Introduction to the US Census

Historical Context

Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution adopted in 1787 approved that Representatives and Taxes shall be apportioned among the states according to each states population.

Enumeration (to ascertain the number of: count) shall be made within every subsequent term of 10 years

The first Census of Population was conducted in 1790, it counted 3.9 million people and increased representation in the House to 105.

As the Nation’s needs and interests became more complex statistics were added to help people understand what the raw numbers meant.

What information is collected?

In 1954 Title 13 of the United States Code brought together the laws under which the Census Bureau operates

This included a law requiring the following Censuses to be conducted:

Population, housing, manufacturers, mineral industries, other businesses, construction, transportation, and governments at stated intervals

Confidentiality

The sole purpose of the censuses is to secure general statistical information. Replies are obtained from individuals and establishments only to enable the compilation of these general statistics

By law, no one is permitted to reveal identifiable information

Before any information is published it is checked to make certain that no individual, household or organization can be identified

The individual forms filled out are closed to public viewing for 72 years

The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to identifiable census data

Why is the census important?

Population census statistics are the “official” figures used every 10 years to compute the number of congressional representatives allowed each state and also to align congressional district boundaries so that each member of congress represents the same number of people

Many federal, state, and local government plans, grants, and other programs by law are required to use census statistics for counts of population, per capita income, geographic distribution etc.

This same information is crucial for market analysis, planning new services and facilities, for affirmative action programs, for studying environmental impact, and for academic research

Dealing with Census Data

The main way to tackle census data is by: Geographic extent of the area you are

interested in and Variables or subjects The key is to combine the two

Census Geography

It is confusing! Changes over time Some levels are

based on population numbers

Do not compare oranges to apples!!

Content or variables

Differ between which census product used Census of Population and Housing variables

include: Number of persons Households and families Age and gender Race, Hispanic origin and ancestry Language spoken at home Income and poverty

Education and school enrollment Employment Citizenship Vehicle availability and commuting to work Disability Homeownership status Vacancy Rent and value of housing Housing costs and mortgage status Age and type of structure

Plumbing and kitchen facilities House heating fuel

Census 2000 geographic areas States, DC and Puerto Rico Counties Cities, towns, and townships Census tracts (roughly 4000 people, neighborhood

sized areas) Block groups (groups of census blocks, generally

containing 800 to 1,000 people) Blocks (9 million, covering entire US, not all data is

summarized to this level) Congressional districts American Indian and Alaska Native Areas

Census 2000 Forms

2 main types, a short form and a long form The short form asks 7 questions 83% of households received the short

form The long form covers 34 subjects 1 in 6 households received the long form The long form took approximately 38(?!)

minutes to complete

Why two forms?

The short form The long form The data from the long form is considered

to be representative of all the people in the “neighborhood” and is extrapolated into sample data

The data from the short form is considered to count 100% of the population

The concept of Race

Not based on any scientific definition Prior to Census 2000 only allowed 1 choice Census 2000 allowed the following choices for

Race: White Black, African American American Indian or Alaska Native (tribe was requested) Asian Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian,

Korean, Vietnamese, Guamanian or Chamorro Samoan Or to be written in if none of these apply

Ethnic Origin

The Hispanic population is considered an ethnic group according the the Census Bureau In Census 2000 choices for Hispanic origin or descent

were: Mexican Mexican American Puerto Rican Cuban Or Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino

The concept of race separate from Hispanic origin has been confusing Census users for years

The thing to remember is that while a person may be of Hispanic origin, they also are white, black, asian-pacific islander, or other

It’s the same concept of being white and of german ethnicity

Census 2000 Controversy over multiracial categories

Until 1970 the Census Bureau enumerator decided people’s race for them, sometimes by inquiring, often by simply looking

Since 1970 people could choose only 1 race to describe themselves

Census 2000 allowed people to choose any number of races

Over 7 million people marked more than one race to describe themselves

This number is less than 3 percent of the total population but has huge impacts in a number of ways

How many Native Americans are there in the US today?

If one counts only those who checked American Indian alone, 2.5 million

If one counts those whites and blacks who think they have a little Indian blood, and checked it in addition to white or black categories, 4.1 million

That is an increase of nearly 65% Should the Federal Government increase services

for Native Americans by 65%?

Statistical problems

The Census Bureau’s racial percentages now add up to well over 100

No one can reliably compare 1990 or earlier data to 2000 data

What is TIGER?

Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) System

A computer readable data base created by the Bureau of Census with assistance from the USGS.

designed to support pre-census geographic and cartographic functions in preparation for a census (first for the 1990)

to complete and evaluate the data collection of the census

to assist in the analysis of the data as well as to produce new cartographic products.

Information contained in TIGER files:

the coordinate information for features address ranges boundary names numerical codes

Tiger coverage complete coverage of:

United States Puerto Rico Virgin Islands of the United States American Samoa Guam The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands

Republic of Palau other Pacific entities that were part of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia)

Midway Islands

it does not contain:

maps!!! or attribute data

American FactFinder

Http://www.census.gov