TITLE VI DATA COLLECTION
WHY DO WE NEED DATA?

It’s Required

• States must provide for such methods of administration . . . to give 

reasonable guarantee of compliance. 49 C.F.R. §21.7(b).

• States must collect statistical data on affected persons. 23 C.F.R. §

200.9(b)(4).

• Recipients collect and make available to FHWA racial and ethnic data 

showing effects of programs and activities. 49 C.F.R. § 21.9(b).

• Internal and external program reviews. 23 C.F.R. § 200.9(b)(5), (7). 2
WHY DO WE NEED DATA?

Can we ask people for or otherwise collect demographic 

information? Isn’t that prohibited? 

You can. You must. 

2

49 C.F.R. §21.7(b)

• 23 C.F.R. § 200.9(b)(4)

49 C.F.R. § 21.9(b)

• 23 C.F.R. § 200.9(b)(7),

23 C.F.R. § 200.9(b)(5),
It’s a Good Idea

• Data is the foundation for disparate impact

analysis.

• Demographic data is crucial, but it must be 

paired with other information on impacts.

• Systematic reviews require more than one

year of study. 

WHY DO WE NEED DATA?

Action

Analysis

Reliable Data
HOW DO WE USE DATA?

• Title VI analysis involves pairing two things:

Demographics +

• For example:

1. Decennial Census + Noise Impacted Residences

2. ACS + Vital Documents to be Translated

3. Relocatee Demographic Surveys + Relocation Financial Data

4. Public Meeting Attendees + Overall Area Population 4

Impact or Benefit
WHERE DO WE FIND THE DATA?

1. Demographic

• U.S. Census – ACS and Decennial

• Other public sources

• Surveys – written or visual

2. Financial

3. Other Sources

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• Differences between the Decennial (10-year) Census and the ACS:

Decennial Census American Community Survey

When? Every 10 Years Every Year – Aggregated every 5 

year period

How long? Short Long

Who? Completed for every 

person in every household

Completed through a random 

sample of households

What? Primarily measures total 

population

Measures socio-economic 

characteristics

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DEMOGRAPHIC DATA – US 

CENSUS PRODUCTS
AMERICAN 

COMMUNITY 

SURVEYCTURE

OF U.S. CENSUS 

PRODUCTS
DECENNIAL 

CENSUS
CENSUS GEOGRAPHIES
CENSUS GEOGRAPHIES

Geographical 

Unit

Geographic

Properties

Approximate 

Population Size

Tract • Area roughly equivalent to a large neighborhood

below city/county level

• Between 1,200 and 8,000 people, with 

4,000 considered optimum

Block Group • Each tract contains at least one BG

• Smallest unit of measure for ACS

• Between 600 and 3,000 people, with 

1,500 considered optimum

Block • Smallest area unit, but large variation. No smaller 

than 30k square feet, but some very large in 

unpopulous areas

• Large variation in population. 

• Size can change between decennial Census’

• Between 0 and 600 people. 

AMERICAN FACT FINDER

• Factfinder.census.gov

• 2010 Census: Table P9

• 5 year ACS: Table B03002
AMERICAN FACT FINDER

DECENNIAL TABLES

Table P9: Hispanic or Latino, Not 

Hispanic or Latino by Race

• First lists Hispanic or Latino 

population

• Next lists “Not Hispanic or Latino” 

populations

• Then lists Not Hispanic or Latino, 

“Two or More Races” for up to 5 

races
AMERICAN FACT FINDER

ACS TABLES

Table B03002: Hispanic or Latino 

Origin by Race, 5-Year Estimates

• Same Race/Ethnicity structure as table P9 • Notice the column for “Margin of Error.” 

The ACS is sample (3.5m people out of 

318m total). Census uses a 90% confidence 

level by default for this MOE. 

• ACS is where Limited English Proficiency is 

found

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ACS – LIMITED ENGLISH 

PROFICIENCY

Table B16001: Language Spoken at 

Home by Ability to Speak English 

for the Population 5 Years and Over, 

5-Year Estimates

• Divides data into whether persons speak 

English “very well” or “less than very well. “ 

The latter is our useful category. 

• ACS Margin of Error

• Large number of languages captured, but 

may need to supplement
CENSUS DATA INTERPRETATION

A few tips on interpreting the Census

• Title VI analysis regards each population on its own. Some 

sources (E.g. EJ Screen) allow for aggregation of all “minority” 

groups.

• Advise using the Decennial Census as starting point for head 

count.

• If the data is gathered/summarized by someone else, check the 

source and the methods.

• Blocks can contain 0 – 600 people, and comparing blocks to 

one another on a heat map is not advisable. 16
CENSUS-BASED MAPS

• NY TIMES

• UVA DOT MAP

• EJSCREEN

• OTHER RESOURCES

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CENSUS-BASED MAPS

Two main types of population maps:

1. Heat 

(choropleth) 

maps

• Useful for one population category at a time

• Not as useful for block-level data

2. Dot-density 

maps

• Useful for multiple population categories at once

• “Self-normalizing,” so population size, density, and 

comparative map coloring easy to understand and not 

misleading
EJSCREEN

HTTPS://EJSCREEN.EPA.GOV/MAPPER/

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EJ SCREEN

• 2010 and 2000 Decennial 

Census, 2011-2015 ACS

• Heat maps with many view 

options. Not fast. 

• Geography type based on zoom 

level.

• Useful for choropleth maps of all 

kinds
NYTIMES 2010 CENSUS MAP

HTTP://WWW.NYTIMES.COM/PROJECTS/CENSUS/2010/MAP.HTML

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NYTIMES 2010 CENSUS MAP

• 2010 Decennial Data

• Flexible, fast heat and dot density 

maps

• Limited to Tract Level. Dot map 

maximum zoom is 1 dot / 25 

people

• Useful for a quick survey
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA RACIAL DOT 

MAP 

HTTPS ://DEMOGRAPHICS.VIRGINIA.EDU/DOTMAP/

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2010 Data

1 dot for each person

Source code available on GitHub

UVA RACIAL DOT MAP

• 2010 Decennial Data

• Fast dot density maps

• Measures block-level data. Dot 

map maximum zoom is 1 dot / 

25 people

• Zoom level may be limiting

• Useful for a quick survey

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SOFTWARE MAP EXAMPLE - QGIS

HTTPS://QGIS.ORG/EN/SITE /

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2010 Data

1 dot for each person

Source code available on GitHub

GIS SOFTWARE MAP 

EXAMPLE - QGIS

• Free Geographic Information 

System (GIS) software. States 

and local entities will often use 

other licensed software such as 

ArcGIS. 

• Most GIS software can create 

heat and dot maps.

• Maximum flexibility. Easy with 

practice. 
DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS

Surveys are necessary when:

1. Demographic data isn’t available through the Census. E.g. 

LEP data at block level, particular national origins

2. You need to know demographics for a particular event or 

action. E.g. public meeting attendees

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Some things to consider:

• Does your State collect demographic survey responses during 

key state actions? E.g. ROW, public involvement, NEPA. 

• How is race and ethnicity categorized? 

• Are you meeting people “where they are?”

• Once the data is received, what does the agency do with it?

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DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEYS
Examples

1. Finance Systems Analyzing distribution of projects or program benefits 

per population 

2. Relocation Data Analyzing disparities in right-of-way / relocation 

benefits among demographic groups 

3. Prequalification 

Data

Analyzing distribution of contracts among race / 

ethnicity of ownership

4. NEPA 

Documents

Analyzing a variety of specific project impacts on 

different populations, including air quality, noise, and 

impacts by project alternative.

OTHER SOURCES
OTHER SOURCES

Where are you data rich? Where are you poor?

When you contact the public...

When you directly increase their noise levels...

When you relocate them...

When you contract with their businesses...

When you reroute their pedestrian paths...
...when you affect the public...

...do you know anything about 

them?
THANK YOU