This page provides links to other data sources in which users may be interested.
Users can access a wide variety of information from the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses online at U.S. Census Bureau Factfinder, including neighborhood-level data for indicators on this website. Hundreds of additional tables are also available through Factfinder's interactive utility.
Numerous organizations at the state and local levels have significant experience working with decennial census data for regions, cities, and neighborhoods. The 29 partners in the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership analyze census information for neighborhoods in their respective cities. The Census Bureau's State Data Centers disseminate data from the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to users at the state and local levels, and conduct their own analyses on certain demographic and economic topics.
The American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the Census Bureau, is an ongoing survey that will replace the long form in the 2010 census. The 2005 ACS provides information on all states and local geographies with populations of 65,000 or more. In 2008, the ACS will begin releasing three-year estimates for geographies with populations of 20,000 or more. In 2010, the ACS will release the first five-year estimates, which will provide data for the smallest geographic areas. Data are available from the ACS for most of the same topics and indicators as are available from Census 2000, though the results may not be strictly comparable.
Beyond the American Community Survey, the Census Bureau and other federal agencies publish annual demographic and economic data for sub-state levels of geography between decennial censuses. Following is a list of topics and intercensal data sources available from the federal government that individuals and organizations working at the local level can use to track and update changes in several of the indicators on this site:
Population—The Census Bureau's Intercensal Population Estimates Program provides population estimates for metropolitan areas, counties, cities, and towns between decennial censuses. These estimates are based on population counts from the most recent census, adjusted using data from local records. Data are published annually, delayed approximately one year from the date at which they are estimated.
Age and race/ethnicity—The same Census Bureau program publishes population estimates annually by age and race/ethnicity for geographies down to the county level—similar estimates are not available for cities.
Migration—The Internal Revenue Service publishes state-to-state and county-to-county migration files that allow users to track, on an annual basis, the origins, destinations, and incomes of families migrating between states, counties and metropolitan areas. Data are released annually for migration flows two years prior. See "Tax Stats."
Work—The Bureau of Labor Statistics, through its Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, publishes monthly estimates of total employment and unemployment for counties, metropolitan areas, and cities with populations of at least 25,000. Data are released monthly on the employment situation two months prior.
Income and Poverty—The Census Bureau Small Area Estimates Branch employs several federal data sources to produce annual estimates of poverty rates and median household incomes for all states and counties, as well as poverty rates for all school districts. These data are published with an approximate three-year lag.
Housing—The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council—a consortium of the federal banking regulators—publishes data annually on all mortgages originated in the U.S. by financial institutions, with detail down to the census tract level. These data can be used to track homeownership and home value trends in metro areas, counties, cities, and neighborhoods. Data are released each summer for mortgages originated in the prior year.
To administer programs and make policy, state and local agencies also track a wealth of administrative data that can reveal much about the social and economic health of individuals and families in metro areas, counties, cities, and neighborhoods. For a comprehensive guide to the types of state and local administrative data that can be used to describe small areas, see "Catalog of Administrative Data Sources," by Claudia Coulton.