Katie Doster Melissa May Frank Gunter GEOG 121 Project 5: Census Thematic Mapping

Thematic Maps Reference Maps like the topographic maps discussed earlier in the course display many different attributes and features, such as elevation, roads and city names. Thematic maps on the other hand display only one feature or attribute or the interaction between a few selected attributes over a geographic region.

Decennial Census The Decennial census is run once every ten years by the U.S. Census Bureau. It is used to allot the number of seats on the House of Representatives to each state, and for redistricting. In the 2000 census every household was required to fill out a form with the names of the members of that household, their ages, sex, birthdates, telephone numbers, Hispanic origin, and race, as well as whether the home was rented or owned.

The American Community Survey The American Community Survey provides more detailed information than the short form of the U.S. Census and is run more frequently This survey only attempts to gain a statistical representation of the nation rather than record every person. It will replace the long form for the 2010 Census.

Decennial Census Data: Getting Started Go to Look under Getting Detailed Data: Decennial Census Click get data

Decennial Census Data Select one of the Census 2000 Summary Files Click Thematic Maps Under “geographic type” click County Select your state and county Click Next

Decennial Census Data Choose a theme from the list Click Show Result Under the “Display map by” pull down menu, select Census Tract Your map should look something like this…

Decennial Census Data On the menu at the left of the screen, click Data Classes Select one of the four classing methods –Natural Breaks –Equal Interval –Quantile –User Defined

Decennial Census Data Right click on the map image and click “Save Picture As” Do the same for the legend for the legend

American Community Survey Go back to the main page Click get data under Getting Detailed Data: American Community Survey Click Thematic Maps For geographic type, choose State Select your state and theme and click Show Result The “Display map by” tab should already be set on County Choose your data class Save in the same way as your other maps

The write-up must include: A description of the choropleth map of your chosen area. The data classification scheme used. Explain the spatial and attribute data used to create the map.

The write-up must also include: The map scale represented as a fraction. Map Scale= (Miles Covered)(Inches in a Mile) Actual Map Size Actual Map Size A brief conclusion in which you discuss the meaning of the pattern shown on your map.

Things to keep in mind… You will be making three maps At least one map should use data from the Decennial Census and at least one should use the American Community Survey Each map should have a: –Different data theme –Different classification method Remember to save both your map and your legends