Tuesday, May 27, 2014

General Population Research Tutorial (Census & ACS)


In this post, I will show you how to research very basic population data using government websites. In the future, we’ll touch on location, prices paid for specific products and other valuable information for your business plan or personal studies.

Let’s make up a company and consumer profile. Additional details will be added to our profiles as research continues in each post. Our company name is California Fashions. We are a wholesaler of women’s clothing and want to appeal to individuals aged 16 to 35 years old.  

Company Name: California Fashions
Consumer Profile: Generation Y Females

On a side note, people aged 16 to 35, is within the age bracket that the Census considers Generation Y. So instead of saying “aged/s 16 to 35” the whole time, we’ll call our consumers “Generation Y Females” instead. I am basing my researches on this age group. However, you can apply my tutorials to other age groups as well.

Official Census age classification for Generation Y:
“Generation Y or the millennial generation, born between 1976 and 2001”

California Fashions is a new business and still in the concept stage. We know who we want to market our clothing to but what is the population of our consumer age group? The easiest way to find this information is by using American fact finder.

Factfinder2.census.gov

But first, I want to show you something. Go to the main Census website at:


And select these options:

Topics > Population > Age and Sex > Data

There are 3 links on this page. The two things you should take notice of is American Community Survey (ACS) and Current Population Survey(CPS) . They both have population estimates but each survey asks different questions, at different times of the year and to different people.

Differences:
- Questions
- Time of the year
- Population Sampling 


I’ll talk about CPS stuff in another blog post. We are using American Fact Finder today to retrieve population estimates and this search tool uses data from the ACS.

This is the link to American Fact Finder:

I always use the Advanced Search because the Guided Search only displays top 10 results and usually guides you back to Advanced Search anyway. Go ahead and click on:

Advanced Search > Show me all

 

Once you’re in the search page select:

Topics > People > Age and Sex And click on the blue link for “Age” to add that in as your search selection. 


 
You will see search results in order by year. To filter for the year that you want, choose from
the selection bar on your right. FYI, most census information for 2013 is not available yet.

Now we gotta find our file and as you can see, there's about 8,000 results. Knowing/understanding ID numbers is to your advantage and I have included "How ACS tables are numbered" in the Q&A section of this blog post.

 


Navigate to page #2

We're going to be playing with 2012, 5 year estimates (See Q&A). The first ID number that shows up should be "B01001, Sex by Age".  Select the Sex by Age link. 



California Fashions' consumer age group is 16 to 35. Add up the age groups that apply and we've got our answer. 

Generation Y Female population is estimated at about 41.7 million. 




So there ya go! This is how you search for general population data using a government website. This is just an introduction so stay tuned for more!



Questions & Answers

What is the American Community Survey (ACS)?
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about_the_survey/american_community_survey/
 
What is the difference between the ACS and CPS?
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/datasources/factsheet.html 


How are ACS tables numbered?
For example, what do the letters and numbers in a table like B06004A-PR mean?
https://ask.census.gov/faq.php?id=5000&faqId=1687

What types of tables are found on American Fact Finder?
The following table outlines all types of tables that are available on American FactFinder. 
Table Type Sample Table ID, Title and Dataset Definition
Comparison Profiles CP02 - SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES
2010 ACS 1-year estimates
See the American Community Survey Data Product Descriptions at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/product_descriptions/
Data Profiles DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010
2010 Demographic Profile SF
See Demographic Profiles
Detailed Tables AM1031AS101 - Annual Survey of Manufactures: Geographic Area Statistics: Statistics for All Manufacturing by State: 2010 and 2009
2010 Annual Survey of Manufactures

See Detailed Tables

Geographic Comparison Tables GCT-H2 - General Housing Characteristics: 2010 - United States -- States; and Puerto Rico
2010 SF1 100% Data
See Geographic Comparison Tables
Geographic Header G001 - GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFIERS
2010 ACS 1-year estimates
Geographic Header tables list various codes and other information about the selected geographies.
Narrative Profiles NP01 - Population and Housing Narrative Profile: 2010
2010 ACS 1-year estimates
See Narrative Profiles
Public Use Microdata Sample PUMS-CSV - 2006-2010 ACS 5-year Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) - CSV format
2010 ACS 5-year estimates

See Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)


Quick Tables QT-H2 - Tenure, Household Size, and Age of Householder: 2000 more information
110th Congressional District Summary File (100-Percent)DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010
See Quick Tables
Ranking Tables R0201 - PERCENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION WHO ARE WHITE ALONE - United States -- States; and Puerto Rico
2010 ACS 1-year estimates
See the American Community Survey Data Product Descriptions at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/product_descriptions/
Selected Population Profiles S0201 - SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES
2010 ACS 1-year estimates
See the American Community Survey Data Product Descriptions at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/product_descriptions/
Subject Tables S0101 - AGE AND SEX
2010 ACS 1-year estimates
See the American Community Survey Data Product Descriptions at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/product_descriptions/


When to use 1-year, 3-year, or 5-year estimates

Choosing which dataset involves more than simply considering the population size in your area. You must think about the balance between currency and sample size/reliability/precision. 

Distinguishing features of ACS 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year estimates

1-year estimates 3-year estimates 5-year estimates
12 months of collected data 36 months of collected data 60 months of collected data
Data for areas with populations of 65,000+ Data for areas with populations of 20,000+ Data for all areas
Smallest sample size Larger sample size than 1-year Largest sample size
Less reliable than 3-year or 5-year More reliable than 1-year; less reliable than 5-year Most reliable
Most current data Less current than 1-year estimates; more current than 5-year Least current
Best used when Best used when Best used when
Currency is more important than precision
Analyzing large populations
More precise than 1-year, more current than 5-year
Analyzing smaller populations
Examining smaller geographies because 1-year estimates are not available
Precision is more important than currency
Analyzing very small populations
Examining tracts and other smaller geographies because 1-year estimates are not available