Demographic data fast
Demographic data fast
The Census provides detailed demographic data down to the block group level. Traditionally, the decennial Census has collected detailed demographic data for only a sample of households nationwide??-this is referred to as ??sample data,? as opposed to ??100 percent? data, which is collected from everyone. Sample data includes income and benefits, health insurance, education, veteran status, disabilities, where you work, how you commute, etc.
While some data are gathered down to the block level, block groups are the smallest geographic unit for which the Census publishes sample data. This is because some information (income, for example) is too sensitive to publish at the block level. If there aren??t many houses in a block it may be possible to identify someone based on demographics. Sample data are useful, however, because they gives communities the current information they need to plan investments and social services.
Block group data used to be collected by the Census' Long Form sample survey, which was distributed to select houses as a part of the Decennial Census. The Census Long Form has been replaced by the American Community Survey (ACS), an ongoing survey that collects data regularly within Census tracts and block groups.
Option 1. You can use Cubit to get block group data for your projects in seconds. Cubit is a web app that you draw your area of interest on. In seconds, the system pulls demographic data including block group data from over 60 data sources. You can test drive Cubit for free to see how it works by signing up using the form on the right.
Option 2. You can use Census tools to access block groups data. First, you'll need to figure out what Census block groups are in your area of interest. You can do this using Census block maps. Once you have the Census block groups geographic identification code (or FIPS), you can enter the FIPs into the Census' American FactFinder. The positive of using Census tools is that they are free. The negative of using Census tools is that it can a really long time--like 40 hours--to get your data.
You might also be interested in: Census Blocks