THE UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAUPatricia Doty, Jennifer Dassow, and Jennifer Hanson

What is the Census Bureau?

It is an agency that measures people, places, and our economy.

History of the Census Bureau George Washington, John Adams and

Fredrick Muhlenberg signed the 1790 Census Act, March 1, 1790.

First census was taken in 1790, overseen by Thomas Jefferson.

From 1890 to 1950’s Herman Hollerith’s electrically –operated components were used to process data.

1950’s to present computers are used to capture data.

History of Census Bureau

The six inquiries in 1790 . Head of the family and the number of

persons in each household of the following descriptions:

Free white males of 16 years and upward Free white males under 16 years Free white females All other free persons Slaves

History of the Census Bureau

1902: The Census Bureau becomes an official agency.

1903: Simon Newton Dexter North became director, due to being a well-known statistician.

The Purpose of the Census Bureau

Take census every 10 years. Provide date on each state. Provide data for every level of

geography. Data can be found by zip codes on the

Census Bureau website for areas with populations of 5000 or more.

More about the Census Bureau The Economic Census

is taken every five years for every industry.

The Census Bureau provides data on:

Americans at work Housing Medical/Health Care Roads & Transportation Rural live

Schools/Education

Urban Life Voting

Census Bureau Data

What Data We Collect & When Population & Housing Census - every 10 years Economic Census - every 5 years Census of Governments - every 5 years American Community Survey - annually Our many surveys -- both Demographic &

Economic Economic Indicators - each indicator is

released on a specific schedule, see the Economic Indicator Calendar

Data Collection & Organization Formulate Questions (Formulate one or

more questions that can be answered with data).

Collect Data (Design & implement a plan to collect appropriate data).

Analyze Data (Select appropriate graphical or numerical methods & analyze the data).

Interpret Results (Interpret the analysis & relate interpretation back to original question).

Exploring the Census (Examples of Numerical Data)

The U.S. Census Bureau provided the following estimates of the annual income of individuals for the year 2008.

Income Range (in dollars) Number of Individuals (in millions)

0 - 4999 20.353

5000 - 9999 21.476

10000 - 14999 21.981

15000 - 19999 18.801

20000 - 24999 17.742

25000 - 29999 14.941

30000 - 34999 14.078

35000 - 39999 11.895

40000 - 44999 10.447

45000 - 49999 7.994

50000 - 54999 8.963

55000 - 59999 5.136

60000 - 64999 5.921

65000 - 69999 3.909

70000 - 74999 3.961

75000 - 79999 3.139

80000 - 84999 2.886

85000 - 89999 1.806

90000 - 94999 1.910

95000 - 99999 1.278

100000+ 13.215

Histogram

Histogram: A bar graph for which the categories are individual numbers or equal length intervals of numbers.

Line Graph

Line Graph: A graph in which adjacent data points are connected by a line. Appropriate for displaying “continuously varying” data.

Applying Percentiles & Median

From examining this graph, we can easily see that the average (specifically, the median) income of individuals in the USA in 2008 was about $25,000, and that an income of $75,000  per year would place the earner at approximately the 90th percentile .

Type of Pet Number of Households Number of Pets

Bird 5.7 million 16.2 million

Cat 38.9 million 86.4 million

Dog 46.3 million 78.2 million

Equine 2.4 million 7.9 million

Fish, Freshwater 11.9 million 151.1 million

Fish, Saltwater 0.7 million 8.6 million

Reptile 4.6 million 13.0 million

Small Animal 5.0 million 16.0 million

Exploring the Census (Examples of Categorical Data)

Bar Graphs

Bar Graph: Shows relative sizes of various categories quickly.

Pie Charts

Pie Charts: Uses a subdivided circle to show how data partition into categories.

Using Census in Business

There are many ways different businesses use the data of the US Census To study their industry Gauge the competition Calculate Market Share Locate business in an area Expand their business to a new market

Gauge the Competition

To see how their company is doing compared to the rest of the companies in the same industry For example:

A manufacturer compares statistics for his company with figures from other companies

Realizes that his company is was achieving lower numbers than the competition

The data allowed him to speak to the board of directors and change how they operate

Calculate Market Share

By looking at the Census under the same industry a company can calculate its part of the market share For example:

A Restaurant supplier calculated its own market share by taking its own sales divided by state totals for similar businesses

The owner realized he held 11% of the market share

This can help business owners pick a target when expanded to other locations

Locate Business Markets

Finding the best market for a product For example:

A new product maker looks for the best companies to present his new product to

By looking at the census, he could find the top growing companies and market to them and their specifics

The product could also be targeted towards other companies in that area by looking at the census

Enhance Business Opportunities Census data can be used to help get

loans from the bank or Investors By showing data to the bank or investors

that backs up the need for the loan For example,

A person wants to open up a tailoring shop geared towards women with careers

They could provide the loan company with Census information showing how the area is saturated with women in managerial positions

Research

Scientists and researchers use census data to see how one set of criteria effect the other set For example,

Researchers could take a piece of data like how what industry is each state’s main industry and then compare it to how that particular state’s representatives vote on certain issues

References

http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/ec97use2.htm

http://www.census.gov Graphic Presentation Using Census Data