Census Data for Researchers
Thursday Feb 23, 2012
3:30-4:45 pm
Getting Acquainted with Research Data
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Six 1.5 hour seminars this Spring
Census (Content & Issues): Today
Foreclosure Crisis Data : March 8
Data from IGO’s
: March 16
Geoportal/GIS resources : March 22
AddHealth
: April 12
Census (Resources)
: April 26
Today
The Census Bureau spends a LOT of money – ($7 billion (2010),
11 billion dollars (2011)) - each year in its mission as the primary
statistical agency of the US. It gathers an enormous amount of
data about individuals, households, establishments and firms from
a broad array of surveys and censuses. All of this is made
possible by ongoing investments in developing new content,
maintaining sampling frames, evaluating quality of responses, and
responding to methodological issues and concerns.
Today, we will identify the primary data collections of the Census
Bureau, looking at content, geography, access levels, standard
data products, value-added research resources, and issues in
cross-time and cross-survey analyses.
Recurring Questions
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Basic distinctions about collections
Survey vs. Census
Population & Households vs. Economic
Title 13 vs. Title 15
Microdata vs. Aggregate data
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Content
What questions are asked and how?
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Geography
What data is available for what areas?
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Multi-legged stools
Drawing on multiple resources, surveys, time periods and geographies….and the strengths and
drawbacks.
Why is the Census Bureau important?
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Huge data collection budget
Even more money allocated on basis of data
collection (~400 Billion annually)
Most widely used social science data
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High quality sample frames
Large samples sizes, small geographies
Consistency
Broad Data Collections
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Population & Housing Census - every 10 years
Economic Census - every 5 years
Census of Governments - every 5 years
American Community Survey – annually
Many additional surveys -- both Demographic &
Economic
Economic Indicators - each indicator is released on a
specific schedule
Supplementary Resources
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Population Projections and Estimates
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Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates
Small Area Health Insurance Estimates
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Geographic shapefiles & resources
Behind the scenes:
Sampling Frames (Household Surveys)
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Master Address File (MAF)
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Housing Units
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Official inventory of known living quarters
Linked to TIGER
Based on Census 2000 MAF and updates from
the USPS’ Delivery Sequence File
Group Quarters
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updates from the administrative records and the
FSCPE
Behind the scenes:
Sampling Frames (Business Surveys)
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Business Register
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Establishments
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Census Bureau’s master business list
Industry classification - NAICS
Geographic classification – states, counties, etc.
Legal form & tax status
Places of Business
Enterprises
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Firms
Behind the scenes:
Sampling Frames (Business Surveys)
Source
Payroll Tax Returns
(IRS Forms 941 & 943)
25 million
Sole Proprietorships’ Business Income Tax Returns
(IRS Form 1040, Schedule C)
22 million
Other Business Income Tax Returns (Forms 990, 1065, 1120)
10 million
Social Security Administration Industry Codes (Form SS-4)
1.8 million
Bureau of Labor Statistics Industry Codes
1.5 million
Behind the scenes:
Sampling Frames (Geography/Other)
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Topologically Integrated Geographic
Encoding and Referencing system
(TIGER)
Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)
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Annual; legally defined geographies
Population Estimates
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Based on Vital statistics data, IRS migration,
Medicare enrollment data
Broad Data Collections
Population & Housing Census
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Every 10 years
Full enumeration
Mixed mode (mail-in, CATI, in-person)
Long form/short-form (2000 and earlier)
Multiple data releases
Census 2010: Content
10 Questions
Name
Sex
Age
Relationship (to Household Head)
Hispanic Origin
Race
Owner/Renter Status
Plus
Whether each member sometimes lives/stays elsewhere
Total number living in residence
Probe for unreported persons
Telephone contact
Census 2010: Products
Reapportionment data – December 2010
Redistricting data – February-April 2011
SF 1 – June – August 2011
SF 2 - Dec 2011 – April 2012
Same Sex Couple Summary File – Nov 2011
Congressional District Summary File – Jan 2013
AIAN Summary File – April 2013
State Legislative District Summary File – June 2013
PUMS - TBD
Census 2010: Product Detail
P.L. 94-171 (Redistricting Data)
State and sub-state counts down to the block level are shown
for the total population and the population 18 years and over for
63 race groups; and not Hispanic or Latino origin by 63 race
groups. Also shown are housing unit counts by occupancy
status (occupied units, vacant units).
Census 2010: Product Detail
P.L. 94-171 (Redistricting Data)
1980
1990
2000
2010
Race
5 Race AND
Spanish Origin
5 Race x
2 Hispanic
63 Race x
2 Hispanic
63 Race x
2 Hispanic
Age
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Total, Age 18+
Total, Age 18+
Total, Age 18+
Housing
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Total Housing Units
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Occupied vs Vacant
Census 2010: Product Detail
Summary File 1 (SF1)
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About 300 tables
Counts and cross tabulations
Counts for detailed race, Hispanic or Latino groups,
and American Indian/Alaska Native tribes (to the tract)
Tables repeat for major race groups alone, two or
more races, Hispanic or Latino, White not Hispanic or
Latino
Geography: block, census tract
http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/glance/files/SF1_Final_1.5_Internet.xls
Examples of SF1 Tabulations
P1
P3
P8
P12
P14
P15
P17
Total population (1)
Race (71)
Hispanic or Latino (17)
Sex by age (5-year groupings) (49)
Sex by age for the population
under 20 (single years of age) (43)
Households (1)
Average household size (1)
Census 2010: Product Detail
Summary File 2
Detailed tables on age, sex, households, families, relationship
to householder, housing units, and group quarters.
Tables are repeated by 141 race groups, 98 American Indian
and Alaska Native tribes/tribal groupings, and 39 Hispanic or
Latino origin groups.
Per Census Bureau Technical Documentation:
“The concept of race, as used by the Census Bureau,
reflects self-identification by people according to the
race or races with which they most closely identify.
These categories are socio-political constructs and
should not be interpreted as being scientific or
anthropological in nature. Furthermore, the race
categories include both racial and national-origin groups.”
“Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group,
lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s
parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United
States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic,
or Latino may be of any race.”
SF2 - Detailed Asian
Categories
Asian
Asian Indian
Bangladeshi
Bhutanese
Burmese
Cambodian
Chinese
Chinese, except Taiwanese
Taiwanese
Filipino
Hmong
Indonesian
Japanese
Korean
Laotian
Malaysian
Nepalese
Pakistani
Sri Lankan
Thai
Vietnamese
Other Asian
SF2 - Detailed Hispanic/Latino Categories
Hispanic or Latino
(of any race)
Mexican
Puerto Rican
Cuban
Other Hispanic or Latino
Dominican
Central American
Costa Rican
Guatemalan
Honduran
Nicaraguan
Panamanian
Salvadoran
South American
Argentinean
Bolivian
Chilean
Colombian
Ecuadorian
Paraguayan
Peruvian
Uruguayan
Venezuelan
Spaniard
All other Hispanic or Latino
SF 2 - 42 American Indian Categories
American Indian
Apache
Houma
South American Indian
Arapaho
Iroquois
Spanish American Indian
Blackfeet
Kiowa
Tohono O'Odham
Canadian and French American Indian
Lumbee
Ute
Central American Indian
Menominee
Yakama
Cherokee
Mexican American Indian
Yaqui
Cheyenne
Navajo
Yuman
Chickasaw
Osage
American Indian tribes, Other
Chippewa
Ottawa
Choctaw
Paiute
Alaska Native
Colville
Pima
Alaskan Athabascan
Comanche
Potawatomi
Aleut
Cree
Pueblo
Inupiat
Creek
Puget Sound Salish
Tlingit-Haida
Crow
Seminole
Tsimshian
Delaware
Shoshone
Yup'ik
Hopi
Sioux
SF2 Subject Content
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Population tables at census tract (PCT) level
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Population tables at county level
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Housing tables at census tract (HCT) level
Other Deccenial-based tabulations
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Same-Sex Tabulation a single table, but
tabulated as reported, not “edited” to
unmarried partner
Congressional and State Legislative
summary files – retabulation of SF1 to new
boundaries
Other summary files draw upon ACS, rather
than decennial
Where’s all the interesting stuff?
In 2000 (and earlier) censuses, the census used more than
one form:
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A “short” form, which asked basic demographic data, just like the
2010 census form (AKA – 100% data)
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A “long” form, which collected both the items on the short form and a
broader set of items about income, education, ancestry, language,
disability, employment, etc.. (AKA – sample data)
Now, decennial census focuses solely on basic
demographic data, and social and economic data are
collected in the American Community Survey (ACS)
Broad Data Collections
American Community Survey
 Annual
 Replacement for the “long form” of the decennial
census.
 HH sample fully implemented in January 2005,
annual sample of around 3 million.
 Multi-mode: mail, CATI, CAPI
 Multiple Data releases
– 1 year, 3 year, 5 year, PUMS
ACS Content - Basic
ACS: Design of the Sample
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Annual Sample Size of 3 million addresses
Series of Monthly Samples of 250,000 addresses
HU sample in each of the 3,141 Counties
Areas with smaller populations sampled at higher
rates than those with larger populations
HU Address sampling rate set by Block
Final sampling rate varies between 1.6% and 10%
No HU address can be sampled more than once in 5
years
ACS: Data Collection
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HU addresses by three modes
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Mailout of paper questionnaire in 1st month
Telephone (CATI) non-response follow-up in 2nd
month
Personal visit (CAPI) non-response follow-up in
3rd month to a sub-sample
GQ
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Personal visit within 6 weeks of sample selection
ACS: Sample Design
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GQ facilities sample for each state
Two stratum
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Small
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Small (15 or fewer residents)
Large ( more than 15 residents)
Data collected on all residents
Facility eligible once in 5 years
Large
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Groups of ten residents sub-sampled
Number of groups determined by size of facility
Facility eligible every year
ACS Content Tests
2006
Health Insurance
Marital History
Veteran's Service-connected Disability
2007
Field of Degree (BA)
2010
Computer Ownership-Internet Access
Parental Place of Birth
2011-2013
Testing of Internet Response mode
Distribution Formats
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Like former decennial census data, released
in both aggregate and microdata formats
Because of change to continuous sampling,
however, aggregate data released at different
geographic levels with differing collection
frames
Sample Data Summary Files
Summary File ….. 3?
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813 tables of data
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Counts and cross tabulations of sample
items (income, occupation, education,
rent and value, vehicles available)
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Lowest level of geography: block group
Multi-year estimates
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Larger geographies have multiple options for
estimates – 1 year, 3 year, 5 year
Comparing and interpreting overlapping multiyear estimates not intuitive: only differences
come from the non-overlapping period.
EEOC: Fall 2010
Geography
(type and
level)
Occupation
Sex
Race/ethnicity
Citizenship
Industry
Age
Earnings
Educational
attainment
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New this time: EEOC
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ACS 2006-2010 5-year file
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Margins of error
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2010 Census population base
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2010 SOC Occupation categories
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Additional variable: Citizenship
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Basic Census Geography
Legal/Administrative
Entities
Statistical
Entities
Non-Nested Geographies – PUMAs
A public use microdata area (PUMA) is a decennial census area for
which the U.S. Census Bureau provides specially selected extracts of
raw data from a small sample of long-form census records that are
screened to protect confidentiality. These extracts are referred to as
‘‘public use microdata sample (PUMS)’’ files. For Census 2000, two two
types of PUMAs were delineated within states.
PUMAs of one type comprise areas that contain at least 100,000 people.
The PUMS files for these PUMAs contain a 5-percent sample of the
long-form records. The other type of PUMAs, super-PUMAs, comprise
areas of at least 400,000 people. The sample size is 1 percent for the
PUMS files for super-PUMAs.
PUMAs cannot be in more than one state or statistically quivalent entity.
The larger 1-percent PUMAs are aggregations of the smaller 5-percent
PUMAs. PUMAs of both types, wherever the population size criteria
permit, comprise areas that are entirely within or outside metropolitan
areas or the central cities of metropolitan areas.
Some Key Points to Remember
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Census Geographies include nested and nonnested geographies
Some geographies defined politically, others for
statistical and reporting purposes
Geographies range in size from a block to the
nation as a whole, but different sorts of data
available depending on type of geography
Demographic (Household) Surveys
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Survey of Income and Program Participation
Survey of Program Dynamics
American Housing Survey
Current Population Survey
Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)
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And more…..
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Survey of Income and Program
Participation
The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) program, initiated
in 1983, is a longitudinal, multi-panel survey primarily of adults in
households in the United States.
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Sampled households are interviewed at least nine times at four-month
intervals and followed over the life of the panel. New samples (panels) are
drawn periodically, ranging in size from around 13,000 HHs to around
40,000 HH’s. (annually 1984-1993; 1996, 2001, 2004, 2008)
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The SIPP attempts to interview all members age 15 and older in the
household during the first wave of interviewing. Subsequent interviews may
be in-person or by phone, with the same interviewer speaking to the same
respondents.
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New members who join the household are interviewed after they join;
departing members are interviewed at their new address.
Survey of Income and Program
Participation
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SIPP information falls into two categories: the core
information, and other questions (found in "topical
modules") that produce in-depth information on
specific subjects and are asked at only one or two
interviews.
SIPP core content covers demographic
characteristics, work experience, earnings, program
participation, transfer income, and asset income.
Current Population Survey
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The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 to 65,000
households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The
survey has been conducted for more than 50 years.
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The CPS is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S.
population. The sample is scientifically selected to represent the civilian noninstitutional
population.
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Households are in the survey eight times: four consecutive months, eight months off, and
then a final four months.
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Estimates obtained from the CPS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of
work, and other indicators. They are available by a variety of demographic characteristics
including age, sex, race, marital status, and educational attainment. They are also available
by occupation, industry, and class of worker.
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Supplemental questions to produce estimates on a variety of topics including school
enrollment, income, previous work experience, health, employee benefits, and work
schedules are also often added to the regular CPS questionnaire.
Current Population Survey
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Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC)
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(formerly called the Annual Demographic Survey or March Supplement)
Voting and Registration (November)
School Enrollment (October)
Food Security; every year since 1995
Computer Ownership
Fertility and Marital History
Fertility and Birth Expectations
Contingent Workers and Alternative Employment
Displaced Workers
Job Tenure and Occupational Mobility
Race and Ethnicity
Tobacco Use
Work Experience
Work Schedules
American Housing Survey
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Provides information on the size and composition of the housing
inventory in the United State, neighborhood characteristics,
characteristics of occupants. household characteristics, income,
housing and neighborhood quality, housing costs, equipment and
fuels, size of housing unit, and recent movers.
The AHS returns to the same housing units year after year to gather
data; therefore, this survey is ideal for analyzing the flow of
households through housing.
Sample of ~ 65,000
Collected for HUD
Separate national (fixed sample for ~50,000, followed since 1985) and
metropolitan samples (~3,200 – 4,800 per area, every 6 years, 12-14
areas/year)
More detailed data, less geographic detail, than census
Consumer Expenditure Survey
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The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) provides information on the buying habits of
American consumers and also furnishes data to support periodic revisions of the Consumer
Price Index. A new sample is drawn annually, and includes about 60,000 households.
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The survey consists of two separate components: (1) a quarterly Interview Survey in which
each consumer unit in the sample is interviewed every three months over a fifteen-month
period, and (2) a Diary Survey completed by the sample consumer units for two
consecutive one-week periods.
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The quarterly interview gathers retrospective data on purchases, and focuses on regular
and large expenses.
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The Diary Survey contains consumer information on small, frequently-purchased items
such as food, beverages, food consumed away from home, gasoline, housekeeping
supplies, nonprescription drugs and medical supplies, and personal care products and
services. Participants are asked to maintain expense records, or diaries, of all purchases
made each day for two consecutive one-week periods.
Selected Other Data
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National Crime Victimization Survey
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National Corrections Reporting Program
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Prison Admission and discharges. Variables include incarceration history, current offenses, and total
time served. Background information on individuals includes year of birth, sex, age, race, Hispanic
origin, and educational attainment.
A variety of surveys for NCHS, e.g.
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48,000 addresses in 809 PSU’s in US
Operating since 1972
7 interviews over 3 ½ year period
National Health Interview Survey
National Hospital Discharge Survey
National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery
National Survey of College Graduates
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Baseline Survey based on Census
 1993 from 1990 census, 2003 from 2000 census
 Follow-up surveys every 2 years (4 total per decade)
Census – Over time
One of the great strengths of Census collections is
that their temporal span is quite wide.
Decennial Census
Aggregate data from 1790 onward
Microdata from 1850 onward
CPS
Aggregate data from 1940’s
Microdata from 1962 onward
Census – Over time
However…
Content/Questions change
Geography changes
Lots of value-added resources to help address
these issues….
Historical Census Geography
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Census Tracts
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First created in 1910
8 cities tracted and 1910 and 1920
By 1940, 60 cities tracted
Substantial increase in tracting with advent of
Metropolitan Areas in 1950
Entire nation tracted/BNA’d by 1990
Tracts can split/merge
Historical Census Geography
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Places
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State-specific requirements for incorporation
In 1950, CDPs introduced by Census (called
unincorporated places).
Increase in size due to annexations
Increase in numbers due to incorporation
Merging of places possible
Between 1980 and 1990, 40% of places
experienced some change in boundary
In April…..
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I’ve primarily talked about what’s available,
not how to get it.
In April, I’ll talk about resources for online
analysis and exploration, download
resources, documentation, and local
(Berkeley) resources…. And if you can’t wait,
come by and visit me.
–
jons@berkeley.edu
Geographic grain and Margin of Error