Using Census data in your reporting

Brandon Quester (@bquester)and

Evan Wyloge (@EvanWyloge)Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting (@ArizCIR)

What is the Census?

What is the Census, really?• A count of the population• Done every 10 years• Written into the U.S. Constitution• First intended to facilitate proportional representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

More Census details• First done in 1790 (counted 3.9 million people)• 22 times since• More detailed and nuanced each time• Used for one-person-one-vote conformity since 1965

Census taker and farmer, 1940Courtesy United States Census Bureau

What does it look like?Examples:● 2000 “long form”

questionnaire● 2000 “short form”

questionnaire● 2010 questionnair

e1910 Census

Courtesy United States Census Bureau

American Community SurveyExample:2016 American Community Survey questionnaire

What’s in there now?Check it outData on…population (count, race/ethnicity, veteran/military...), business, the economy, education, employment, families, housing, income, health, wealth, trades

Census geographyNumerous layers of geographic areas that fit together to form larger geographic areas.

Geography exampleExample: blocks combine into a block group. block groups into a tract.

USA Trade OnlineOn Oct. 15, 2015, access to USA Trade Online was made free to all customers.https://usatrade.census.gov/Sign up

UsesAccurate trade data for commercial, economic and political purposes. And, of course, reporting.

Focus is on the physical movement of goods

Trade data DOES NOT include trade between the U.S. and U.S. possessions or in-transit shipments.

Published monthly

Includes: Quantity, value, commodity, trading partner country, district/port, state, method of transportation, special trade programs, dutiable value and calculated duties

State Trade DataState trade by commodity and country

Imports and exports

Top 25 commodities for each state, classified by Schedule B code

Top 25 trading partner countries for each state

Annual data: 2010-2014

US trade in goods by state, by NAICS-based product

Origin of movement exports, zip code-based

Origin of movement exports, origin state-based

Imports, state of destination

The interface

Sort by:AscendingDescending

Rank by:AscendingDescending

Chart

Chart the findings

DownloadDownload as:

XML spreadsheet for Excel (.XML)

Comma delimited ASCII (.CSV)

Semi-colon delimited AZCII (.CSV)

Ways we’ve used itPlotting the “people” impact of hazardous materials storage facilities

Risk Management Plans: How we did the seriesMore than 2.8 million Arizona residents - or 44 percent of the state's population - live within areas that are most vulnerable to a catastrophic accidental release of gaseous, and sometimes explosive hazardous chemicals.

The facilities:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n9Ox6OhX4j31EypHyQSItcm405SjNEBF1xQJoT07aXU/edit#gid=3The RMP sections:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JqMqNHG87f5lF7spKd2Om6ZFkWGu6F29JEEkYkj4TlY/edit#gid=0

The analysisFrom the census bureau, 2010 census, population data.

- pushed into arcmap- used statistics operation of SUM population (6,392,017) for total pop in 2010- SECTION 2:

o In arcmap, buffer zone total blast radii of section 2(CURRENT ONLY)▪ TOTAL POP w/in: 2,833,168▪ TOTAL STATE POP: 6,392,017▪ That’s ~44 percent

- SECTION 4:o In arcmap, buffer zone total blast radii of section 4(CURRENT ONLY)

▪ TOTAL POP w/in: 4,918▪ TOTAL STATE POP: 6,392,017

- This analysis was done using track-level 2010 census data

Ways we’ve used itElection result analysis

Ways we’ve used itSchool demographic analysis

Sign up for media releasesFind out what’s new and/or coming up with the online calendarSearch by topic Get the census bureau’s updates emailed to you!Get embargoed census releases

Navigating data at census.govData & Tools from Census Bureau:

● American FactFinder● QuickFacts● Census Explorer● Easy Stats

CensusReporter.orgQuick place profilesEasy to find and versatile download optionsEasy embeds

Advanced TricksGeospatial joins to find correlation and run linear regression against any census metric

Advanced TricksCombine datasets to find change over time

Take-home projects• Change in Poverty, 2009 - 2013, city by city• Change in income inequality, 2010 - 2013, tract-level analysis• Gentrification, racial and home value changes, tract-level analysis