Congressional Districts & Congressional Community Web Sessions

.. did you know? .. 19 congressional districts have lost more than 4% population since 2020? Which ones? What is causing the loss? How is the loss distributed across the district? Will these trends continue? Which districts are growing? Based on the 2020 Census, the Diversity Index for the 118th Congressional Districts ranged from 12.5% (Kentucky 05) to 78.5% (Hawaii 02). What and why is the Diversity Index important? What are economic characteristics of districts? How can you have your voice better heard by Congress through a congressional communities? How can stakeholders easily relate diverse topics like school districts, K-12 education, urban/rural areas, low and moderate income by census tract, ZIP codes, state legilslative districts among others to congressional districts and congressional communities? Get answers here. Learn more about these topics in this session.

Join us in the every Wednesday Zoom web session
— click here for 10/11/23 overview & connectivity details

Who Benefits?
 – strategists needing to understand demographic-economic change
 – policymakers and staff and stakeholders dealing with policy development
 – residents/constituents/participants in a congressional community
 – learners & researchers regarding CC, CD mapping & geodemographic topics

About Congressional Districts & Congressional Communities

Congressional Districts. The November 2022 elections determined the representatives for the 118th Congressional Districts (CDs) January 2023-December 2024 session. The 118th Congressional District boundaries reflect the redistricting process based on Census 2020 results.

Congressional Communities. Congressional Communities (CC) are a concept and development of Congressional Communities, a non-profit organization. CCs have been developed to better enable constituents to have their voice heard by policymakers and vice versa. The approximate 7,400 CCs cover the U.S. wall-to-wall developed by the CC team and typically range from 30,000 to 70,000 population. CCs have been developed based on several criteria and are not arbitrary subdivisions of CDs. There are a set of CCs that nest exactly within each CD. Demographic data have been developed for each CC based on Census 2020 census block data by the CC team.

CC stakeholders may map and geospatially analyze their CCs and CDs.
CC organizations are comprised of residents of their respective CCs.
join in to a CC here .. illustrative details for a CC

Four Topics in this Web Session
.. illustrative applications are focused on California CD 47.
.. Use your own CD/region of interest.
.. ~30 minute presentation followed by discussion.

1. CD/CC Visualization using the Open VDA Web GIS
.. click here to start Open VDA Web GIS (OVDAW) .. all you need is a browser
.. step-by-step example .. optionally follow-along

Patterns of %Population Change 2020-2022 by 118th Congressional District

.. learn how to develop variations of this view.

2. 118th Congressional Districts & 2020-2022 Demographics
.. Congressional Districts Main
.. using the CD Census 2020 & ACS 2022 interactive table

In August 2023, the Census Bureau released the first Census 2020 demographics for the 118th Congressional Districts. In September 2023, the Census Bureau released the American Community Survey 2022 1-year estimates (ACS2022) for the 118th Congressional Districts. These data provide reasonably current data on a myriad of socioeconomic data. The Census Bureau also maintains the official national scope boundary files (for mapping and geospatial analysis) for the 118th Congressional Districts.
The Census Bureau also develops the County Business Patterns data for the 118th Congressional Districts. Learn more about the scope of these data and how they can be accessed and used. Aside from these data resources, the Federal statistical system (FSS) produces very little data for congressional districts.

What can I learn? Scope of annual ACS-based subject matter.
General Demographics .. Social Characteristics .. Economic Characteristics .. Housing Characteristics

3. 118th Congressional District & Congressional Community Diversity
.. Congressional Districts Diversity
.. using the CD & CC interactive table

Patterns of Diversity by Congressional Community .. CA CD 47

  .. learn how to develop variations of this view.

4. Comparative GeoDemographic Narrative Profiles
.. using Demographic Analytics (DA) tool to compare CDs, CCs, and other areas
.. Census 2020 “DHC” detailed data released 8/31/23
.. accessing the new Census 2020 DHC-based “Demographic Profile 1” (DP1)
.. examples — running DA
– CA CC 0647001 compared to CA CD 47 Tabular Report
– CA CC 0647001 compared to CA CD 47 Narrative Profile
.. creating tabular report and narrative profile for areas of interest.

About VDA GIS
Use VDA GIS tools to meet wide-ranging mapping needs and geospatial analysis. VDA Desktop GIS and VDA Web GIS have similar features that can be used separately or together. Each is a decision-making information resource designed to help stakeholders create and apply insight. VDA Web GIS is access/used with only a Web browser; nothing to install; GIS experience not required. VDA Desktop GIS is installed on a Windows computer and provides a broader range of capabilities compared to VDA Web GIS. VDA GIS resources have been developed and are maintained by Warren Glimpse, ProximityOne (Alexandria, VA) and Takashi Hamilton, Tsukasa Consulting (Osaka, Japan).

Data Analytics Web Sessions
Join us in the every Tuesday, Thursday Data Analytics Web Sessions. See how you can use VDA Web GIS and access different subject matter for related geography. Get your geographic, demographic, data access & use questions answered. Discuss applications with others.

About the Author
Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for national scope statistical programs and 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. Join Warren on LinkedIn.

Census 2020 – First Results

.. the first results of Census 2020, the apportionment data, were released on April 26, 2021.  Based on the decennial census, the United States total resident population increased from 308,745,538 (2010) to 331,449,281 (2020), a change of 22,703,743 (7.3%). For now, these data should be trusted and assumed accurate.  The apportionment data provide only total population counts at the state level.  More will be revealed about the accuracy of these data when the redistricting data are released in August 2021.

Apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives
Congressional apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 members, or seats, in the House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the population data from the decennial census. See more about congressional districts and demographic-economic characteristics. See this related web section for detailed information on apportionment. Use the interactive table to view/analyze the Census 2010 and Census 2020 apportionment data. The following view shows patterns of congressional seats based on the decennial census. Labels show the number of seats based on the 2020 Census. Color patterns show the change in seats, 2010 to 2020.

Census 2020: the Process & Challenges
Counting the total population and selected population attributes in a pandemic is not only challenging but not possible.  During 2020, as the data were collected, it seemed good news that more than two-thirds of the potential respondents had completed the questionnaire.  But then the questions set in.  Bureau public announcements frequently made reference to the number or housing units and the number of households (occupied housing units) “accounted for” reaching 90 percent and progressively more.  By observation, using administrative record data, and other methods, housing units can be much more easily counted than the population and population attributes.  Likewise, determining the number households is  easier than determining the population count and characteristics.

The fact that the state population counts were unexpectedly different from the Bureau’s model based estimates is troubling.  We seek more assurance that the count of  population and population characteristics — by location — are as represented by the apportionment data.

Census Bureau 2020 Model-Based Estimates
New Census Bureau sourced U.S. by county model-based population estimates by age/gender/race-origin as of July 1, 2020 will be released by the Bureau in May 2021.  These estimates are independent of Census 2020 and make use of methods used annually throughout the 2010-2020 period.  An upcoming blog will report on ProximityOne’s analysis of these estimates in comparison with the Census 2020 data.

ProximityOne Estimates & Projections to 2060
ProximityOne annual demographic estimates and projections 2010-2060 by county will begin a new update cycle in May 2021.  The schedule is shown here.  

Starting with the May updates, two base projection series will be developed and progressively updated: one controlled to the Census 2020 data and one based on continued use of 2020 model-based estimates. As more information is released from Census 2020. Follow this blog for more information on evolving developments.

Learn more — Join me in the Data Analytics Web Sessions
Join me in a Accessing & Using GeoDemographics Web Session where we discuss topics relating to measuring and interpreting the where, what, when, how and how much demographic-economic change is occurring and it’s impact.

About the Author
— Warren Glimpse is former senior Census Bureau statistician responsible for national scope statistical programs and 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.

116th Congressional Districts & Patterns of Economic Prosperity

.. Congressional District Analysis and Insights .. tools to examine patterns of median household income .. median household income is one measure of economic prosperity. This section reviews patterns of median household income (MHI) by 116th Congressional Districts based on the 2018 American Community Survey 1-year estimates (ACS 2018). View, rank, compare the MHI by congressional district, among related demographic attributes using the interactive table on the main Congressional Districts page.

116th Congressional District Analysis & Insights
.. patterns of household income & economic prosperity:
Based on the ACS 2018 median household income (MHI):
• the MHI among all districts was $60,291
• the U.S. overall MHI was $61,937
As of November 2019:
• the 19 districts with highest MHI have Democrat incumbents
• the 10 districts with the highest Gini Index have Democrat incumbents
• there are 69 Republican incumbent districts above the all districts MHI
• there are 149 Democrat incumbent districts above the all districts MHI
• the MHI of the 236 Democrat incumbent districts is $66,829
• the MHI of the 199 Republican incumbent districts is $56,505
Median household income is only one measure of economic prosperity.
See more at http://proximityone.com/cd.htm.

Patterns of Economic Prosperity 116th Congressional District
The following graphic shows patterns of 2018 median household income by 116th Congressional District. Use GIS tools/data to generate similar views for any state and/or drill-down. Click graphic for larger view with more detail. Expand browser window for best quality view.

– view developed using ProximityOne CV XE GIS and related GIS project.

Using the Interactive Table –
— view, rank, compare districts based on your criteria.
— example,which districts have the highest median household income?
Use the interactive table to examine incumbency and and demographic characteristics of the 116th Congressional Districts (CDs). The following view illustrates use of the table. This view shows use a query to show the ten CDs having highest 2018 median household income.

Try using the interactive table to existing districts and categories of interest.

Congressional District/State Legislative District Group
Join in .. be a part of the Congressional Districts/State Legislative District (CDSLD) group. Access analytical tools and data. Learn about CDSLD analytics, patterns and trends. Share insights with like-minded stakeholders.

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

.. updates on tools, data resources and methods to analyze congressional districts and state legislative districts. Join the Congressional District/State Legislative District Group to receive updates. See details.

Visual Analysis of 115th CDs & 2016 Cycle SLDs
Topeka, KS metro and Kansas State House Districts

Topeka, KS metro: bold brown semi-transparent boundary
115th Congressional Districts: bold orange boundary.
State house districts: black boundary; yellow label showing code.
Topeka city: green fill pattern (entirely with in 115th CD KS02)

See related Web section with more detail.

Analyzing Congressional Districts & State Legislative Districts
– in context of other geography
– Illustrative GIS views of examining CDs & SLDs in context
– using GIS tools and data

New ACS 2016 1-Year Demographic-Economic Estimates
– American Community Survey 2016 (ACS2016) data for each 115th CD
– Released 9/14/17
… upcoming … interactive tables using these data
… similar to ACS2015 interactive tables

New 115th CD & 2016 SLD Shapefiles
– New 2017 TIGER/Line shapefiles to be released in September
– See about related 2016 vintage data
– These shapefiles may be used with most any GIS software
… map the most current CDs/SLDs in context with other geography

New 115th CD & 2016 SLD Equivalence File
– Flat files with a record for each intersecting SLD and CD
– Developed by ProximityOne; available October 2017
– Functionally similar to relating ZIP codes to census tracts

New Census 2010 Summary File 1 Data for 115th CDs & 2016 SLDs
– Updated Census 2010 Summary File 1 data
– Provides Census 2010 demographic data for 115th Congressional Districts
– Expected October 2017

Ahead in December
– Demographic-economic data for each 2016 cycle state legislative district
– Based on American Community Survey 2016 5-year estimates (ACS1116)
– See related SLD 2014 main page

Related sections & Resources
– 115th Congressional Districts interactive table with incumbent details
– Making Custom 115th CD maps and geospatial analysis
– Congressional Districts main page — http://proximityone.com/cd115.htm

CD & SLD Data Analytics
Join me in a Data 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 2015 Demographic-Economic Characteristics

.. congressional districts vary widely in demographic-economic characteristics.  We have new data for 2015 providing insights to characteristics of the 114th Congressional Districts.  This section summarize a few of these characteristics and provides access to a wide range of data that you can use to view, sort, rank, and compare congressional districts using interactive tables.

Patterns of 2015 Educational Attainment
The following graphic shows patterns of educational attainment (percent college graduate) by congressional district in the Los Angeles area. White label shows the congressional district code; yellow label shows percent college graduate. Legend shows color patterns associated with percent college graduate intervals.

– View developed using CV XE GIS software and associated GIS project.

How Congressional Districts Compare
Reference items refer to items/columns shown in tables described below.

.. general demographics: congressional district UT03 has the smallest median age (27.5 years — item D017) and FL11 has the highest median age (53.5 years).

.. social characteristics: congressional district KY05 has the fewest number of people who speak English less than “very well” (2,676 — item S113) and FL27 has the largest number (281,053).

.. economic characteristics: congressional district ND00 has the lowest unemployment rate (2.6% — item E009) and MI13 has the highest unemployment rate (14.6%).

.. housing characteristics: congressional district MI13 has the lowest median housing value ($63,100 — item H089) and CA18 has the highest median housing value ($1,139,900).

Access the Detailed Interactive Tables
Click a link to view more thematic pattern maps and use the interactive tables.
.. General Demographics
.. Social Characteristics
.. Economic Characteristics
.. Housing Characteristics

Join me in a Data 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.

114th Congressional District Demographic Economic Patterns

How do neighborhood demographic-economic characteristics of New York Congressional District 12 compare to adjacent district 7? … or any other congressional district? How to assess needs of congressional district constituents? This section reviews access to and use of thematic and reference maps for each/all 114th Congressional Districts. Interactively rank, view, query and compare demographic-economic characteristics of congressional districts using online tables/tools described in this section.

The CD Gallery provides new map graphics for each 114th Congressional District. Each map graphic shows patterns of economic prosperity by neighborhood in context of the corresponding 114th Congressional District. The most recent American Community Survey (ACS2013) data are used to show neighborhood patterns (based on census tract median household income).

Patterns of Economic Prosperity by Neighborhood
New York 12th Congressional District & vicinity

  • Map view created using CV XE GIS software.
  • View similar thematic pattern maps for each/all congressional districts.

Interactive Demographic Economic Tables
View demographic-economic characteristics of each/all 114th Congressional Districts are included in four interactive tables organized by subject matter group:

  • General Demographics
  • Social Characteristics
  • Economic Characteristics
  • Housing Characteristics

These key approximate 600 subject matter items are based on the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.  These data update later in 2015.  

Similar interactive tables are available for these geographies:  Census Tracts , School Districts, Cities, ZIP Codes and State.Metro.County.

Use the interactive tables to view, query, rank, compare characteristics of the population, households and housing for these areas. A scroll section on each page (see links above) lists each of the subject matter items available for each congressional district via the table.

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.