Demographic Narrative Profiles and Census Sources of Socioeconomic Data

Census Sources of Demographic Information

The Decennial Census of Population and Housing is conducted every ten years. The resulting demographic data is published in State Visualizations of Key Demographic Trends from the 2020 Census. 

The Census of Governments occurs every five years and identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector. It provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment, classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities, and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships.

Also known as the Census of Population and Housing, the Decennial U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It takes place every 10 years and captures who we are and where we are going as a nation.  This census helps our communities and the government decide how to distribute funds and assistance to states and localities.  It is also used to draw the lines of legislative districts and reapportion the seats each state holds in Congress.

The Economic Census is the U.S. Government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy for planning and key economic reports, and economic development and business decisions.  The last Economic Census was conducted during the year ending December 2012.

Other Sources of Socioeconomic Profiles

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) offers an interactive data mapping tool with ACS data that provides geographic context for educational, census and broader demographic data sets.  You can create your own customized maps using the interactive data maps or by exploring pre-existing story maps.

NASA's Socioeconomic Data and Application's Center (SEDAC) has extensive offerings related to population, sustainability, and geospatial data, and provides access to a large number of multilateral environmental agreements.

SEDAC efforts include:

• Human population distribution on a latitude-longitude grid (U.S. and global)
• Human settlements and infrastructure, including roads, reservoirs, and dams
• Ecosystem, agriculture, and wetlands data
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) socioeconomic scenarios
• Environmental treaty status and texts
• Environmental sustainability indicators
• Global data on natural hazards, poverty, and air and water pollution
• Map gallery and online mapping and query tools for key datasets

The World Factbook also provides community profiles.

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• Posted by: Damon Jones
• Posted in: LMI Central