Many people view the Census Bureau as the government agency that comes around every 10 years and tries to do a headcount of Americans, producing statistics that, while interesting, quickly get stale. But the bureau generates more than flash-in-the-pan demographic data: It is a steady source of information on various subjects, including politics, business, and social issues.
Computer-savvy reporters and editors are in a unique position to take advantage of this flow of data, because the Census Bureau is a leader in distributing information by computer. It has a comprehensive Internet site, several electronic mailing lists, a dial-up computer bulletin board and a data bank accessible through CompuServe and Dialog.
The bureau also provides (usually at price) data on CD-ROM, nine-track magnetic tape and diskettes.
From quick-hit data to long-term projects, Census data can be used in various ways:
Every year, the bureau updates population estimates for states, counties, and metropolitan areas. (The agency revises estimates for cities every other year.) These updates are fodder for breaking news and trend pieces. The updates include breakdowns that lend themselves spin-off stories: on race, ethnicity and age, for example.
Beyond demographics, the Census Bureau tracks rental housing vacancies, government spending, business development and other trends. For example, the bureau does an annual housing survey that shows, for each metro area, the percentage of families who own homes.
Sometimes the numbers are old but they might provide the best comparison available. Other data sets are more current, like the bureau's monthly compilation of building permits.
The 1990 Census, even seven years later, is still a valuable source of numbers-and the only official source for many statistics. While you can't build a story on the numbers alone, you can use the 1990 Census to shape your report. It remains the best way to compare neighborhoods, cities or states on criteria ranging from the percentage of workers who carpool to the percentage of homes without plumbing.
The 1990 Census and updated estimates are especially valuable when combined with other data, such as the number of crimes, gun permits, pawn shops, supermarkets, public swimming pools, billboards - you name it.
Use Census data to compute rates, like zoning violations per 1,000 households in each ZIP code, or the number of liquor stores for every 10,000 people in different parts of your city. Then use the Census to see if the rates are different between low-income and high-income areas or between predominantly minority and predominantly white areas.
The Census Bureau is still slicing and dicing the 1990 Census, generating data on special populations. Last fall, for example, the agency released, for each state and metro area, census details on mobile home residents and how they compare with other residents. The bureau previously dissected data for Hispanics, people with disabilities and other groups.
Keeping up with Census data
The best way is to subscribe to the bureau's listserv for reporters. Do this by sending the message "subscribe press-corps <your e-mail address>" to majordomo@census.gov Then you'll automatically receive the press releases, usually embargoed so that you have time to develop a story, and tipsheets about data and reports on the horizon.
A recent tipsheet was typical in listing several upcoming data sets with strong story possibilities: the Consolidated Federal Funds Report, a database available on CD-ROM that shows how much each federal program spends in each city, county, and state; new demographics about African-Americans; County Business Pattern reports, which detail the number and type of businesses and their employees; a count of Hispanic-owned businesses; and population numbers for every county from the first time it was included in the Census (as early as 1790) through 1990.
The bureau has several other listservs, including a monthly announcement of new products and periodic distribution of economic research. The agency's Web http://www.census.gov, tells you how to subscribe and how to reach the bureau's experts on specific subjects like population projections, education, and poverty.
Finding and acquiring data
Visit the Web site often-off hours if possible, because it is often busy.
The bureau's home page invites you to browse for reports and data under two general categories: "Population and Housing," which includes such topics as race, migration and income; and "Economy," which covers housing starts, business issues and government finances.
Large data sets, such as CD-ROMs and nine-track tapes are listed under "Market Place." This list runs from the 1992 Census of Agriculture and the School District Data Book to Public Use Microdata Samples, or PUMS, which let you create your own crosstabs from the 1990 Census.
A few of these collections such as the Census Transportation Planning Package are free. But most large data sets carry a price, typically $150. However, the Census Bureau is having a sale on older CD-ROMs: For $50 you can get 1990 Census details for your area down to the smallest geographic level, or a CD that breaks down occupations by sex, race and ethnicity.
Even if you're not buying, it's important to know the specific name of the data you want. Here's why: You might be able to borrow the CD from a local library or university. Also, knowing the name of the data will help you do a search using the engine on the Census Bureau's home page. You may be able to find and download selected tables from a CD you covet. For instance, the agency has posted many tables from the Statistical Abstract and the County and City Data Book.
On the 'Net, you'll find data sets in various formats: occasionally dBASE, sometimes as spreadsheets, but usually as fixed-length records. The data and the record layout often are in separate files so be sure to get both.
The joy (or for some people the frustration) of using data from the Census Bureau's 'Net sight is that you must employ several computer-assisted reporting tools: your Internet software, of course; a spreadsheet like Excel to parse the data into columns; a database manager like FoxPro or Access to analyze the data; and a desktop mapping system like MapInfo or AtlasGIS to display your data.
In many cases the numbers you want won't require downloading a large data set or getting a CD-ROM. Instead, you simply may want to look up census data for one or more states, counties, cities or ZIP codes. You can do this under "Data Access Tools" from the Census Bureau's home page.
One tool lets you zoom in on a map, pick a county and view various factsheets. With another tool, you can type or paste into a box list of ZIP codes, select the census-data categories that you want to see and receive a tab-delimited file that flows easily into a spreadsheet.
Other resources
The Census Bureau is by no means the only source of demographic data on the Internet. The bureau's page has links to other sites like, the University of Missouri (http://www.oseda.missouri.edu), census data at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (http://cedr.lbl.gov/mdocs/LBL_census.html) and the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (http://www.ciesin.org).
Also check your state government's Web page, as well as sites operated by publications like American Demographics (http://www.demographics.com), which often posts the data used in its articles.
Develop human resources too - not just at the Census Bureau but at its regional office nearest you and your state data center. The centers, usually affiliated with a state government agency or university, help to distribute and analyze Census information. You can find a list of the centers at http://www.census.gov/ftp/pub/sdc/www/
Ask your state data center, contacts at a local university or the federal information section of your local library if they have census data you can borrow. Many libraries let you check out census data on CD-ROM.
If you need inspiration for Census stories, read Who We Are: A portrait of America based on the latest U.S. Census. This 1993 book, by Sam Roberts of the New York Times, shows how to put a face on Census data.
The Census Bureau produces several reports including the Statistical Abstract of the United States, the County and City Data Book and USA Counties. These documents include data ranging from the cost of living to health care. They're available as books, but the CD-ROM versions include more data. Many of the tables can be downloaded for free from the Internet.
Jeff South can be reached by e-mail at jsouth@statesman.com.