AzLA conference notes: American FactFinder

This was part one of the presentation by Jerry O’Donnell from the U.S. Census Bureau. He noted that the regional Census office will send someone out to offer hands-on training to anyone who will provide a computer lab and do the publicity. One of the workshops they offer is for grant writing, focusing on doing the demographic research that grant writers must supply as part of their grant request. Information about their workshops is at this page .

While much of this information is familiar, as we have used American FactFinder before, they have added some new features and continue to enrich the data they provide.

The FactFinder homepage offers several ways to get quick information, including Population Finder, Fact Sheet, and the Fast Access to Information box at the top of the page, where you can search by county, city, or Zip code. The Census Bureau now provides official numbers from the 2000 census as well as data from the 2005 Community Survey. The American Community Survey is a new annual survey, which currently includes only communities of 65,000 or larger. Each year the Census Bureau will expand the number of communities they survey, and by 2010 they hope to have accurate estimates for neighborhoods and rural areas.

The detailed data sets for the Decennial Census can be accessed and customized. First you will choose your file. Summary File 1 has basic demographic data; Summary File 2 is best for in-depth research. Then you will be prompted to select a geographic area and desired criteria. These reports can be printed, downloaded in Excel, or saved online to load again later. Comparison tables allow you to choose areas to compare but are not further customizable, and they cannot be manipulated in Excel. Data from the 2000 and 1990 census is available. (Older data is not available because it is stored on tape reels.)

The American FactFinder homepage now offers an address search. Keep in mind that the data you retrieve will not be specific to the address you enter but an average of that census block. You can use a business or library address to find data about the neighborhood surrounding that location, as for new business owners analyzing their service area. Results also show congressional districts, and you can map a chosen district or tract.

Population projections are available at the state level only. City and county projections are best done locally, and can be found at the Arizona DES website.

Some other definitions and remarks:
* CDP means "census designated places." These are unincorporated areas.
* Official counts are done only at the 10-year census. Estimates are done at any other year (in the past; future years' estimates are called projections). The decennial census is done for the purpose of reapportioning seats in congress, but other public services need additional and more frequent data, so estimates are done.
* The homeless are not officially counted, as there is no official definition of the homeless. People in shelters and abandoned buildings are counted.
* Immigrants are counted regardless of their legal status. The census does not ask whether they have proper documentation; they count everyone residing in a household.
* Part-time residents are counted wherever they reside most of the year.

Also at census.gov is a help page that offers detailed tutorials, covering topics such as creating tables and maps and finding economic data. The Kids’ Corner has quick facts about states. And there is a page detailing how to cite American FactFinder as a source.