Census Concepts and Programs (epan 2011)
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The document provides an overview of key geographic areas and concepts used by the US Census Bureau. It discusses the role of geography in the census and describes the Master Address File/TIGER database system used to store address and geographic boundary information. It then summarizes various legal and statistical geographic areas like census tracts, blocks, places, and school districts, as well as programs that utilize census geography like the American Community Survey and Population Estimates Program.
Census Concepts and Programs (epan 2011)
- 1. Overview of Census Bureau Geographic Areas and Concepts Drew Stanislaw US Census Bureau WVAGP Annual Meeting Shepherdstown, WV June 13, 2011 •1
- 2. What is the role of geography in the Census? • The Census count is location based • MAF/TIGER system is where we store: • Inventory of addresses in Census • Inventory of all Census geography • Inventory of all features (roads, hydro) • Cartographers produce millions of maps for: • Census taking • Data release
- 3. Master Address File (MAF) • Official inventory of all known housing units in the U.S. and Puerto Rico • Updated using information from – U.S. Postal Service – local governments (LUCA) – Census field operations • Survey samples (e.g. ACS) are drawn from the MAF •3 •3 •3
- 5. TIGER Topological Relationships •Edge •Census •Tract •Inc. •Place •School •District •Integrated •Layer •5
- 6. MAF/TIGER Database – Edges •6
- 7. MTDB – County Subdivisions •7
- 8. MTDB – School Districts •8
- 9. MTDB – Voting Districts •9
- 10. Census Geographic Areas Legal Areas: Statistical Areas: •States •Census county divisions •Counties •Census designated places •Minor civil divisions •Census tracts •Incorporated places •Census blocks •Congressional districts •Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas •Legislative areas •Urban areas •School districts •Public Use Microdata Areas •Urban Growth Areas •Traffic Analysis Zones •10
- 11. Smallest Statistical Areas Blocks: Block Groups: ● Smallest units for ● Groups of blocks decennial Census data sharing first digit of tabulation block number ● Cover entire nation ● Smallest units for ● Nest within all other tabulation of American types of geographic Community Survey areas (ACS) data ● Generally bounded by ● Population ranges visible features or from 1,000 to 3,000 boundaries ● Nest within census tracts •11
- 12. Census Tracts -Relatively consistent boundaries over time • -Size: optimally 4,000 people; range between 1,000 and 8,000 • -Approximately 74,000 census tracts in U.S. • -Defined nationwide for the first time in Census 2000; however Block Numbering Areas (BNAs) and tracts covered the entirety of the nation in 1990 •12
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- 16. Places Incorporated Places • Legally bounded entity • Referred to as cities, boroughs, towns, or villages, depending on the state Census Designated Places (CDPs) • Statistical entity • Created to present census data for an area with a concentration of population, housing, and commercial structures that is identifiable by name, but not within an incorporated place • Examples: Middleway, Shannondale, and Shenanhoah Junction in Jefferson Co, WV •16
- 17. Census Designated Places (CDP) Examples of CDPs: Paradise, NV; Columbia, MD Example: Paradise, Nevada •Source: http://www.public-domain-photos.com/ •17
- 18. Places Salem County, New Jersey 18 •18
- 19. County Subdivisions Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs) • Legally bounded entity • Subcounty entities in 29 states, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas • May have a formal government with elected officials Census County Divisions (CCDs) • Statistical entity • Subcounty units that have stable boundaries and recognizable names in 21 states. • No minimum or maximum population guidelines •19
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- 22. Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) • Minimum population of 100,000 • Cannot cross state boundaries • PUMAs will be based on aggregations of counties and 2010 census tracts. 22 •22
- 23. PUMA Timeline September 2011: Materials sent to SDCs for PUMA delineation September-October 2011: PUMA delineation software training Late December 2011/early January 2012: Return deadline for submissions Fall 2011-Spring 2012: Review of PUMA submissions and insertion into TIGER database Spring-Summer 2012: Creation of geographic products containing PUMAs for use in 2010 Census PUMS and ACS •23
- 24. Public Use Microdata Areas •24
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- 26. 2010 Geographic Areas: What’s New? • Census Designated Places: nearly 10,000 • ZCTAs: 5-digit only; realigned • Super-PUMAs: no longer defined • Summary level data for School Districts • Codes for places and county subdivisions: – 5-digit FIPS – 8-digit ANSI •26
- 27. 2010 Census Geography: What’s New? • Counties/equivalents: 3,143 – 2 new counties in Alaska • Census Tracts: 78,000+ • Block Groups: 220,000+ • Census Blocks: 11 million+ http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/changes_census_blo cks_2000_2010.pdf •28
- 28. •West Virginia Geography: What’s New? Geographic Entities 2010 Census Census 2000 Block Groups 1592 1588 Census Blocks 135218 81788 Census Tracts 484 466 Congressional Districts (108th - 112th) 3 3 Counties and Equivalents 55 55 County Subdivisions 235 240 Places (Incorporated and CDP) 401 282 State Legislative Districts (Lower) 58 56 State Legislative Districts (Upper) 16 16 Unified School Districts 55 56
- 29. Change in Census Tabulation Blocks •31
- 30. What happens now that the 2010 Census is Over? •American Community Survey (ACS) •Population Estimates Program (PEP) •Special Census •Geographically Updated Population Request Program (GUPCP) •Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)
- 31. American Community Survey (ACS) The 2010 Census shows the number of people who live in the U.S. and the ACS shows how people live. Subjects included in ACS: • Demographics (age, sex, race…etc) • Social Characteristics (ancestry, education, fertility…) • Economic Characteristics (employment, income, journey to work…) • Housing Characteristics (home value, year structure built…) •34
- 32. American Community Survey (ACS) The ACS collects and releases data by the calendar year for geographic areas that meet specific population thresholds. Data collected Data pooled to Data published for between... produce areas with January 1, 2009 and 2009 ACS 1-year populations of December 31, 2009 estimates 65,000+ January 1, 2007 and 2007-2009 ACS 3-year populations of December 31, 2009 estimates 20,000+ January 1, 2005 and 2005-2009 ACS 5-year populations of almost December 31, 2009 estimates any size •35
- 33. Population Estimates Program (PEP) • The PEP produces official population estimates for the nation, states, counties, cities and towns, plus housing unit estimates for states and counties. • Estimates are for present and past, projections are for the future • Estimates are used in federal funding allocations •36
- 34. Special Census • Updated population and housing count • Conducted by the Census at the request of a governmental unit • Produces demographic details for the population • Program is on hiatus until 2012 •37
- 35. Geographically Updated Population Certification Program (GUPCP) • Re-tabulation of 2010 population and housing counts • Designed for governments with new boundaries that become effective after January 1, 2010 •38
- 36. Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) • Voluntary survey conducted annually to collect boundaries for legal areas • Primary source of information for: – legal boundaries – names of governments – legal status – types of governmental units – new governments – dissolved governments – boundary changes – higher-level geographic relationships • e.g. a place annexes into a new county •39
- 37. •Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Governmental units (entities) included in the survey – counties and their equivalents – minor civil divisions (MCDs) – incorporated places & consolidated cities – American Indian reservations and off- reservation trust lands (federally recognized) •40
- 38. Why should local officials respond to the BAS? • -A more reliable geographic reference source for local governments • -More accurate statistical data • -ACS and PEP estimates are based on geographic boundaries as of January 1 of the last year in the multiyear period • -The BAS has implications for the apportionment of Federal and state funds. •41
- 39. How is the BAS Conducted? • An advance response letter will be mailed to all local governments in December of 2011. • Participants that wish to submit boundary changes, corrections, or feature updates must request maps or download materials from the BAS website. • Participants must provide updates by March 1, 2012 to be included in the ACS and PEP. •42
- 40. BAS Submission Methods - Paper • Census Bureau – mails paper maps and a BAS form to the BAS contact – provides maps for download • Participants – annotate and return large scale paper maps and forms – provide documentation for each legal boundary change (date, number, & acreage) •44
- 41. BAS Submission Methods - Digital • First offered during the 2005 BAS for a limited number of entities • Designed to accept submissions from experienced users of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) who have the ability to modify Census Bureau spatial data • Spatial data provided in GIS shapefile format • Goal is to permit governmental units to submit boundary change information through digital files •45
- 42. BAS Submission Methods - MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS) • First available for 2008 BAS • Participants receive – a CD containing the software to install on to their computer – one or more CD(s) containing the data for their entity and the surrounding area • Participants submit map updates electronically. •46
- 43. County-Level BAS Agreements • Counties respond to the BAS for the entities within their jurisdiction. • To consolidate the BAS responsibilities, county officials – reach agreement with entities to provide their BAS submission (does not have to be all or nothing) • BAS packages are only mailed to the county BAS contact. – Places within the county no longer receive a separate BAS package. •48
- 44. State-Level BAS Agreements • State participation improves the BAS process and reduces duplication of effort – Some states have the authority to monitor or maintain boundary information for all legal entities in the state – Some states provide a list of entities that have had legal boundary changes – Other states provide legal updates • Current state-level agreements – Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine, Alaska and Puerto Rico •49
- 45. State Certification • Each year, Boundary Changes are mailed to the State Certifying Official (SCO) – The SCO is appointed by the governor’s office – Current SCO for WV is Charles Lorensen, WV Dept of Revenue • SCO reviews Boundary Changes (annexations and deannexations) • SCO Reviews Legal Status Changes (incorporations, disincorporations, mergers…) • Depending on specific State Laws, some SCO’s may have the authority to certify, edit, add to, or remove boundary and status changes reported to the Census. •50
- 46. Count Question Resolution (CQR) • Mechanism for governments to challenge the 2010 Census housing unit counts • Challenges accepted between June 1, 2011 – June 1, 2013 • Three types of challenges accepted: – Boundaries legally in effect on January 1, 2010 – Geocoding – Coverage •51