a county.
|
Census tracts is the smallest level of geography you can
get.
Limited number of tables.
You can only get one table at a time.
|
| "See list of all tables" |
You can pick from all of the tables available for the chosen dataset.
|
The number and range of choices can be overwhelming.
The tables are arranged in a sensible order that may not be obvious.
It makes it much easier if you know the types of tables available.
The geography available depends on the table chosen.
|
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Basic Facts-Tables Demo
Query: "I would like a general profile of levels of education of folks in Charlotte. Since the 2000 Census data are not available yet (as of 11/2001), I can make do with 1990 data."
- Go to the Census Bureau home page then click on "American FactFinder".
- From American FactFinder's front page, select the radio
button next to "Start with Basic Facts-Tables".
- Next to "Show me", under the heading "1990 Census Quick Tables (QT)", choose the table "Education and Language Spoken at Home (1990 QT)".
- Next to "for" choose "a Place".
- Under "select a state" choose "North Carolina".
- Under "select a place" choose "Charlotte city". Click on "Go".
- You should get a table titled "DP-2. Social Characteristics: 1990" showing:
urban and rural, school enrollment, educational attainment, residence in 1985, disability, children ever born, veteran status, nativity and place of birth, language spoken at home, and ancestry.
- You could then print or download by choosing "Print/Download".
An example of a partial table from Basic Facts-Tables
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List of All Tables Demo
Query: "I would like to know what data are available from the 1990 census and right now from the 2000 census that I could use in my business plan."
- Go to the Census Bureau home page by
clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder".
This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
- From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Data
Sets".
- Click on "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent
Data" and hold your mouse in place.
- Click on "See list of all tables".
- You may need to scroll to the right to be able to scroll down to see the rest of the tables in the list. These are the types of tables available:
- DP - Demographic profiles
- QT - Quick tables
- GCT - Geographic comparison tables
- P - Population tables
- H - Housing tables
- PCT - Population tables down to census tract level
- Highlight a table of interest and click on "Data Information" to get a table without the data that will help you to decide if you want this
table or not.
- Close the Data Information window by clicking on the "x" in the top right corner of that window.
- If you want to actually get the data, click on "Next" to continue.
An example of some choices from List of All Tables
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Detailed Tables Demo
Query: "I need to know which ZCTAs (approximations of ZIP Codes) in the Mecklenburg County area have the highest percentage of homeowners in them so that I can target my advertising there."
- Go to the Census Bureau home page by
clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder".
This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
- From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Data
Sets".
- Click on "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent
Data" and hold your mouse in place.
- Click on "Detailed Tables".
- Next to "Select the type of area", choose
"5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (or part)".
- Next to "Select state", choose "North Carolina".
- Next to "Select 3-digit zip code
tabulation area (or part)", choose "282 3-Digit ZCTA".
- Under "Select one or more geographic areas and click
'Add'", choose "All 5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area (or part)". Click "Add".
- If there are any other items in the box to which you just added your block,
highlight them
and click on "Remove".
- Click on "Next" or "Show Table".
- If you get a table with data in it, choose "Change
Selections/Table" to reset. If not, continue on.
- Next to "Search", choose "show all tables". This will give you a list
of all the tables available in this dataset via Detailed Tables. To see this
long list grouped into more manageable subject lists, choose "by subject" instead.
- Under "Select a subject and click 'Search'", scroll
down until you see "==== Housing Characteristics ===="; within that category, highlight "Tenure (Owner/Renter Occupied Units)". Click on "Search".
- Under "Select one or more tables and click 'Add'",
highlight "H4. Tenure (Occupied Housing Units)".
Click on "Add".
- If there are any unwanted items in the box, highlight them
and click on "Remove".
- Click on "Show Table".
- You should get a table showing the total number of occupied housing units, the number of owner occupied housing, and the number of renter occupied housing units for each ZCTA.
- Let's say that you now were interested in finding out what other data you could get relating to tenure. You can add to your tables by choosing "Change Selections" then "Tables". Next to "Search", we have already seen that you can search by subject or you can pick from a list of all the available tables. Instead, click on the radio button next to "by keyword".
- Under "Enter a keyword and click 'Search'", type tenure. Click on "Search".
- Under "Select one or more tables and click 'Add'", scroll through the list of tables providing data relating to tenure. Highlight a table that interests you. Then click on "Data Information". This will give you a table without the data that will help you to decide if you want this table or not. If you want it, choose "Add" to add it to the list of tables you want to collect, and click on "Show Table".
- For those of you who need FIPS codes and other geographic identifiers, you can get them by choosing "Options" and "Show Geographic Identifiers".
An example of a partial table from Detailed Tables
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Mapping on American FactFinder
Portals for Maps
For more details, see also
A Guide to American FactFinder Geography and Functionality.
| Portal |
Strengths |
Weaknesses |
| Reference Maps |
You can create maps down to the block level.
Maps are customizable.
|
It does not do thematic mapping.
|
| Basic Facts - Maps |
It does thematic mapping.
It is good for novices.
It is good for when you aren't sure what dataset you
need to use or when you don't know the terminology.
|
Counties is the smallest level of geography you can
get.
Maps are not customizable.
|
| Thematic Maps |
It does thematic mapping.
You can create maps down to the block level.
Maps are customizable.
|
A little more difficult to use.
|
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Reference Maps Demo
Query: "Now that I have data for the ZCTAs in Mecklenburg County, I need to know where those ZCTAs are."
- Go to the Census Bureau home page by
clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder".
This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
- From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Reference Maps".
- If you get a map of the U.S., choose "Change
Selections/Geography" to reset. If not, continue on.
- Next to "Select year and program", make sure that "Census 2000" is selected.
- Next to "Select the type of area", choose "5-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area". (You may have to scroll down to see this option.)
- Next to "Select 3-digit zip code
tabulation area (or part)", choose "282 3-Digit ZCTA".
- Next to "Select a geographic area and click on 'Show Map'", choose a ZCTA. Click on "Show Map".
- You may get a map that does not show the ZCTA boundaries. To fix the map and reduce clutter, choose "Options/Boundaries". Under "Choose a survey instance and select a group of boundaries", choose "Census 2000" from the drop down menu and click on the radio button next to "ZIP Code Tabulation Areas". Uncheck the boxes in the "Boundary" and "Label" columns for "2000 County Subdivision", "1990 Urbanized Area", and "2000 3-Digit ZIP Code Tabulation Area". Click on the "Features" tab. Uncheck the boxes in the "Feature" and "Label" columns for "Street" and "Stream, Waterbody". You can also customize the title if desired. Click on "Update" when done.
- If desired, click on the "6" on the zoom bar to the right of the map to zoom out to see Mecklenburg County.
- You could then choose "Print/Download". If you want to download the map, please note that you must download the legend separately.
An example of a map and legend from Reference Maps
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Thematic Maps Demo
Query: "I would like to see which areas of Mecklenburg County have the most Hispanics. It would be great if I could see that by block group."
- Go to the Census Bureau home page by
clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder".
This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
- From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Thematic
Maps".
- Choose "Change Selections/Dataset".
- Under "Select a data set and click 'OK'", highlight
"Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF1) 100-percent Data". Click
"OK".
- Next to "Select the type of area", choose "County". (Eventually this choice
will allow us to display the data by block group.) Next to "Select state", choose "North Carolina". Next to "Select county", choose "Mecklenburg County". Click on "Next".
- If you get a map with data on it, choose "Change
Selections/Theme" to reset. If not, continue on.
- Under "Select a subject and click 'Search'", choose
"Hispanic or Latino (Including Types of Hispanics)" and click on "Search".
- Under "Select a theme and click 'Show Map'", choose
"Persons Who Are Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 2000" and click on "Next" or "Show Map".
- Next to "Mecklenburg County, North Carolina by" choose "Block Group".
- You can customize your map. Click on "Options/Data classes". Change the "Number of classes", the "Color scheme", and/or the "Classing
method". Click on the "Features" tab and uncheck the "Feature" and "Label" boxes for "Stream, Waterbody". You can also customize the title if you wish. Click on "Update" when you are done. Note: the streets and street names may not
be visible until you zoom in further.
- You could now Print/Download the map. The legend must be downloaded separately.
An example of a map and legend from Thematic Maps
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Tables on Race
Query: "I would like to see what Census 2000 tables are available on race." There are several ways to find tables on race, but we will use "See list of all tables".
- Go to the Census Bureau home page by
clicking on "U.S. Census Bureau" (top left corner) then on "American FactFinder".
This will restart and reset American FactFinder.
- From American FactFinder's front page, choose "Data
Sets".
- Click on "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent
Data" and hold your mouse in place.
- Click on "See list of all tables".
- You may need to scroll to the right to be able to scroll down to see the rest of the tables in the list.
- Click on "Data Information" to get a table without the data that will help you to decide if you want this
table or not. Close the Data Information window by clicking on the "x" in the top right corner of that window.
- If you want to actually get the data, click on "Next" to continue.
- Some tables for race. (Note: these web pages have been slightly modified from those output by American FactFinder.)
- Table P3 (available also from Detailed Tables) shows data for each of the 63 mutually exclusive and exhaustive racial categories. The total of these 63 categories should equal the total population.
- Table P7 (available also from Detailed Tables) shows data for 7 mutually exclusive and exhaustive racial categories. The total of these 7 categories should equal the total population. The statistics in the 6 race alone categories constitute the minimum for persons who are of that race. For example, the statistic in the category "Black or African American alone" would be the minimum number for persons who are Black/African American.
- Table P9 (available also from Detailed Tables) shows data for "total races tallied", i.e. the 6 categories of race alone or in combination with one or more other races. The total of these 6 categories may be larger than the total population because some people may have reported that they are of more than one race and thus would have been included in more than one category in the table. The statistics in such a category constitutes the maximum for persons who are of that race. For example the statistic in the category "Black or African American alone or in combination with one or more other races" would be the maximum number for persons who are Black/African American.
- Table QT-P5 (available also from Quick Tables) is especially convenient, since, in one table, it provides data for each race, showing both (1) race alone (the lower range) and (2) race alone or in combination with one or more other races (the upper range).
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Some Useful Web Pages
General
Census Bureau home
page
Product
Overview and Schedule
My census website: A
Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000
census data.
American FactFinder
American
FactFinder, the Census Bureau's primary vehicle for the
dissemination of Census 2000 data and maps on the
Internet
A
Guide to American FactFinder Geography and
Functionality, a description of the functionality of
the portals for data and maps in American FactFinder
Data
Selected Sources of 2000 Census Data, links to a
variety of sources for data
Maps
Census
Maps and TIGER/Line Data, links to maps for download
and information about census maps
Census Maps
and Related Product Titles, maps for sale or
download
Census 2000 Redistricting Data Map Products, links to
PDF map files for download, organized by state and
county
Printing From the PDF Map Files provides detailed
instructions for how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader to display
and print maps.
How to Print out Census 2000 Maps in PDF Format
provides techniques for printing out these maps on the
paper of your choice, providing flexible control over map
extent, display resolution, and map size.
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Where to go for Help with Census 2000 Data or Maps
In Mecklenburg County
Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, Reference Desk
310 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-336-2725
Or one of the PLCMC branches
Ask a Librarian: http://www.plcmc.lib.nc.us/sharedPages/askLib.asp
Charlotte Regional Office of the U.S. Census Bureau
901 Center Park Drive, Suite 106
Charlotte, NC 28217-2935
704-344-6142
http://www.census.gov/rocha/www/
Research Data Services
J. Murrey Atkins Library
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, N.C. 28223-0001
704-687-2241
Offers census map plotting services. See website for details.
http://libweb.uncc.edu/rds/census_plot.htm
Elsewhere in North Carolina
State Library of North Carolina
109 E. Jones Street
Raleigh, NC
919-733-3270
http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/ncslhome.htm
Offers map plotting services. See website for details. http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/iss/censusmaps.htm.
North Carolina State Data Center
20321 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0321
919-733-4131
http://sdc.state.nc.us/
Davis Library, Reference Desk
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
919-962-1151
http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/howhelp.html
Elsewhere
U.S. Census Bureau
Offers data and maps for download and for sale. See website for details.
http://www.census.gov/
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Contact
Barbara Levergood
Former Electronic Documents Librarian
My census website:A
Guide to the Decennial Census with a focus on 1990 and 2000
census data.
http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/instruction/plcmc/plcmcdemo.html
Updated March 27, 2002