Breaking Local Stories with Census Data by Paul Overberg
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Paul Overberg, a database editor at USA Today, specializes in analyzing U.S. Census data to provide insights into demographics, income, and employment trends. The document details various resources and methodologies for local reporters to effectively utilize this data, including information on businesses without employees and economic censuses. Additionally, it highlights the significance of understanding industry diversity and workforce indicators in storytelling.
Breaking Local Stories with Census Data by Paul Overberg
- 1. Breaking Local Stories Title SlideData with Economic U.S. Census Bureau
- 2. Paul Overberg Paul Overberg, a database editor at USA TODAY, finds news in all kinds of data. He focuses on who the American people are and how they live -- their demographics. That includes income in all of its many forms; their lack of income, or poverty; and their jobs, the primary source of income for most people. Through IRE/NICAR, he often helps local reporters learn about this kind of data. He also has worked as a science and health editor and as a local reporter and business editor. poverberg@usatoday.com @poverberg
- 3. Where we’re headed Real news stories using Census data on: • Establishments • Number of employees • Size of payroll • Breakdowns by industry, size and age of establishment • Worker demographics • How to find each type of data Photo by Flickr user Rosipaw • How to turn data → stories!
- 4. Firms with no employees “There are more than 21 million businesses ...with no employees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau drawing on IRS data. In Orange County, the number is around 250,000. ...” -- Jan Norman, Orange County Register, March 12, 2012 h"p://www.ocregister.com/ar2cles/ one-‐342923-‐businesses-‐million.html
- 5. Firms with no employees Start here: census.gov/econ/nonemployer • Use highlighted metro dropdown menu to choose census.gov/econ/nonemployer “Washington-Arlington- Alexandria” metro area
- 6. Firms with no employees Drill for detail or compare to other areas. • Data from IRS (tax returns) • Counting difficulties!
- 7. Firms with no employees Change in small Washington firms, by industry, 2006-10 25% • Best used for trends Education • Note recent trends Change in receipts 20% 15% Health care Administration 10% Arts, entertainment Mining 5% Utilities TOTAL Real estate Transportation 0% -20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% -5% Finance Wholesale Retail -10% Manufacturing Hotel/food service -15% Construction -20% -25% Change in firms
- 8. Video: Finding Economic Census data How to find detailed Economic Census data in American FactFinder • Look up data from 2002 and 2007. • Think about 2012 data coming later this year and next. Review the video at: h"p://bit.ly/econdata13
- 9. Economic Census • 2012 Economic Census under way • Good for long trends • Most local data coming in 2014 • Good for small areas
- 10. Economic Census “... Somerville’s stores dominated Somerset County retailing before slipping badly in the 1974-75 recession. ... Bellomo said ... stores cannot match burgeoning commercial strips in Hillsborough, Green Brook and North Plainfield.” -- The (Bridgewater, N.J.) Courier-News, March 12, 1981
- 11. Economic Census Basics: • Number of establishments • Sales • Annual payroll, Q1 payroll • Paid employees Keep in mind: • Where people work, not where they live • Establishments, not firms Photo by Flickr user rutlo
- 12. County Business Patterns “... There were 198 funeral homes in Maryland in 2010 ... 18 fewer homes than ... in 2002.” -- Jack Lambert, Aug. 3, 2012, Baltimore Business Journal h"p://www.bizjournals.com/bal2more/ print-‐edi2on/2012/08/03/ fewer-‐deaths-‐put-‐damper-‐on-‐ smaller.html?page=all
- 13. County Business Patterns • Start here: census.gov/econ/cbp • Use highlighted dropdown to get metro Washington
- 14. Video: Gauging local industrial diversity How County Business Patterns data can help you gauge the diversity -- and the health -- of local industries Review the video at: h"p://bit.ly/econdata13
- 15. Quarterly Workforce Indicators “A study released this week by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation found ... the job creation and hiring rate in firms less than 2 years old has outpaced that of more established firms since 2008. ...” -- Diane Stafford, Nov. 30, 2012, Kansas City Star h"p://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/30/3940317/kauffman-‐report-‐startups-‐lead.html
- 16. Quarterly Workforce Indicators • Start here: lehd.did.census.gov • Click here: lehd.ces.census.gov/ datatools/qwiapp.html • Choose “Maryland”
- 17. Quarterly Workforce Indicators • Was Baltimore doing as well as Maryland at this point?
- 18. Local building permits “... The Elkhart housing market hit a trough in building permits at the end of April 2009, and the South Bend housing market hit that trough at the end of November 2011. ...” -- Justin Leighty, The Elkhart Truth, Feb. 8, 2013 h"p://www.elkhar"ruth.com/ar2cle/20130207/NEWS01/702089993
- 19. Local building permits Start here: census.gov/construction/bps • Click either highlighted link. • Make dropdown selections.
- 20. Local building permits “Browse” option opens new window with data for that row from every county/city in a state.
- 21. Local building permits • "Metro" option opens text file to use in spreadsheet. • Note link structure for December 2012: census.gov/ construction/bps/txt/ census.gov/construction/bps/txt/tb3u201212.txt tb3u201212.txt
- 22. Questions? Thanks for coming! Paul Overberg USA TODAY poverberg@usatoday Twitter: @poverberg Photo by Flickr user Xurble h#p:/bit.ly/econdata13 for workshop slides, videos, handouts