-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [MAPS-L] The where's (& whys) of US Census population data?
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2012 11:18:42 -0400
From: Overberg, Paul <[log in to unmask]>
To: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship <[log in to unmask]>


There's no substitute for the technical documentation, especially on
geographical entities, relationships and coding:
http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010

In Census 2010 SF1, you want county subdivisions (summary level 060) or
places (summary level 140). The former are fully functioning local
governments in 12 states in New England, the Middle Atlantic and around
the Great Lakes. In another handful of states, they have limited
government powers.

In many states in the South and West, they are just administrative
entities. In those states, you probably want places. Something with a
full government charter from a state legislature is an "incorporated
place" to the Census Bureau. Most of us call them "cities." The bureau
also includes "non-incorporated places" in summary level 140. Those are
locally well-known and typically requested and delineated by state and
local officials. Note: Places don't necessarily align to county
boundaries in most states.

Rather than FTP or AFF, you might find it easier to use census.ire.org,
a project of Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Paul Overberg
USA TODAY



-----Original Message-----
From: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Angie Cope, American
Geographical Society Library, UW Milwaukee
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2012 9:02 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MAPS-L] The where's (& whys) of US Census population data?

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: The where's (& whys) of US Census population data?
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2012 04:47:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Beth Arthur <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: Air Photo GIS Forum - Map LibrarianshipMaps <[log in to unmask]>


Greetings,

I'm a beginning GIS student who seeks your help for a map project (You
may have met me a few summers ago at the ALA MAGERT meetings in Chicago).

Are there libguides that clarify the 2010 Census' geographic location
types (county, urbanized area, place level etc.) and which 2010 Census
file contains them (Demographic Profile vs. Summary File 1?)?

I want to download basic population count by county for each U.S. state,
and, if possible, the population for the towns and cities within those
counties.

- Is FTPing the way to best download this data or using the filtering
mechanisms on the American Fact Finder site?

- Should I contact the email addresses on the Census site or simply call
the contact phone number?

Thanks for all pointers.

~ Beth Arthur
NEIU graduate student
Chicago, IL