Census 2000 Summary File 3 Product Profile www.census.gov 1

a data products update from the U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

2003 Product Profile

PRODPR/03-1

Issued May 2003

www.census.gov

SF 3 at a Glance Census 2000 Summary File 3

• Key socioeconomic and

 housing data from Census

 2000.

• Measures of economic

 well-being.

• Key tables repeated for

 Hispanic and major race

 groups.

• Complete U.S. coverage,

 plus Puerto Rico.

• Block group and tract

 geography.

• All 813 SF 3 statistical

 tables on the Web and on

 CD-ROM and DVD.

• Powerful, easy-to-use

 software on CD-ROM and

 DVD.

Who We Are, How We Live

In Census 2000, the nation learned many

facts about our 281 million residents:

• About 54 percent of us were married;

10 percent of us were divorced.

• Over 80 percent of us reported having a

high school diploma or a higher degree.

• Our median household income was about

$42,000.

• Almost 76 percent of us drove alone to

work; 12 percent carpooled.

• About 35 percent of our homes were built

before 1960.

• Over half of American homes rely on gas as

a heating fuel.

We learned all this and more from the data

collected on the long form used in Census

2000 – and you can obtain such facts for your

community and neighborhood. Of course, in

your neighborhood, community, or state, the

proportions may differ. For example,

commuting patterns in New York City and Los

Angeles differ greatly.

Since Census 2000 is our first “Internet

census,” all these data are available free

to you on the Census Bureau’s Web site

http://www.census.gov.

Employment, home ownership, commuting,

education, income and poverty, housing costs

and value, disability – these are topics that

drive America’s headlines, occupy

policymakers and analysts, and concern the

public as well. They are likewise among the

topics found on the Census 2000 long-form

questionnaire.

Summary File 3 Offers Detailed

Long-Form Data

The U.S. Census Bureau has released

Summary File 3 (SF 3) – the first files with

detailed long-form statistics from Census

2000, representing the input of 19 million

households weighted to reflect the entire

population.

SF 3 is arguably the most popular file from

the census. The data are drawn from your

responses to 52 “sample” questions asked in

Census 2000. Everyone counted in the

census answered basic questions on age,

sex, race, Hispanic origin, household

relationship, and renter/owner status – the

so-called “short-form” questions. A sample of

the population (nationally about one in six

households) received the long form and

answered additional questions on income,

education, commuting, and so forth.

Why Do You Ask?

During Census 2000, people often asked

us why we asked them questions like those

on disability and the number of bedrooms.

Questions appear on the census

questionnaire only if they are mandated or

required by legislative or programmatic

needs. For a discussion of the laws or

programs underlying Census 2000

questions, users can visit the Census

Bureau Web site at

http://www.census.gov/dmd/www

/content.htm.

Curious about how the 2000 questionnaire

differs from the 1990 version? You’ll find

that information on the Web at http://

www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000

/90vs00.html.
2 www.census.gov Product Profile Census 2000 Summary File 3

Figure 1. Census 2000 Gateway

SF 3 contains 813 detailed tables,

divided into 484 population tables

(on marital status, education, income,

commuting, and so forth) and 329

housing tables (on number of rooms,

year structure built, value of home,

shelter costs, and the like).

Fifty-one tables are repeated for nine

major race and Hispanic or Latino

groups:

• White alone.

• Black or African American alone.

• American Indian and Alaska Native

alone.

• Asian alone.

• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific

Islander alone.

• Some other race alone.

• Two or more races.

• Hispanic or Latino.

• White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.

Figure 2. Table Types in Summary File 3

Repeated

for race and

Hispanic/Latino

16

15

0

20

Table

prefix

P

PCT

H

HCT

Content

Population

Population

Housing

Housing

Smallest

geographic area

Block group

Census tract

Block group

Census tract

Number

of tables

288

196

121

208

The Census Bureau previously

released Summary Files 1 and 2, with

data based on the short-form

questions. Summary File 1 provided

these data down to the level of

As the chart below shows, there are

four kinds of tables, distinguished by

content and geography. The chart also

shows the 51 tables repeated for the 9

race and Hispanic or Latino groups

identified below.

census blocks; Summary File 2

provided these data for up to 249

population groups (many as a result of

the multirace option, used for the first

time in the multirace census).

Like Summary File 3, Summary File 4

will provide sample data from Census

2000, with tables repeated for

population groups (race and Hispanic

groups, as in Summary File 2, plus 86

ancestry groups). There are 336 total

repetitions.

Understanding the Data Tables in SF 3

Your “gateway” to Census 2000 is

http://www.census.gov/main/www

/cen2000.html.

The gateway page on the Census

Bureau’s Web site gives you one-stop

access to Census 2000 data files (such

as Summary File 3) and information

about the way we conducted the census,

the data release schedule, the various

data products, and what you need to

understand and use data from the

census.
Census 2000 Summary File 3 Product Profile www.census.gov 3

Figure 3. SF 3 Table Subjects

Note: Asterisk denotes tables repeated for nine race and Hispanic/Latino origin groups.

For a detailed breakdown of the tables found in SF 3, see the Summary Table Outlines,

Chapter 6 of the Census 2000 Summary File 3 Technical Documentation.

Ancestry X

Basic population totals X* X

Disability X X*

Educational attainment X* X

Employment status X* X*

Grandparents as caregivers X

Households and families X* X

Income in 1999 (family and nonfamily) X* X

Income in 1999 (household) X* X*

Income in 1999 (individuals) X* X*

Industry, occupation, and class of worker X

Journey to work (commuting) X X*

Language and ability to speak English X X*

Marital status X X

Migration X X*

Place of birth, citizenship status,

 and year of entry X X*

Place of work X

Poverty status in 1999 (family) X* X

Poverty status in 1999 (household) X*

Poverty status (individuals) X* X*

School enrollment X* X

Urban and rural X

Veteran status X X*

Bedrooms X

Contract rent X

Gross rent X X*

Gross rent, as a percentage of

 household income in 1999 X X*

House heating fuel X X

Housing units X

Housing value X X*

Kitchen facilities X X*

Meals included in rent X

Mortgage status X X*

Occupants per room X X*

Occupancy status X

Plumbing facilities X X*

Price asked X

Rent asked X

Rooms X

Selected monthly owner costs X X*

Selected monthly owner costs, as a

 percentage of household income in 1999 X X*

Telephone service available X X*

Tenure X X

Units in structure X X*

Urban and rural X

Vacancy status X

Vehicle availability X X*

Year householder moved into unit X X*

Year structure built X

When to Use SF 1, When to

Use SF 3

The long form was sent to a sample of

the population, and the answers of

these respondents have been given

weights to produce estimates for the

total population. Particularly in small

places, census tracts, and block

groups, users may observe differences

in the population totals shown in SF 1

and SF 3. For example, Kent County,

Delaware, has 34 census tracts; in 18,

the weighted population (SF 3) is

different from the 100-percent population (SF 1). Tract 401 has a weighted

population of 5,321 and a 100-percent

population of 5,337.

The SF 1 tables provide the official

census count of the number of people

in an area. The SF 3 tables provide

estimates of the characteristics of the

total population. The total number of

people shown in the SF 3 table (Table

P1) is provided for use as the denominator, or base, for calculating proportions. The SF 3 tables give the best

estimates of the proportion of people

with a particular characteristic, but

SF 1provides the official count of how

many people are in the area. SF 3

provides both numbers: Table P1 gives

the weighted total population, P2 gives

the unweighted sample count, and P3

gives the 100-percent count of the

population.

When dealing with items collected on

the short form (for example, total

population, the number of people

reporting their race or Hispanic origin,

the number of housing units, or the

number of owners and renters) users

should always view the SF 1 numbers

as the official count. For larger places,

counties, and states, the weighted

numbers and the official numbers will

usually agree. But in the case of smaller

areas, you should use SF 1 as the

source of reliable numbers.

Population subjects P tables:

block group

and census tract

PCT tables:

census tract

Housing subjects H tables:

block group

and census tract

HCT tables:

census tract
4 www.census.gov Product Profile Census 2000 Summary File 3

Internet Access Through

American FactFinder

Visit the Census Bureau’s awardwinning Web site http://

www.census.gov and click on the

American FactFinder (AFF) for access

to data from SF 3. AFF gives several

easy-to-use options for using SF 3:

Quick Tables gives you a set of key

variables for areas down to the level

of census tract or block group.

Quick Tables are especially helpful in

trying to sort through the data in a file

this large.

Geographic Comparison Tables lets

you see how your state, city, county,

minor civil division, township, or

census tract stacks up in comparison

to others according to key variables.

Thematic Maps lets you display the

data in a map format.

Detailed Tables (Figure 4) gives you

direct access to all the SF 3 tables – all

813 tables.

AFF also gives you access to the

technical documentation and other

reference information to assist you in

using the file. Be sure to look at the

Summary File 3 overview page

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release

/www/2002/sumfile3.html for links to

the documentation, the FTP site, and

other useful pages. Especially valuable

on this page is a search tool that lets

you access Census 2000 and related

data for each state. If your focus is on

just one state, this is the page to

consult.

Finally, great news for users interested

in 1990/2000 comparisons! The 1990

Summary Tape File 3 is in the

American FactFinder – with all the

special tools: Quick Tables, Thematic

Maps, and Detailed Tables.

FactFinder Tip #1 – “Geo

Within Geo”

The “geo within geo” button lets you

select all areas of a certain type and

display them for the entire nation,

state, county, and so forth. You should

use this option if, for example, you

need national level summaries of

counties, metro areas, American

Indian areas, or three-digit ZCTAs.

This feature would allow you to

display all tracts in a state – provided

the total doesn’t exceed 7,000

entities. (For summaries of areas

Geography in SF 3

Summary File 3 is packed with data

for many kinds of geographic areas. It

serves users interested in the macro

view (for example, the United States

as a whole or entire states) and the

micro view (census tracts and census

block groups), as well as all areas in

between.

It gives you a summary of geographic

areas (for example, all census tracts in

a county) or parts of areas (for

example, parts of counties in a

congressional district or part of an

Indian reservation within a state).

State Files. SF 3 has been released as

a series of state files, with a final U.S.

summary. There also is a file for the

District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The table designs are standard for each

kind of geographic area. You can obtain

SF 3 on a CD-ROM for each state or all

the state files on two DVDs (see the

order form on page 8). The software on

the DVDs will allow you to generate

national or regional totals for geographic

areas such as ZCTAs and metro areas,

regardless of state.

U.S. File. The national file provides

summaries for higher levels of

geography and covers the entire

country. This file is designed for users

who need to produce national or

regional summaries of an area (e.g.,

all ZCTAs nationwide). They will find it

easier to generate these figures using

the national file on DVD or the “all

states” file on DVD rather than the

individual state files on CD-ROM.

Geographic areas shown include –

• United States

• Census Regions

• Census Divisions

• States

• District of Columbia

• Puerto Rico

• Counties

• Metropolitan Areas

• Urban Areas

• County Subdivsions

• Places

• Consolidated Cities

• ZIP Code Tabulation Areas

• Congressional Districts (106th)

• American Indian Areas

• Alaska Native Areas

• Hawaiian Home Lands

• Census Tracts

• Block Groups

exceeding this limit, you must use the

DVD version of the data set.)

FactFinder Tip #2 – Search

by Subject or Keyword

Plowing through all 813 tables in SF 3

to find just the tables that show

“occupants per room,” for example, is

a laborious, error-prone process. Find

the tables you need fast by searching

on subjects or keywords. Subject

search gives you a set of topics we

think are important. Keyword search

lets you make the call and enter your

own topic of interest. After you select

the geography you need, look for the

search tool on the page that lets you

select the tables you need. (This

feature also works for Thematic

Maps.)

Download Data From

American FactFinder or

FTP

Every AFF data page has a “Download”

tab through which you can download

these files as .csv or tab-delimited files

into a spreadsheet program like Excel

or Lotus or a database program like

Access or dBASE. Downloads of

detailed tables offer additional

options. They allow you to input the

data into a database format with

labels or no labels, just the commadelimited numbers.

In addition, ASCII files in a zipped

format are available free on the

Internet via File Transfer Protocol

(FTP). Note that these files do not

come with viewing software. Given the

size of the files and the speed of your

modem and Internet connection,

downloading a file may be a timeconsuming process. We are unable to

offer technical support for the ASCII

files or consult with individual users on

the problems they may encounter

reading the files, but we have

developed a helpful set of instructions

for using the ASCII files in Access 97

http://www.census.gov/support

/SF3ASCII.html.
Census 2000 Summary File 3 Product Profile www.census.gov 5

Figure 4. Go to American FactFinder for Detailed SF 3

Data – Down to the Block Group or Census Tract Level

2. Once you’ve selected a table

or tables, go to the “Download”

tab in the AFF menu and you

can easily download the data

as a compressed or “zipped”

.csv or .xls file. Once you unzip

the file, you can then open it in

a spreadsheet or database

software. At this point, you can

manipulate the data to detect

the trends. For example, you

learn that 14 tracts in New

York County have over 1,000

households with a household

income of $200,000 or more.

(Note: $200,000 is the

topmost income level.)

1. Using American FactFinder

(AFF) you can easily analyze

trends within your community –

for example, household income

for census tracts or block

groups. Here you use the “geo

within geo” feature to select all

296 census tracts in New York

County. You then select the

table or tables you want, in this

case, P52, household income in

1999.

(Note: In the census, income

data are collected for the year

before the census.)
6 www.census.gov Product Profile Census 2000 Summary File 3

Figure 5. Powerful Software on SF 3 CD-ROMs and DVDs

Lets You Control Retrieval and Output

1. Go to “Pick Geography” to

select the geography you want

to highlight – in this case, all

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas

(ZCTAs) in Iowa. Then the

software prompts you to pick a

table.

2. The “Simple Variables” tab,

shown here, lets you choose

the data elements you want –

in this case, mortgage status.

3. Then the software prompts

you to save the data to a file on

your hard drive.

4. After you save the data, you

are free to bring it up in a

spreadsheet or database

software for further

manipulation.

This tabulation summarizes

data on mortgage status for all

five-digit ZCTAs in Iowa.

(Note: ZCTAs are Census Bureau

approximations of ZIP Code

areas. They do not precisely

coincide with ZIP Code delivery

areas and do not include all ZIP

Codes used for mail delivery.

For more about these areas, see

the technical documentation.)
Census 2000 Summary File 3 Product Profile www.census.gov 7

Buy SF 3 on CD-ROM or

DVD

If you plan to make heavy use of SF 3

or to analyze data for more than a few

variables, you may want to consider

purchasing the SF 3 data on CD-ROM

or DVD. You may purchase discs by

contacting the Customer Services

Center at 301-763-INFO (4636).

The files on disc come with

proprietary software that operates on

desktop computers with Microsoft

Windows 95/98/2000/NT/XP

operating systems. The software

provides an expandable hierarchical

menu or equivalent for the selection of

one or more geographic areas. The

user software supports selection of

individual data items, complete data

tables, and geographic identifiers to

include in output files. Figure 5 shows

how to download and display SF 3

data from the CD-ROM or the DVD.

Users who want both the individual

state files and the national files will

have to buy them separately. The

state files come on two DVDs or on

separate CD-ROMs for each state. We

expect the national file to fit on one

DVD.

All the state files found on the FTP site

are available in the ASCII version on

DVD, again in zipped format. We

strongly recommend that users

purchase the software-enhanced

version of the SF 3 files. If users still

prefer to use the ASCII files, they

should consult the instructions we

have developed for using these files in

Access 97, accessible on the Internet

at http://www.census.gov/support

/SF3ASCII.html .

Census 2000 Maps

If you are planning to use data for

census tracts or census block groups,

you’ll need Census 2000 Maps,

available electronically on the Internet

(in PDF) and on paper:

Block Maps. Detailed maps (36" x

33") showing all levels of geography

down to the level of census blocks.

SF 3 does not contain data for census

blocks, but does contain data for

block groups, so these maps are the

ones to use if you’re studying such

areas. Maps are available for sale

from the Customer Services Center in

sets for counties, cities, minor civil

divisions, and other areas.

Census Tract Outline Maps. Maps

(36" x 33") showing the boundaries of

census tracts, ideal for most users.

Maps are available for sale by county

from the Customer Services Center.

Order Discs and Maps

Online or Call!

To order discs, you can use the order

form in this profile or contact the

Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636). For either

discs or maps, contact the Customer

Services Center. Note that all the SF 3

state files also are available in an ASCII

version available on DVD, although we

recommend that users purchase the

software-enhanced version.

Need to keep up to date on other

Census 2000 files? You can subscribe

to the Census Product Update, a

biweekly e-mail and online newsletter,

available free from the Census Bureau.

Come to http://www.census.gov/mp

/www/cpu.html to sign up or to view

the newsletter online.

For More Information

• Visit the Census Bureau’s

Internet site at http://

www.census.gov, or call our

Customer Services Center at

301-763-INFO (4636).

• Call or visit a Census Bureau

Regional Office. A complete

listing can be found at http://

www.census.gov/field/www/.

• Visit your local library. Many

major university and public

libraries participate in the

Federal Depository Library

Program and receive copies of

Census Bureau reports. For a

complete list, visit http://

www.gpo.gov/libraries.

• Call or visit any 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 of data centers,

visit http://www.census.gov

/dmd/www/groupcnr.htm/.

Users should also consult the

State Data Center Census 2000

profiles at

http://www.sdcbidc.iupui.edu

/Profiles/profiles.html.
Overseas Service — add $25.00

Check payable to Commerce-Census

 9 Census deposit account

Name: Date:

Company:

Address:

Phone: ( ) Fax: ( )

E-mail address:

Order Form

Yes! I want the Census 2000 Summary File 3. Please send me

the CD-ROMs and/or DVDs for the states I have chosen below.

I have enclosed $ (check or money order only)

for my selection or provided credit card information below.

METHOD OF PAYMENT (please check one) Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, or Discover account number:

Expiration date: Month/Year: /

Name on card:

Signature:

TOTAL $

(City, state, ZIP Code) (No P.O. boxes)

SUBTOTAL $

Note: Although the Census Bureau recommends that users purchase the software-enhanced version of SF 3, we also make SF 3 available in ASCII

format on the Internet http://www2.census.gov/census_2000/datasets/Summary_File_3 and on DVD or CD-ROM.

To place your order by phone (have your credit card ready) or for further information about Summary File 3 data products, please call our Customer

Services Center at 301-763-INFO (4636), fax your order toll-free to 888-249-7295, or access our Web site at http://www.census.gov and select

“Catalog.”

For mail orders only, complete this order form and send it with your payment to: U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Census Bureau (MS 0801)

P.O. Box 277943, Atlanta, GA 30384-7943

Number

of DVD, CD-ROM Price

States (per state) (per set) Quantity Total

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

CD-ROMs (Cont.)

Massachusetts 1 $50.00 $

Michigan 1 50.00

Minnesota 1 50.00

Mississippi 1 50.00

Missouri 1 50.00

Montana 1 50.00

Nebraska 1 50.00

Nevada 1 50.00

New Hampshire 1 50.00

New Jersey 1 50.00

New Mexico 1 50.00

New York 1 50.00

North Carolina 1 50.00

North Dakota 1 50.00

Ohio 1 50.00

Oklahoma 1 50.00

Oregon 1 50.00

Pennsylvania 1 50.00

Rhode Island 1 50.00

South Carolina 1 50.00

South Dakota 1 50.00

Tennessee 1 50.00

Texas 2 75.00

Utah 1 50.00

Vermont 1 50.00

Virginia 1 50.00

Washington 1 50.00

West Virginia 1 50.00

Wisconsin 1 50.00

Wyoming 1 50.00

Puerto Rico 1 50.00

Number

of DVD, CD-ROM Price

States (per state) (per set) Quantity Total

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

DVDs

Software Version 2 $105.00 $

(All states and Puerto Rico)

U.S. Summary 1 $70.00

ASCII Version 2 105.00

(All states and Puerto Rico)

U.S. Summary 1 70.00

CD-ROMs (Software Version)

U.S. Kit: All states 54 $1,570.00 $

Alabama 1 50.00

Alaska 1 50.00

Arizona 1 50.00

Arkansas 1 50.00

California 2 75.00

Colorado 1 50.00

Connecticut 2 75.00

Delaware 1 50.00

District of Columbia 1 50.00

Florida 1 50.00

Georgia 1 50.00

Hawaii 1 50.00

Idaho 1 50.00

Illinois 1 50.00

Indiana 1 50.00

Iowa 1 50.00

Kansas 1 50.00

Kentucky 1 50.00

Louisiana 1 50.00

Maine 1 50.00

Maryland 1 50.00

SUBTOTAL $