Exploring the U.S. Census: Your Guide to America’s Data

Exploring the U.S. Census gives social science students and researchers alike the tools to understand, extract, process, and analyze data from the decennial census, the American Community Survey, and other data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. Donnelly′s text provides a thorough background on the data collection methods, structures, and potential pitfalls of the census for unfamiliar researchers, collecting information previously available only in widely disparate sources into one handy guide. Hands-on, applied exercises at the end of the chapters help readers dive into the data. Along the way, the author shows how best to analyze census data with open-source software and tools. Readers can freely evaluate the data on their own computers, in keeping with the free and open data provided by the Census Bureau. By placing the census in the context of the open data movement, this text makes the history and practice of the census relevant so readers can understand what a crucial resource the census is for research and knowledge.

Table of Contents:
I. CENSUS FUNDAMENTALS 1. Placing the Census in Context 1.1 What is Census Data? 1.2 Application of Census Data 1.3 Role of the Census in American Society 1.4 Criticism of the Census 1.6 Conclusion and Next Steps 2. Dive into the Data 2.1 Introducing data.census.gov 2.2 First Steps in Data Exploration 2.3 Chart a Clear Path with Advanced Search 2.4 Other Sources for Census Data 2.5 Census Research Reports 2.6 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 3. Census Geography 3.1 Geography Matters 3.2 Census Geography Hierarchy 3.3 The Primary Trunk 3.4 Exploring Census Geography with TIGERweb 3.5 Other Geographies - The Branches 3.6 Revisiting TIGERweb 3.7 Geographic Reference 3.8 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 4. Subject Characteristics 4.1 The Census Universe 4.2 Residency 4.3 Population Characteristics 4.4 Housing Unit Characteristics 4.5 The Labor Force 4.6 Derived Measures 4.7 Exercises 4.8 Review Questions and Practice Exercises II. THE PRIMARY DATASETS 5. The Decennial Census 5.1 Introduction 5.2 The Census in the 21st Century 5.3 The Data Collection Process 5.4 Decennial Census Data 5.5 Exercises 5.6 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 6. The American Community Survey 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Fundamentals of the ACS 6.3 ACS Variables 6.4 Exercises 6.5 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 7. Population Estimates Program 7.1 Introduction 7.2 PEP Fundamentals 7.3 PEP Datasets and Variables 7.4 Applications for PEP Data 7.5 Exercises 7.6 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 8. Business Datasets 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Navigating Industries with NAICS 8.3 Data for Business Establishments 8.4 Labor Force Statistics 8.5 Exercises 8.6 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 9. Integrating Census Data into Research 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Writing With Census Data 9.3 Making Geographic Decisions 9.4 National Trends and Historical Context 9.5 Review Questions and Practice Exercises III. ADVANCED TOPICS 10. Mapping and GIS 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Creating Maps Online 10.3 Introduction to GIS 10.4 GIS Exercise 10.5 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 11. Census Data Derivatives 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Measures of Population Distribution 11.3 Measures of Income and Inequality 11.4 Means and Medians for Aggregates 11.5 Geographic Derivatives 11.6 Review Questions and Practice Exercises 12. Historical Data and Microdata 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Historical Census Data 12.3 Microdata 12.4 In Conclusion - What Next? 12.5 Review Questions and Practice Exercises

About the Author :
Frank Donnelly is a geospatial information professional whose practice blends the service-based and organizational skills of an academic librarian with the subject knowledge and analytical methods of a researcher. He has served as the Geospatial Data Librarian at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY) in midtown Manhattan since 2007, where he helps members of his university navigate geospatial and census data sources. He holds the rank of Associate Professor in the library and manages a GIS lab where he and his graduate students: provide research consultations, teach workshops, process and create data, and maintain a repository of GIS data. Frank was an early proponent of free and open source GIS software in academia and has introduced hundreds of people to GIS through his workshops and tutorial manual. He has written several academic articles, technical papers, and reports that utilize census data to study socio-economic and demographic trends and provide information to researchers and policy makers. Prior to becoming a librarian he worked as a planner and data analyst in the government and non-profit sectors. He holds Masters Degrees in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington, and Geography from the University of Toronto. You can follow him at his blog At These Coordinates: https://atcoordinates.info/.

Review :
This text covers the tools you need to identify, access, and evaluate census data. When you are done, you will know enough about the census to select data that fits your use case, identify the tools that best fit your project, and be able to use these tools to explore, summarize and analyze your data. I think this text will be a great tool for anyone interested in working with census data. The most comprehensive source book on the subject that will be invaluable for anyone doing research using census data. It is interesting and easy to read and compiles information together that I often have a hard time gathering before covering the census in my course. I feel much more prepared just having read this draft. I teach geography and students make extensive use of census data, but don′t have a good understanding of where it comes from and its possibilities and limitations. While reading the book, I was considering teaching our census data class that has been on the shelf for a while. I was inspired by the text to offer it! This is a much-needed text that will help students, researchers, and practitioners understand and properly use census data. This text is a welcome, comprehensive introduction to working with and understanding Census Data. This is a most comprehensive guidebook to the use of the Census. The author′s experience is invaluable.