1. Understanding Census Geography Lisa Neidert NPC Workshop: Analyzing Poverty and Socioeconomic Trends Using the American Community Survey June 23 – June 27, 2008

2. Census Geography

3. 2006 Geographic Areas

4. Geographic Areas ACS (2006)...

5. What’s available in the ACS: via maps  Maps showing counties and places  http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Product s/users_guide/2006_maps_for_counties _places.htm http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Product s/users_guide/2006_maps_for_counties _places.htm

6. Almost all counties: DE, MD, MA

7. Few counties, no places: VT and WY

8. State with American Indian Places: AK, AL, LA, NC, OK

9. What’s available in the ACS 2006: via Look-up table:  Geographic entities available for ACS (2006)  https://ctools.umich.edu/access/content/ group/34a72eab-daa4-4d14-80e0- 9150727aed6c/Assignments/ACS2006_ Geographies.xls https://ctools.umich.edu/access/content/ group/34a72eab-daa4-4d14-80e0- 9150727aed6c/Assignments/ACS2006_ Geographies.xls

10. Not ready for prime-time: census tracts and zip codes  Need 5-year estimates file 2005 – 2009 Available 2010  Annual updates thereafter 2006 – 2010 2007 – 2011, etc.  Test site available – selected counties (34) Selected profiles (demographic, social, economic, housing) http://www.census.gov/acs/www/AdvMeth/Multi_Year_Estimate s/overview.html#noteforusers http://www.census.gov/acs/www/AdvMeth/Multi_Year_Estimate s/overview.html#noteforusers

11. Example Census Tracts for community districts

12. Community District 11: Manhattan, East Harlem

13. Zip codes  Not census geography However, big demand for zip code data  Census Bureau builds ZCTAs via census blocks  ZCTA FAQs http://www.census.gov/geo/ZCTA/zctafaq. html  Fun resource http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip_code

15. What are PUMAs?  Public Use Microdata areas  Combination of population geographies that sum to at least 100,000 population.  In rural areas, several counties will form a PUMA. In an urban area, a county will be subdivided into multiple PUMAs.  PUMAs do not cross state boundaries

16. PUMAs....  PUMAs do not have good comparability over time (1990, 2000).  PUMA geographies for the ACS are the same as the 2000 boundaries  PUMAs are reasonable substitutes for counties  Smallest geography available in the microdata.

17. PUMAs via Maps  Reasonable tool for rural parts of a state  Somewhat unwieldy for urban areas  Multiple maps per state http://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/2000pumas.s html

18. PUMAs via text  Describes PUMA composition  By: County County subdivision Place Census tract  http://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/2000pumas.shtml http://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/2000pumas.shtml  http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/data/ref/PUMA /SUPERPUMA-2000-5pct.html http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/data/ref/PUMA /SUPERPUMA-2000-5pct.html

19. Metropolitan areas  Defined by Office Management Budget (OMB)  http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimat es/metrodef.html http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimat es/metrodef.html  Historical Definitions  http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimat es/pastmetro.html http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimat es/pastmetro.html  Researcher is free to follow own definitions  Census Bureau follows OMB definitions