-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Census Data for the Rest of Us - Small Area American Community
Survey Data Released
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:21:55 -0600 (CST)
From: Linda R Zellmer <[log in to unmask]>
To: Map & Air Photo Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Hello,
GIS users will be interested in the following news item from the Census
Bureau. The full press release is from:
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/cb10-cn90.html
Just so you know, the first reapportionment data is supposed to be
released next week Tuesday. Linda Zellmer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, DEC. 14, 2010
U.S. Census Bureau Releases First Set of 5-Year American Community
Survey Estimates
New Estimates Provide Detailed Look at Every Community in the United States
The U.S. Census Bureau today released 5-year American Community Survey
(ACS) estimates for the first time, making available social, economic,
housing and demographic statistics for every community in the nation.
Up until now, small geographic areas had to rely on outdated 2000 Census
figures for detailed information about the characteristics of their
communities. Consisting of about 11.1 billion individual estimates and
covering more than 670,000 distinct geographies, the 5-year ACS
estimates give even the smallest communities more timely information on
topics ranging from commute times to languages spoken at home to housing
values.
"The ACS represents the first time such a massive compilation of data
estimates for small geographic areas is available," said Census Bureau
Director Robert Groves. "These estimates deliver on our commitment to
Congress to provide timely statistics on our communities and our
economy, allowing for a more efficient government."
The data released today are based on a rolling annual sample survey
mailed to about 3 million addresses between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31,
2009. By pooling several years of survey responses, the ACS can generate
detailed statistical portraits of smaller geographies. The Census Bureau
will release a new set of 5-year estimates every year, giving these
communities a powerful tool to track local trends over time.
Public officials, including mayors and governors, and private
organizations such as chambers of commerce, rely on ACS estimates on
education, housing, jobs, veteran status and commuting patterns to help
them make informed decisions that will affect their community, such as
where to build new schools, hospitals and emergency services.
"The data provided through the ACS provide a statistical foundation to
evaluate our nation's needs, and we now share them with communities
across the country as a powerful resource for decision making," Groves said.
The new 2005-2009 ACS estimates are not related to the 2010 Census
population counts that will be released Dec. 21. The ACS complements the
decennial count and provides estimates of population characteristics
that are far more detailed than the basic demographic information that
will be released from the 2010 Census, which will be available starting
in February.
As a complete count of the population, the 2010 Census data are critical
for knowing how many people live in the United States, where they live
and their basic demographic information such as race, sex and Hispanic
origin. The ACS estimates, on the other hand, are based on a sample
survey of the nation and are intended to describe the characteristics of
the U.S. population, not to provide population counts.
Before the ACS, estimates about characteristics were only produced once
every 10 years through tabulations of responses to the decennial census
"long form" sent to a subset of the nation's addresses. Those estimates
required two years to tabulate and provided an increasingly outdated
picture of the country. By the end of any given decade, decision and
policy makers often had to rely on 10-year-old data.
Given the critical role that these long form estimates played in
national and local decision making, the Census Bureau responded by
developing a continuous measurement concept that would provide more
timely data. Approval by Congress helped turn the Census Bureau's
innovation into the American Community Survey.
For areas with populations of 65,000 or more ― covering 6,600 separate
geographies ― the Census Bureau has produced 1-year ACS estimates every
year since 2005. The latest estimates from 2009 were released Sept. 28
(http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/american_community_survey_acs/cb10-cn78.html)>.
These areas require only one year of survey responses to produce
reliable estimates.
Because it is a survey based on a sample of the population rather than
the entire population, the ACS (like the census long form it replaces)
produces estimates, not actual counts. To aid data users, the Census
Bureau calculates and publishes a margin of error for every ACS estimate
it produces, a step not taken for estimates from the 2000 Census long
form. However, the technical documentation provided with Census 2000
Summary File 3 does contain the information needed to calculate a margin
of error for those published estimates.
ACS 5-year estimates on 72 topics can be downloaded for more than
670,000 geographic areas, including states, counties, cities, tribal
areas and more. See
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/2009_release/GeographiesbyDataProduct2005_2009_5Year.xls
[Excel, 34kb] for more information on geographies.
In other words, we can now get data for Macomb and McDonough County.
Linda Zellmer
--
Linda Zellmer
Government Information & Data Services Librarian
415 Malpass Library
Macomb, IL 61455
[log in to unmask]
Phone: 309-298-2723
Fax: 309-298-2791
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