U.S. Census Bureau 1

Highlights

Population

Marital status

Place of birth, citizenship, and

 year of entry

School enrollment and

 educational attainment

Ancestry

Migration (residence in 1995)

Language spoken at home and

 ability to speak English

Veteran status

Disability

Grandparents as caregivers

Labor force status

Place of work and journey to work

Occupation, industry, and class of worker

Work status in 1999

Income in 1999

Housing

Value of home or monthly rent paid

Units in structure

Year structure built

Number of rooms and number

 of bedrooms

Year moved into residence

Plumbing and kitchen facilities

Telephone service

Vehicles available

Heating fuel

Farm residence

Utilities, mortgage, taxes,

 insurance, and fuel costs

100-percent characteristics: A limited number of questions are asked of

every person and housing unit in the United States. Information is available on:

Household relationship Race

Sex Tenure (whether the home is owned or rented)

Age Vacancy characteristics

Hispanic or Latino origin

Information Available From the 22nd Census

of Population and Housing

Sample characteristics: Additional questions are asked of a sample

(generally 1-in-6) of persons and housing units. Data are provided on:

Census 2000 is the largest peacetime effort in the history of the United

States. Information about the 118 million housing units and 275 million

people across the United States will be available in a variety of formats and

media, including the Internet, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and printed reports. This

brochure provides a brief introduction to the information available from

Census 2000, Census 2000 geography, maps, and data products. Visit our

Web site at http://www.census.gov for more information.

Census of

Population and

Housing Topics, p. 1.

Includes 100-percent

and sample characteristics.

Census 2000

Geographic

Areas, p. 2.

Understanding

the relationships

among U.S.

Census Bureau

geographic entities.

Census 2000

Data Products

Available in Many

Forms, p. 3.

Internet access

CD-ROM, DVD

Printed reports

Maps and

Geographic

Products, p. 4.

Internet access

CD-ROM, DVD

Print-on-demand

Introduction to

2000 Census 2000 Data Products

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Issued September 2000

MSO/00-CDPRV
2 U.S. Census Bureau

Census 2000

Geographic Areas

American Indian/Alaska Native

areas and Hawaiian home lands.

These areas include the legal federally recognized American Indian

reservations, off-reservation trust

land entities, tribal subdivisions,

Alaska Native Regional Corporations,

and Hawaiian home lands. These

areas also include the tribal-designated statistical areas, Oklahoma

tribal statistical areas, and Alaska

Native village statistical areas that

are defined for federally recognized

tribes without a legal land base. The

boundaries of federally recognized

American Indian and Alaska Native

areas are provided by the tribal

governments. The State of Hawaii

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

provides the boundaries for Hawaiian

home lands. The boundaries of

state-recognized American Indian

reservations and state-designated

American Indian statistical areas (for

state-recognized tribes without a

reservation) are provided by a state

liaison designated by the state's

governor.

Blocks. Generally bounded by

streets, legal boundaries, and other

features, a block is the smallest geographic unit for which the Census

Bureau tabulates data. Approximately 8.5 million blocks are identified in Census 2000.

Block groups (BGs). Block groups

are a collection of census blocks

within a census tract, sharing the

same first digit of their four-digit

identifying numbers.

Census tracts. These small statistical subdivisions (averaging about

4,000 persons) of counties generally

have stable boundaries and, when

first established, were designed to

have relatively homogeneous

demographic characteristics.

Counties and equivalent areas.

These are the primary divisions of

most states, Puerto Rico, and the

Island Areas. They include counties

in 48 states; parishes in Louisiana;

boroughs and census areas in

Alaska; municipios in Puerto Rico;

independent cities in Maryland,

Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia; and

other entities in the Island Areas.

Metropolitan areas (MAs). An

MA consists of a large population

nucleus of 50,000 population or

greater, together with adjacent

communities having a high degree

of social and economic integration

with that core. Metropolitan areas

comprise at least one county, except

in New England, where cities and

towns are the basic geographic units.

Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs)/

Census County Divisions (CCDs).

MCDs are legally defined county

subdivisions such as towns and

townships. In 21 states where MCDs

do not exist or are not adequate for

reporting subcounty statistics, the

Census Bureau, in cooperation with

state and local officials, delineates

county subdivisions known as

Census County Divisions.

Places. Incorporated places are

concentrations of population such

as cities, that have legally prescribed

boundaries, powers, and functions.

Other population centers without

legally defined corporate limits or

corporate powers are defined by the

Census Bureau in cooperation with

state officials and local data users.

These are called Census-Designated

Places and are identified in data

tables by the acronym CDP following

the place name.

States and equivalent areas.

Besides the 50 states, the Census

Bureau treats the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas

(the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam,

American Samoa, and the Northern

Mariana Islands) as state equivalents

for statistical presentation.

Urban areas. Urban areas consist

of urbanized areas (UAs) and other

urban entities. A UA consists of

densely settled territory with a

population of 50,000 or more inhabitants. Other urban areas have

from 2,500 to 49,999 population.

Voting districts. Voting districts

represent areas created for the purpose of conducting elections. They

include election districts, precincts,

wards, polling areas, and other types

of electoral units submitted to the

Census Bureau by states participating

in the Redistricting Data Program.

ZIP Code Tabulation Area

(ZCTATM). ZCTAs are approximate

representations of five- or three-digit

U.S. Postal Service ZIP Code service

areas. ZCTAs are composed of census

blocks and represent the majority ZIP

Code for addresses within a census

block.

Census Small-Area Geography

Understanding the Relationships Among U.S. Census Bureau Geographic Entities

County

Minor Civil Divison (MCD) or

Census County Division (CCD) Place

Block Block Group Census Tract
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Census 2000 Data

Products Available

in Many Forms

Census 2000 Data Products

The decennial census yields a

wealth of data, which have virtually

unlimited applications. A complete

line of Census 2000 data products

will soon be available to meet these

requirements.

Detailed results of Census 2000 will

be contained in a series of five files

that you can access through the

Internet and on CD-ROM or DVD.

Several related electronic and print

products include Demographic

Profiles of most geographic areas;

Quick Tables that allow users to

choose from among approximately

50 table shells, then specify the

geographic area and the universe or

population subgroup (such as the

African American or the Hispanic

population); and approximately 30

Geographic Comparison Tables

that will enable users to compare

key data items across geographic

areas. In addition, there will be

three series of reports available

in print and in Portable Document

Format (PDF) on the Internet.

Internet. For easy access to all

Census 2000 information, click

on American FactFinderTM on the

Census Bureau’s home page

(www.census.gov). Generally, most

data products will be released first

on the Internet, followed by subsequent releases in other formats.

CD-ROM and DVD. Most Census

2000 tabulations and maps will be

available on CD-ROMs and/or DVDs.

Viewing software will be included.

CD-ROMs may be ordered by phone

through the Census Bureau’s

Customer Services Center on

301-457-4100, or by clicking on

Catalog from the Census Bureau’s

home page.

Printed reports will be sold

through the U.S. Government

Printing Office. Much of the

information in these series will be

available earlier in other data

products.

The following release dates are

preliminary and may be revised later.

Census 2000 Redistricting

(Public Law 94-171) Summary

File. The first Census 2000 data

files to be released will be the

information required for local

redistricting. The data will include

tabulations for the total population

and the population 18 years old and

over for 63 race categories, Hispanic

or Latino, and race by not Hispanic

or Latino. Detailed tabulations will

present data down to the block level,

and will be available through the

Internet and through two CD-ROM

series (state and national files).

One Quick Table and a Geographic

Comparison Table will be based on

this redistricting file.

Note: The Public Law 94-171

numbers are expected to reflect

corrections for possible overcounts

and undercounts using measurements from the Accuracy and

Coverage Evaluation survey. To fulfill the requirements of Public Law

105-119 (enacted in 1997), the

Census Bureau also must make

publicly available a second version

of these data that does not include

the statistical corrections for

overcounts and undercounts measured in the Accuracy and Coverage

Evaluation.

Planned release date:

March 2001

Summary File 1 (SF 1) presents

counts and basic cross-tabulations

of information collected from all

people and housing units. This

information includes age, sex, race,

Hispanic or Latino origin, household

relationship, and whether the

residence is owned or rented. Data

will be available down to the block

level for many tabulations, but only

to the census-tract level for others.

Summaries will also be included

for other geographic areas such as

ZCTAs and Congressional Districts.

Related products include Demographic Profiles that will give a

snapshot of the geographic area;

Quick Tables; Geographic Comparison Tables, and the first of the

printed report series. (See below.)

Planned release date:

June 2001-June 2002

Summary File 2 (SF 2) will also

contain 100-percent population and

housing characteristics, but the

tables in this file will be iterated for

a selected list of detailed race and

Hispanic- or Latino-origin groups, as

well as American Indian and Alaska

Native tribes. For this file, the lowest

level of geography will be the census

tract, and there will be a populationsize threshold before information is

shown for a particular group. Various

Quick Tables and Geographic Comparison Tables will be derived from

Summary File 2.

Planned release date:

September 2001-July 2002

Summary File 3 (SF 3) will be

the first release of the information

collected on a sample basis. Data

will be provided down to the block

group for many tabulations but only

down to the census tract for others.

SF 3 will also include data by ZIP

Code Tabulation Area and Congressional District. Related products

include a three-page profile report,

various Quick Tables and Geographic

Comparison Tables, and a printed

report series, developed from the

sample data.

Planned release date:

June-September 2002

Summary File 4 (SF 4) will include

tabulations of the population and

housing data collected from a

sample of the population. Just as in

Summary File 2, the tables on SF 4

will be iterated for a selected list of

race and Hispanic- or Latino-origin

groups, for American Indian and

Alaska Native tribes, as well as for

ancestry groups. Various Quick

Tables and Geographic Comparison

Tables will be derived from Summary

File 4.

Planned release date:

October 2002-February 2003

Microdata

Microdata allow users to prepare

their own customized tabulations

and cross tabulations of most

population and housing subjects,

using specially prepared microdata

files. These files are the actual
4 U.S. Census Bureau

responses to census questionnaires,

but with names or addresses

removed and the geography sufficiently broad to protect confidentiality. Two ways to access

microdata will be available.

Public Use Microdata Sample

(PUMS) Files. Two PUMS files are

planned for release on CD-ROM: a

1-percent and a 5-percent sample.

Planned release date:

1-percent file: 2002

5-percent file: 2003

Advance Query Function. Users

of the American FactFinderTM will be

able to prepare tabulations online,

using the full database of all individual responses, subject to restrictions and filters required to protect

the confidentiality of individual

responses.

Printed Reports

There will be three series of printed

reports with one report per state

and a national summary volume.

Summary Population and

Housing Characteristics (PHC-1).

This series, containing information

collected on a 100-percent basis,

will present information for states,

counties, places, and other areas.

Comparable to the 1990 CPH-1

report, Summary Population and

Housing Characteristics, it will also

be available on the Internet.

Planned release date: 2002

Summary Social, Economic, and

Housing Characteristics (PHC-2).

This publication will include information on the sample population and

housing subjects for the same

geographic areas and information

and will be comparable to the 1990

CPH-5 census report series, Summary Social, Economic, and Housing

Characteristics (1990 CPH-5). It will

also be available on the Internet.

Planned release date: 2003

Population and Housing Unit

Totals (PHC-3). This publication

includes population and housing unit

totals for Census 2000 as well as the

1990 and 1980 censuses. Information on area measurements and

population density will be included.

This series will include one printed

report for each state plus a national

report; it will also be available on the

Internet.

Planned release date: 2003

Maps and Geographic

Products

A variety of maps, boundary files,

and other geographic products will

be available to help users locate and

identify geographic areas. These

products will be available in various

media such as the Internet, CD-ROM,

DVD, and, in the case of maps, as

print-on-demand products.

TIGER/Line® files. These files

contain geographic boundaries and

codes, streets, address ranges, and

coordinates for use with geographic

information systems for mapping

and other applications.

Planned release date: 2001

Census block maps. These maps

show the boundaries, names, and

codes for American Indian/Alaska

Native areas, and Hawaiian home

lands, states, counties, county

subdivisions, places, census tracts,

and census blocks. This map series

will also be produced by specified

governmental units (e.g., American

Indian and Alaska Native areas, and

Hawaiian home lands, counties,

incorporated places, and functioning

minor civil divisions).

Planned release date: 2001

Census tract outline maps. These

county maps show the boundaries

and numbers of census tracts and

names of features underlying the

boundaries. They also show the

boundaries, names, and codes for

American Indian and Alaska Native

areas, counties, county subdivisions,

and places.

Planned release date: 2001

Reference maps. This series

of tabulation reference map types

shows the boundaries for tabulations areas including: states, counties, American Indian reservations,

county subdivisions (MCDs/CCDs)

incorporated places, and CensusDesignated Places. This series

includes the state and county

subdivision outline maps, urbanized

area maps, and metropolitan area

maps. These maps vary in size from

wall to page size.

Planned release date: 2001-2003

Generalized boundary files.

These files are designed for use in

a geographic information system

(GIS) or similar computer mapping

software. Boundary files are available for most levels of census

geography.

Planned release date: 2001-2002

Statistical maps. Census 2000

data will be displayed on colorful

maps on such topics as population

density and population distribution.

Planned release date: 2001-2003

For More Information About

Census 2000 and Census 2000

Data Products:

Visit the Census Bureau's Internet

site at http://www.census.gov or

call our Customer Services Center

at 301-457-4100.

Visit your local library. Many

major university and public

libraries participate in the Federal

Depository Library Program and

receive copies of Census Bureau

reports and CD-ROMs.

Call or visit one of 1,800 state

and local planning groups,

libraries, chambers of commerce,

and others that participate in a

Census Bureau data center

program. For a complete list see:

http://www.census.gov/clo.

Call or visit a Census Bureau

Regional Office. For the address

and phone number of the regional

office near you, visit:

www.census.gov/field/www/.