Census Flashcards
Define Census Tract
Small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or equivalent entity that generally have a population size between 1,200 and 8,000 people, with an optimum size of 4,000 people.
core based statistical area (CBSA)
Concept of a core area containing a substantial population nucleaus (>10,000) together with adjacent communities having a high degree of social and economic integration.
Metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
A CBSA with at least one urbanized area (county) that has a population of at least 50,000.
Micropolitan statistical area
has a population of more than 10,000 people and less than 50,000 people. This includes a central county and adjacent counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration as measured by commuting.
Combined statistical areas (CSA)
two or more adjacent CBSAs that have substantial employment interchange
Census designated placed (CDP)
The statistical counterpart of incorporated places. Delineated to provide data for settled concentrations of population that are not legally incorporated.
Block group
statistical divisions of census tracts that are generally defined to contain between 600 and 3,000 people.
Census block
generally are small in area but may encompass hundreds of miles in remote areas. Census blocks nest within all other tabulated census geographic entities and are the basis for all tabulated data. They generally contain 600-3,000 people, and are used to present data and control block numbering.
Census hierarchy
State County County subdivision Place Census tract Block group Block
What percentage of the US population was living in urban areas in 2010?
81%
What was the median age of the US population in 2010?
37.2
What were the five largest cities in 2010?
New York LA Chicago Houston Philadelphia
Where did regional growth occur much faster over the 2000-2010 span?
South and west grew much faster than northeast and midwest
What were the fastest growing states over 2000-2010?
Nevada Arizona Utah Idaho Texas
Which state declined in population over 2000-2010?
Michigan
Define Urban Cluster.
Urban clusters have at least 2,500 but less than 50,000 persons and a population density of 1,000 persons per square mile. This delineation of built-up territory around small towns and cities is new for the 2000 Census. In 2000, 11% of the U.S. population lived in 3,158 urban clusters.
2010 Census mail response rate
74%
Urbanized Area
The Census Bureau defines an urbanized area wherever it finds an urban nucleus of 50,000 or more people.
In general, they must have a core with a population density of 1,000 persons per square mile and may contain adjoining territory with at least 500 persons per square mile.
Consolidated MSA (CMSA)
is made up of several PMSA’s. An example is the Dallas-Fort Worth Consolidated Metropolitan Area. Dallas and Fort Worth are each primary metropolitan statistical areas.
Megalopolis
1961, Jean Gottman published Megalopolis, a book about the 300-mile-long urban area between Boston and Washington D.C.
The Oxford Dictionary of Geography defines the term as “any many-centered, multi-city, urban area of more than 10 million inhabitants, generally dominated by low-density settlement and complex networks of economic specialization.” The term megacity refers specifically to the megalopolis areas with more than 10 million people.
Minor Civil Division (MCD)
a unit only used in 29 states and usually corresponds to a municipality
Census County Divisions
are used in the 21 states that do not have MCDs.
Tribal Designated Statistical Area
TDSAs are statistical geographic entities identified and delineated for the Census Bureau by federally recognized American Indian tribes that do not currently have an American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust land.
A TDSA is intended to encompass a compact and contiguous area that contains a concentration of individuals who identify with the delineating federally recognized American Indian tribe. TDSAs are also intended to be comparable to American Indian reservations within the same state or region and provide a means for reporting statistical data for the area.
Threshold Population
is a term that is under a number of government programs to determine program eligibility. For example, the Phase II Stormwater requirements automatically apply if a city meets the minimum threshold population. Another example is the Threshold Population to qualify to receive Community Development Block Grant Funds.
What percent of the population does the ACS reach?
2.5 percent each year.
asks for income received in the last 12 months,
Replaced the long form in decennial Census.
American Community Survey
This survey, which replaces the long form in the decennial Census, takes a sample of the population and projects the findings to the population as a whole.
