American Community Survey 2018: Geography & Access

.. there are 519 core-Based Statistical Areas (metros & micros) included as American Community Survey (ACS) 2018 tabulation areas. 2018 demographic-economic estimates are included for these and many other types of political/statistical areas — the subject of this section. This is the first in a series of posts about accessing, integrating and using the ACS 2018 data. Learn more about effective ways to use these and related data. See the main web section for more detail and access to the interactive table. The release date for the ACS 2018 data is September 26, 2019.

ACS 2018 1-year Tabulation Areas: 519 Core-Based Statistical Areas
— MSAs and MISAs

– view developed using ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.
– geospatial analyze ACS 2018 1 year estimates integrated with your data to examine patterns; gain insights.

The 2018 American Community Survey (ACS 2018 main) is a nationwide survey designed to provide annually updated demographic-economic data for national and sub-national geography. ACS provides a wide range of important data about people and housing for every community across the nation. The results are used by everyone from planners to retailers to homebuilders and issue stakeholders like you. ACS is a primary source of local data for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as income, education, occupation, language and housing.

Determining What Data are Tabulated
The graphics below illustrate 1) the scroll section that lists the types of tabulation areas (summary levels) and 2) use of the interactive table to display a selection of CBSAs/metros (summary level 310).

ACS 2018 1-Year Summary Levels
The scroll section (see in web page) shows the summary level code (left column), part or component if applicable and summary level name.

ACS 2018 1-Year Estimates — Areas Published — Interactive Table
The interactive table (click link to view actual interactive table) enables you to list the geographic areas tabulated. This graphic shows CBSAs (MSAs and MISAs) tabulated. GeoID1 shows the unique tabulation area geocode for an area among all areas. GeoID1 inlcudes the summary level (first 3 characters), followed by state FIPS code where applicable, ‘US’ and finally the geocode for the specific area.

Demographic-Economic Analytics Web Sessions
Join me in a Demographics Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Congressional District/State Legislative District Data Analytics Sessions

.. join me in the Congressional District/State Legislative District Data Analytics Sessions .. http://proximityone.com/cdsld/cdsld_vasessions.htm .. face-to-face sessions in the Washington, DC area.

Legislative Districts & Patterns of Neighborhood Economic Prosperity
Census tracts labeled with median household income in context VA House District 11 (bold blue boundary) in Fairfax County, VA. Use the GIS project to examine any state legislative district.

— click for larger view
— view created using CV XE GIS & associated GIS project.

CDSLD Sessions These sessions are focused on tools, data and analytical methods relating to Congressional Districts (115th CDs) and State Legislative Districts (2016 cycle SLDs). We focus on national and Virginia CDs and SLDs in context of the total population, voting population, the Citizen Voting Age Population characteristics and patterns with drill down to census block, block group, census tract, election precinct, city/place, ZIP code, county, metro and other geography.

Program details as PDF: http://proximityone.com/cdsld/cdsld_vasessions.pdf.

Anyone may attend. There is no fee. There is no promotional content. Sessions are presented by Warren Glimpse an expert on the topics covered. Learn more about the potentials of using these tools, data and methods. Get answers to your questions to learn more about what data are available, options to access the data, how to integrate these data with other data and insights into how you can use and the data. Attend one or many sessions. While there are core topics, new related material and updates are covered in each session. Join in as a continuing program. Develop and extend data analytics skills.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity by VA Senate District
– Virginia Upper/Senate SLDs by Median Household Income

– click graphic for better quality view; districts labeled with district code

More About Congressional Districts & State Legislative Districts
See the related section for more information:
• 115th Congressional Districts ..
.. Main .. http://proximityone.com/cd115.htm
.. demographic-economic tables http://proximityone.com/cd161dp1.htm
• State Legislative Districts Main .. http://proximityone.com/sld2016.htm
.. with demographic-economic interactive table
• Virginia State Legislative Districts .. http://proximityone.com/sld_va.htm
.. interactive table with incumbency details

CDSLD Data Analytics Web Sessions
Unable to join the face-to-face session? Join me in a Data Analytics Web session to discuss more details about accessing and using wide-ranging demographic-economic data and data analytics. Learn more about using these data for areas and applications of interest.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Health Insurance Coverage by Census Tract

.. the overall percent civilian non-institutionalized population with health insurance coverage changed from 85.2% in 2012 to 88.3% in 2014. Health insurance coverage is one measure among many others that are important in Healthcare Data Analytics. This section uses healthcare data analytics tools to view/analyze healthcare coverage by census tract and other geographies. See more about using health insurance coverage data in context with other health-related data in this related section.

Percent Civilian Non-institutionalized Population
    with Health Insurance by Census Tract

.. view developed with ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

Health Insurance Coverage Data & Interactive Table Access
Health insurance coverage data are one of several types of health-related data available in the 2014 ACS 5-year estimates. At the national level, the overall population with health insurance coverage changed from 85.2% in 2012 to 88.3% in 2014. The upper two intervals shown in the health insurance coverage by census tract map above are for the percent population with health insurance coverage at or above the national 85.2% level in 2012 (census tract data are only available from the 5-year estimates, the ACS 2014 5 year estimates are centric to 2012).

While health insurance coverage data are available in a range of demographic combinations, 25 health insurance coverage items (see table below) are available from the economic characteristics dataset for selected types of geography in these interactive tables:

ACS 2014 1-Year Estimates – data centric to mid-2014
– U.S., State, CBSA/Metro
– 114th Congressional Districts

ACS 2014 5-Year Estimates – data are centric to mid-2012
– Census Tracts
– ZIP Code Areas
– School Districts
– State Legislative Districts

Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss more details about analyzing health and healthcare characteristics and patterns and use of data analytics to develop further detail related to your interests.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Comparing Census Tract Demographics Over Time

.. it’s about more than census tracts .. this section is about comparing American Community Survey ACS 5-year estimates: 2005-2009 with 2010-2014 … something new and powerful happening this week.

To make good business decisions we need hard data, recent data, trend data … to assess patterns and change and develop reliable, superior plans. Read about the past and then how things have changed for the better.

Imagine that it is 2005. Data from Census 2000 are now 5 years old. There will not be another update for richer demographics for all counties and cities in the foreseeable further. There will not be any update for small area geography such as census tracts or block groups until Census 2010. Businesses are forced to use out-of-date data to assess markets … where and how are opportunities changing? City and neighborhood planners can only make educated guesses to respond to growing needs of various population groups. Federal and state government programs that base funding allocations on demographics are challenged. Changes in the rental vacancy rates for most cities, counties and metros will remain unknown for the foreseeable future.

Fast forward to 2015 and present day reality. The situation is now radically different. First, we can now compare 5-year estimates from the 2009 American Community Survey ACS to those from the 2014 ACS 5 year estimates. Second, we will be able to do that again in 2016 — compare 5-year estimates from ACS 2010 to those from ACS 2015. Health planners can now assess the size and change in special needs population and how that matches up to resources that respond to those needs — rather than guessing. Schools and school districts can better understand how school age population trending and plan for enrollment change. Education agencies are better able to assess how changing demographics among school systems compare to one-another. Businesses can now determine the size of potential markets and how they are trending based on hard data. It is possible to compare changing patterns in rental vacancy rates and rental housing market conditions for all levels of geography down to block group.

The American Community Survey ACS provides a wide range of important statistics about people and housing for every community in the nation. These data are the only source of local estimates for most of the approximately 40 topics it covers for even the smallest communities. It produces statistics for ancestry, language, education, commuting, employment, mortgage status and rent, as well as income, poverty and health insurance. The ACS estimates are tabulated annually as 1-year estimates (e.g., the ACS 2014 1-year estimates) and 5-year estimates (e.g., the ACS 2014 5-year estimates. See a comparison below in this section about scope, advantages/disadvantages, and other usage attributes for the 1-year versus 5-year estimates.

See ACS 2014 5-year main page for additional data access & use details.

Data from the 5-year estimates are available for all geographies down to the block group level regardless of population size. Starting with the ACS 2014 5-year estimates, for the first time, users will be able to compare two non-overlapping five-year periods 2005-09 and 2010-14. Looking ahead, data from the 2006-10 and 2011-15 (available December 2016) will be comparable … and so on. Over several years, a time-series of 5-year estimates, non-overlapping five-year periods, will evolve.

Comparing Geography Between 2005-09 & 2010-14 ACS 5-Year Data
The following graphic summarizes geographic tabulation areas for 2005-09 and 2010-14 ACS 5-year data. Use the corresponding Web table as a reference guide for comparing data over time. Links provided in the table enable you to navigate to selected data access tables. This Web-page table updates with new links; bookmark the page for re-visits.

Updates
Posts later this month will provide updates on this topics; new data and new data analytics tools. Join me in a Data Analytics Lab session to discuss use of these data using analytical tools and methods applied to your situation.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Researcher & Story Development Tools & Resources

Innovative and results-oriented story writing often requires geographic, demographic, economic and related data. Research results and stories must increasingly use graphics and visual renderings of data  to be effective, retain reader attention and be responsive to needs. A picture is worth a thousand words. In our expanding everything-integrated world, stories must draw on a range of authoritative data resources that can be knit-together.

Journalists and authors require easy and access to these data in a consumable form. Researchers and students share these needs. Grant writers benefit by including relevant data in proposals and well as unique maps and graphics. Economists and analysts creating interpretative summaries of statistical data releases (“how does this impact us?”) require related data and tools to effectively communicate conclusions and inferences.

This section reviews access to a few of these tools and resources that are available to researchers and story writers — as well as tools to map and otherwise visualize these data. These resources offer the customization or specific detail often not available to meet specific needs. Most of the resources reviewed here are available at no fee. Some resources are available only to ProximityOne User Groupmembers. Join the User Group now. See terms of use. See related Web section.

Navigating the Federal Statistical Resources
… topics below include these and a broader set of resources.
• http://proximityone.com/fss.htm

Interactive Geographic-Demographic-Economic Tables
… view, query, rank, compare attributes for many types of geography.
• http://proximityone.com/rankingtables.htm

Interactive Location-Based Demographic-Economic Data Tool
… key in address, immediate display of ACS demographic-economic data.
… block group, tract, place, county, state data; latitude-longitude, geocodes.
• http://proximityone.com/location_based_demographics.htm

Custom Mapping Tools (Windows software tool)
… create custom maps for proposed service areas.
• CV XE GIS

Address Code Your Data (Windows software tool)
… show your address/location data on maps.
• http://proximityone.com/apigeocoder.htm

Chart Graphics; Population Pyramids (Windows software tool)
… age-cohort chart graphics for your county or school district.
• http://proximityone.com/chartgraphics.htm

Demographic-Economic Data Extraction Tool (Windows software tool)
… use this API-tool to extract your selected subject matter data.
… census block, block group, other geographic levels
… Census 2000, Census 2010, ACS 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
… create your own files for use with Excel/other software.
• http://proximityone.com/dede.htm

Custom maps can enhance your proposal; make custom map graphics:

Make Custom Congressional District Maps
… create custom maps for individual or custom grouped congressional districts.
… CD 113 and CD 114 boundaries are the same, based on maps submitted by states to the Census Bureau.
• http://proximityone.com/cd113_maps.htm

Make Custom City Maps
… create custom maps for cities of interest; examine in context of other geography.
• http://proximityone.com/citymaps.htm

Make Custom Metro Maps
… create custom maps for metropolitan or micropolitan statistical areas.
• http://proximityone.com/metromaps.htm

Make Custom Neighborhood Maps
… create thematic/pattern maps; access related demographic-economic data by neighborhood.
• http://proximityone.com/neighborhood_patterns.htm

Make Custom Block Group Maps
… create custom maps for small, sub-neighborhood areas.
• http://proximityone.com/mapping_bg.htm

Make Custom Census Block Maps
… create custom maps for areas by census block – smallest geographic area with detailed demographics.
• http://proximityone.com/mapping_census_blocks.htm

America’s Communities Program
… demographic-economic profiles for individual cities.
• http://proximityone.com/acp.htm

School District Community Profiles
… demographic-economic multi-part profiles for individual school districts.
• http://proximityone.com/sddep.htm

School District Characteristics
• http://proximityone.com/sddmi.htm

K-12 Public Schools Characteristics – individual and all schools
• http://proximityone.com/k12publicschools.htm

K-12 Private Schools Characteristics – individual and all schools
• http://proximityone.com/k12privatecchools.htm

Charter Schools Characteristics & Patterns – individual and all schools
• http://proximityone.com/sch1314_charter.htm

County Population Trends; Annual Projections to 2020 by Age Group
… population trends profiles for individual counties … how is school age population changing? 65 & over?
• http://proximityone.com/outlook2020.htm
• most recent county official estimates – click link in table
• county trend profile – example for Cook County, IL; all counties available

Metropolitan Area Characteristics
… geographic & demographic composition profiles for individual metros.
• Current Vintage Metropolitan Areas
• 2015 Updates: New and Modified Metros
• Metropolitan Area Median Income and Housing Value: 2013-14

State Legislative District Characteristics
… geographic & demographic composition profiles for individual state legislative districts.
• http://proximityone.com/sld2013.htm

Congressional District Characteristics
… geographic & demographic composition profiles for individual congressional districts.
• http://proximityone.com/cd113.htm
• 114th Congressional Districts: Median Income and Housing Value: 2013-14

Census Tract Demographic-Economic Patterns
Main Census Tracts section interactive tables includes all tracts:
General Demographics | Social Characteristics | Economic Characteristics | Housing Characteristics

ZIP Code Demographic-Economic Patterns
Main ZIP Code section … interactive tables include all ZIP code areas:
General Demographics | Social Characteristics | Economic Characteristics | Housing Characteristics

More about ProximityOne Demographic-Economic Projections
• Outlook 2020 | Outlook 2030 | Outlook 2060 | Quarterly 3 year
• integrated multi-sourced Situation & Outlook demographic-economic data

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data.

Voting District Geography & Demographics

.. voting district, or election precinct, demographics are typically hard to acquire, making analysis of voting districts a challenging task. Voting district analysis is of interest for many reasons. Voting districts are the lowest common denominator for most election areas — from city council to the U.S. House of Representatives. This section illustrates how voting district (VTD) geography can be examined in context of other geography and how voting district demographics can be analyzed using GIS resources. These applications make use of Fairfax County, VA,
part of the Washington, DC metro, but can be developed for most counties/areas across the U.S.

Voting Districts & Neighborhood Patterns
The following view uses the Fairfax County GIS project to examine voting districts (black boundaries) in context of neighborhood economic prosperity. The current vintage VTD shapefile (213 VTDs) was obtained from the County. This view shows median household income by census tract. Using the GIS layer editor, different types of demographic-economic subject matter (such as educational attainment, housing value, language spoken at home …) could be used.

… Click graphic for larger view. View developed using CV XE GIS.

Voting District Scope and Vintages
As of Census 2010, there were 177,808 VTDs covering the U.S. While shapefiles for Census 2010 vintage VTDs are available as a part of the TIGER geographic database, most of these areas have now been updated owing to redistricting and the 2012 and 2014 elections. VTD boundaries can change frequently. While Census 2010 demographic data were tabulated for Census 2010 VTDs, these demographics of less interest to analyzing post-redistricting scenarios due to the changing VTD geography.

Voting District Drill-down Demographics
The following view uses the same Fairfax County GIS project to examine census block demographics by voting district. The graphic shows a zoom-in view focused on the Sherwood VTD in southeast Fairfax County. Using the CV XE GIS site analysis tool, all census blocks are selected within the Sherwood VTD (cross-hatched). A subset of blocks could have been selected to examine just part of the VTD. The table to the right of the map shows the aggregated total population and housing units for this VTD. As of Census 2010 there were 1,380 population in this VTD. Other demographic attributes, such as population by age, gender, or race/origin could be integrated into the shapefile using data sourced from Census 2010 Summary File 1.

… Click graphic for larger view. View developed using CV XE GIS.

There are 27 census blocks that comprise the Sherwood VTD. Using the View File button in the above operation, these 27 census block records can be viewed using the CV XE GIS dBrowser tool. A partial view of the records is shown below. This file can be exported for use with other software.

… Click graphic for larger view. View developed using CV XE GIS.

VTDs and Schools & School Attendance Zones
Using the GIS project, the attendance zone and schools layers can be checked/shown. School locations can be examined by VTD; VTDs intersecting attendance zones can be examined. What VTDs are relevant to which schools/attendance zones?  What is the demographic composition of these VTDs?  The following view shows high schools (red markers) and high school attendance zones (red boundaries).  Note in the legend to the left of map view, that different types of schools and attendance zones can be viewed in wide-ranging combinations. Other types of geography can be added to the mix such as voting districts.  The VTD/precincts layer is not shown in the following view so that the view of schools and attendance zones is not obstructed.  It can be added to the view by clicking the checkbox by the Precincts layer in the legend panel to the left of the map view.

… Click graphic for larger view. View developed using CV XE GIS.

VTDs and One Person, One Vote
In May 2015, the Supreme Court agreed to consider redefining ‘one-person, one-vote’ principle. See USATODAY story. How might this ruling impact election precinct geography?

Issues to be examined in upcoming sections include determining the size of the voting age population by VTD and the size of the citizen voting age population. These attributes could be examined at the block group level of geography, not reviewed here. See additional information on the citizen voting age population.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for innovative data access and use operations. He is also the former associate director of the U.S. Office of Federal Statistical Policy and Standards for data access and use. He has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector developing data resources and tools for integration and analysis of geographic, demographic, economic and business data. Contact Warren. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

2014 Elections: Data Driven Strategies

.. use of geodemographics will have a big impact on the outcomes of many 2014 elections. Many campaigns are gearing up now for the general elections to be held November 4, 2014. Elections will include all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, 33 seats in the U.S. Senate, 46 state legislatures among many others. How to more effectively examine characteristics and trends of the voting population?  Where are voters with a higher propensity to vote for your candidate located? Which elections might be most effectively impacted by the use of geodemographics?  Join in this no fee one-hour web session where we examine tools and resources to examine geodemographics relating to state legislative districts and congressional districts.

New York 12th Congressional District & vicinity
… using GIS resources to examine a congressional district by neighborhood
… examining neighborhood patterns of economic prosperity
… NY 12th Congressional District (bold black boundary)

click graphic for larger view with details. View developed using CV XE GIS.

Topics
2014 Elections: Data Driven Strategies
Geography of State Legislative Districts & 113th Congressional Districts
– State Legislative Districts
– Congressional Districts
Examining Characteristics & Patterns
– strategies for accessing & using demographic-economic data
– geographies: census blocks, voting districts, block groups, tracts, cities/places
– interactive analytical tables:  congressional districts;  state legislative districts
– examining 2012 elections & vote by candidate
– mapping patterns of economic prosperity by neighborhood across districts
– using ACS 2010 5 year estimates and Site Analytics tools to examine sub-district demographics
– accessing census block demographics via API
– voting-age population demographics
Redistricting: congressional; state legislative; city, special area; school districts
2014 elections & campaign strategic planning & analysis

Next Session: June 10, 2014
– Register here
– Related events

Grant Writer Tools & Resources

Grant applications often require the applicant to provide geographic, demographic, economic and related information about the population or matter to be served/improved by the grant. ProximityOne provides a wide range of resources that can help grant writers develop grant applications. These resources are equally useful to funding organizations.

This section reviews access to a few of these tools and resources. Most of these resources are available at no fee. Some resources are available only to ProximityOneUser Group members. Join the User Group now, there is no fee. See terms of use.

Interactive Geographic-Demographic-Economic Tables
… view, query, rank, compare attributes for many types of geography.
• http://proximityone.com/rankingtables.htm

Custom Mapping Tools (Windows software tool)
… create custom maps for proposed service areas.
• CV XE GIS

Address Code Your Data (Windows software tool)
… show your address/location data on maps.
• http://proximityone.com/apigeocoder.htm

Chart Graphics; Population Pyramids (Windows software tool)
… age-cohort chart graphics for your county or school district.
• http://proximityone.com/chartgraphics.htm

Custom Neighborhood Maps
… create thematic/pattern maps; access related demographic-economic data by neighborhood.
• http://proximityone.com/neighborhood_patterns.htm

Custom City Maps
… create custom maps for cities of interest; examine in context of other geography.
• http://proximityone.com/citymaps.htm

America’s Communities Program
… demographic-economic profiles for individual cities.
• http://proximityone.com/acp.htm

School District Community Profiles
… demographic-economic multi-part profiles for individual school districts.
• http://proximityone.com/sddep.htm

County Population Trends; Annual Projections to 2020 by Age
… population trends profiles for individual counties … how is school age population changing? 65 & over?
• http://proximityone.com/outlook2020.htm
• most recent county “official” estimates

Metropolitan Area Characteristics
… geographic & demographic composition profiles for individual metros.
• http://proximityone.com/metros2013.htm

State Legislative District Characteristics
… geographic & demographic composition profiles for individual state legislative districts.
• http://proximityone.com/sld2013.htm

Congressional District Characteristics
… geographic & demographic composition profiles for individual congressional districts.
• http://proximityone.com/cd113.htm

Census Tract Demographic-Economic Patterns
Main Census Tracts section interactive tables includes all tracts:
General Demographics | Social Characteristics | Economic Characteristics | Housing Characteristics

ZIP Code Demographic-Economic Patterns
Main ZIP Code section … interactive tables include all ZIP code areas:
General Demographics | Social Characteristics | Economic Characteristics | Housing Characteristics

More about ProximityOne Demographic-Economic Projections
• Outlook 2018 | Outlook 2030 | Outlook 2060 | Quarterly 3 year
• integrated multi-sourced Situation & Outlook demographic-economic data

Terms of Use. Resources accessible via this section and in related files are proprietary to ProximityOne. The resources may not be redistributed. There is no warranty or guarantee of any type. The user is solely responsible for any use.

Support & DMI Web Sessions
Learn more about using resources described in this section. Join us in a Decision-Making Information Web session. There is no fee for these one-hour Web sessions. Each informal session is focused on a specific topic. The open structure also provides for Q&A and discussion of application issues of interest to participants. We can address your specific questions about using metro and county demographic economic data and related applications.

Decision-Making Information Web Sessions

Join us in an upcoming DMI Web Session … how to improve our ability to understand where we are … and where we are going? How can we use data to better understand patterns, where and how change will occur … and how change will impact us? Have we got the best data to answer the right questions?

The one hour informal sessions are focused on selected topics regarding development, integration and use of decision-making information.  Ask your questions about DMI tools, resources and their use … whether on the focus session or otherwise. There is no fee to participate.

Some of the most important data resources are developed/made accessible through stove-piped channels. Data are often difficult to access and integrate with other data. Media, form and format of publication differ widely. Changing technology, geography and subject matter universes over time create challenges to examine what the data are telling us. Methods, tools and resources are reviewed in the these sessions to make analytical endeavors and resulting insights more effective.

Upcoming Sessions

Using API Technology: Integrating Multi-sourced Data	3/18/14
Examining the School District Community & Infrastructure	3/25/14
State Legislative District & Congressional District Demographics	4/1/14
Metropolitan Area Characteristics & Trends	4/8/14
Developing Custom Estimates using ACS Public Use Microdata Samples	4/15/14
Situation & Outlook Quarterly Briefing	4/17/14
Using TIGER/Line Shapefiles; Visual Data Analysis	4/22/14
Census Block, Block Group & Census Tract Pattern Analysis	4/29/14

See additional details about each session.

Registration
Use the registration form to register for sessions. There is no fee. Check back for new/additional sessions.

Community Decision-Making Information

Community decision-making information, as used here, refers to the set of geographic, demographic and economic data that can be used with tools to assess community needs and develop agendas to advance the welfare of community residents and stakeholders. The geographic hub of the community is a city or place — a place of population concentration.

There are approximately 30,000 incorporated cities or census designated places in the U.S. (about cities/places). The focus here is on those incorporated cities, ones with “city limits” and boundaries and government powers designated by the corresponding state.

The concept of the city being a “hub” remains. Geographically, a community is often broader, sometimes narrower, that its defined corporate limits. The graphic shown below shows the combined Jefferson City, MO city, school district and county. The city boundaries differ from those of the school district, a typical scenario with wide ranging variations across the U.S. Typically, residents of the school district have a sense of community centric to the associated city.

Jefferson City, Missouri

Click graphic for larger view. Counties shown with bold gray boundary (white solid label). Cities appear with green fill pattern (white label). The primary school district is shown with bold blue boundary (yellow label); other school districts have lighter blue boundary. Schools appear as red markers.

Community Decision-Making Information
While the leadership, budget, authorizations and related items differ between the school district, city and county, they share the need for a common set of decision-making information. There is a common set of geographic, demographic, and economic data needed by each entity — and neighborhoods throughout the community.

To assess needs, examine change and plan for the future requires data for several types of geography in and around the community. Frequently updated and longitudinal demographic-economic data are needed for geographies including the city, school district(s), schools, county(s), census tracts, ZIP codes, block groups, census blocks, roads and topological structures. Attributes of broader geographic areas including metropolitan areas, Public Use Microdata Areas, state legislative districts and congressional districts are also essential.

These diverse subject matter for diverse geography can often be most effectively assembled and used in a Geographic Information System (GIS).  The view shown below illustrates use of GIS resources to view the location and attributes of low and moderate income neighborhoods.

Affordable Housing; Low & Moderate Income Neighborhoods
See related document for more information.

Organized Access to Key Data
The America’s Communities database and information system assembles selected key data for selected types of geography organized around individual communities. As an example, the Missouri Communities Program provides access to frequently Web-based data with ready-to-use GIS resources. These resources are made available to participating cities and counties at no fee. View the Jefferson City, MO community access Web section to examine the scope and content.

Using Community Decision-Making Information
Participants in the Missouri Community Program are automatically enrolled as members in the ProximityOne User Group — open to anyone at no fee. Join now. The combination of these resources provide a powerful base for community decision-making.

Join us in weekly decision-making information Web sessions where we cover selected data access and use topics as well as Q&A relating to use of the community-focused data profiles and resources.  View sessions  and sign-up here.