It is designed to aid not only sophisticated researchers, but also reporters, students, government policy-makers or amateur statisticians. The Current Population Survey, which is available through the site, is used to produce estimates of employment and unemployment. It also includes periodic supplements covering a range of topics, such as income and poverty, health insurance coverage and school enrollment. This Census Bureau application offers users an easy and friendly interface for accessing vast amount of census data. The site utilizes a graphic map for user navigation down to the county level.
Data is available for states, counties and congressional districts.
The site's main limitation is its inability to provide the user with easy comparative data for multiple areas or multiple time periods for a given area. However, the breath of available information and the ease of access make the site especially valuable. The site covers both economic development theory and data sources. Of particular interest to data users, is the guide to online sources for economic development data. Data sources are arranged here by subject, national data sources and state data sources.