To quote the Census:

“ZCTAs are generalized area representations of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) ZIP Code service areas. They represent the most frequently occurring five-digit ZIP Code found in a given area. Simply put, each ZCTA is built by aggregating 2010 Census blocks, whose addresses use a given ZIP Code. Each resulting ZCTA is then assigned the most frequently occurring ZIP Code as its ZCTA code.”

In a nutshell: ZCTA 78704 is a representative snapshot of ZIP Code 78704.

ZCTAs Rock! Here’s why:

ZCTAs map to US Census data; ZIP Codes don’t.

About ZIP Codes. We don’t have ZIP code boundaries, because the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t define or publish them. Also, some of ZIP Codes are just routes (a series of connected lines, not polygons).

ZIP Codes change constantly to help the USPS deliver mail more efficiently. That’s what ZIP Codes are designed for: delivery. If you’re planning delivery logistics, use ZIP codes. Some companies offer zip code boundary maps. They estimate (using a variety of methods) polygons based on groups of points, physical landmarks (like bodies of water), and other methods. Most companies have their own private/favorite method of estimating ZIP code boundaries. But because ZIP Codes change so often, boundary maps fall out of sync with US Census demographic data.

US Census Demographic Data + ZCTAs == AWESOME

ZCTAs are polygons fixed to match the census data. By using ZCTAs you get a consistent and accurate representation of a geographic area.

More info about ZCTAs from Census.gov

• http://www.census.gov/geo/ZCTA/zcta.html
• http://www.census.gov/geo/ZCTA/zctafaq.html

No related posts.

Since neither of us studied GIS in college, we have a little different take on GIS career advice than most. And here it is.

Typical  GIS Career Advice Request that comes in

i am a student working towards becoming a professional, need some form of advice and material guidance to become a GIS professional. how can you help me develop myself. i am already using arc gis but need to be proficient with it. bottom line want to be an expert

Our Reply
That’s great that you are excited about becoming a GIS expert.

One suggestion — we don’t use ArcGIS. It’s too expensive & not flexible enough for what we do.

We only use open source & free GIS tools–MapWindow + QGIS + PostGIS + MapServer + Google Maps + OSM etc.

To be able to use open source/free GIS, it’s helpful if you can do some basic coding. So my advice to you would be to take classes in programming (or teach yourself — both Anthony and I are self taught). If you can combine programming + GIS, that’s a killer combo right now! Think Foursquare.

Probably the best programming language to learn for GIS work is Python. And I love HeadFirst series for learning new languages: http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfpython/

Good luck!

GIS Career Advice: Take workshops on open source & free GIS tools + programming courses

Do you have some alternative GIS Career Advice? Perhaps you think sticking with ArcGIS is the right way to go? Leave a comment below.

Related posts:

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Is current disability census data available online?
Yes. You can get this data from the Census.gov using the American FactFinder tool. (Hint: Google “American Fact Finder 2″ to get to the right page on the Census.gov website).

I want Census 2010 disability data. Why can’t I find it?
Disability data are NOT included in the Census 2010 (aka the decennial census). You’ll need to use a dataset called the American Community Survey (ACS). If you’re not familiar with the ACS, you should check out this blog post: American Community Survey vs. Decennial Census: What’s the Difference

So what ACS dataset should you use to pull disability data from? Well, that depends on the population of the area that you are interested in getting data about. If you need disability census data for a county with a big population (think top 100 most populated counties in the US), then you’ll probably be ok using the 2010 ACS 1-year estimates. If you are looking for disability data for a mid-sized county or a city/place, I’d recommend using the 2010 ACS 3 year estimates. If your county or city has a very small population, then the only dataset available to you might be the the 2010 ACS 5 year estimates.

What disability census data can I get from the American Community Survey?
For basic disability data, I like Table S1810 Disability Characteristics from either the 2010 ACS 1 year estimates or the 2010 ACS 3 year estimates. In this table, you can find:

1. Percent of population by age with:
• With a hearing difficulty
• With a vision difficulty
• With a cognitive difficulty
• With an ambulatory difficulty
• With a self-care difficulty
• With an independent living difficulty
2. Sex by disability status
3. Race by disability status

Here is Table S1810 Disability Characteristics for Harris County, Texas as an example.

Basic Census Disability Data for Harris County Texas

In addition to Table S1810 Disability Characteristics, there are a number of other ACS tables with disability data. Below are a few tables I thought looked the most helpful or interesting.

• B18108 – AGE BY NUMBER OF DISABILITIES
• B18120 – EMPLOYMENT STATUS BY DISABILITY STATUS AND TYPE
• B18130 – AGE BY DISABILITY STATUS BY POVERTY STATUS
• B18135 – AGE BY DISABILITY STATUS BY HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE STATUS
• B21007 – AGE BY VETERAN STATUS BY POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS BY DISABILITY STATUS FOR THE CIVILIAN POPULATION 18 YEARS AND OVER
• B22010 – RECEIPT OF FOOD STAMPS/SNAP IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS BY DISABILITY STATUS FOR HOUSEHOLDS

If you found this blog post to be helpful or confusing, please leave me a comment.

Note: I’ve been told by hundreds of people that the American FactFinder 2 is a confusing tool to use. There are tutorials available from the Census.gov to help you learn how to use the American FactFinder 2. If you need disability census data now and you don’t want to learn the American FactFinder 2, then consider using the Cubit Custom Data option. I’ll pulled the most current disability data for a county or a city for a reasonable price–usually $25 to $50.

Related posts:

1. Free Age & Disability Data until January 31, 2010 I’ve heard that you need disability and age data for...
2. Get Census 2010 Data by County or City Via Cubit Below are step-by-step instructions for getting Census 2010 (plus lots...
3. Census Data is Dead. Long Live Census Data! I just submitted this topic as a facilitated discussion proposal...

What’s new SF1 data is in reports you ask?

Current Demographic Report (check out the sample)

Total Population and Racial Breakdown Percentages, Sex, Age, Detailed Age Breakdown data (which Age Breakdown data was the #1 most requested data that we add to Cubit ASAP), Total Households, Average Household Size and Household Types.

Current Housing & Transportation Report (check out the sample)

Housing Units, Occupied vs. Vacant Units and detailed Vacancy Rates.

We’re really excited to provide this data to y’all. Any thoughts or questions about this new data? Let me know in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Census 2010 SF1 Data Now Available The US Census Bureau has been releasing the Census 2010...
2. Census 2010 Data for 19 States in Cubit Now you can get Census 2010 data for 19 25...
3. Population of States 2010 Infographic – using Census 2010 data Update: Check out this free resource with Census 2010 data &...

Slides from the Presentation

Demographic Trends of Austin, Texas in 2010

Quote: “Don’t let Census data kick your ass”

2 Basic Demographic Data sets from the Census Bureau

1. Census 2010 Decennial data

• Every 10 years
• Only the short form
• 12 total questions
• Not answering the Census form is silly, ‘cause Amazon & Google know more about you then Census Bureau
• Travesty of demographics that we don’t have long form data
• 1 reason took away long form – survey fatigue
• Data: population, race, age, household & housing
• Geographies: blocks, block groups, tracts, counties
• Census block is about as big as a city block in inside a city. Outside urban areas, a Census block becomes the smallest polygon you can mechanically create using roads, rivers, county lines, etc.
• Today, Austin has received redistricting data. We’re waiting on SF1 data for Texas.

2. American Community Survey (ACS) Data

• Get new data every year for big places.
• But small area data only comes to us in 5 year pieces
• Sample size is tiny — 1.8% of households
• Difficult to compare from 5 year composite to 1 year data
• Data: socio-economic including income, poverty education, migration, employment, journey to work

Top 10 Demographic Trends for Austin Texas – 2010

1. Huge population growth during the decade

• Austin at/near top of fastest growing cities for 4 decades
• Austin is 14th largest city in US
• 1/2 million gained in MSA (metropolitan statistical area) in past decade
• 35th largest MSA in US
• All MSAs are comprised of counties
• Heart of MSA is a commuting shed
• Probably see inclusion of Burnet and Blanco
• Austin 3rd fastest growing MSA by percent from 2000 to 2010
• Austin 11th largest net growth MSA

2. A decidedly suburban tilt to the decade’s population growth, more so than in the past

• Population Growth: 71% suburban (non central city), 29% urban (central city)
• in 1990s, these numbers were half and half
• 37.3% of city’s growth came from annexation

3. A lumpy landscape of population growth and decline (especially within the central city).

• Central City of Austin actually declining in population
• Positives
• Airport area
• West Campus (result of University Neighborhood overlay – let’s bring the UT kids back to campus, dense & tall)A
• Triangle
• Downtown. 130% increase in population. Why? Different distinct groups, not just 1 group moving into downtown.
• Under age 18 population growth
• Westlake & South Austin — empty nesters
• East Austin — gaining under 18 year olds

Ideas on why the demographic lumpiness

• Flight of middle class families from central city
• Drop in overall household size…many to one phenomenon
• Single professionals replacing families
• Some say developers aren’t bringing variety of housing for individuals (why aren’t singles buying condos?)
• Steep increases in cost of central city housing.. which gives central families a twofer
• Austin Contrarian blog
• Some say McMansion ordinances are antifamily = older people without kids buy McMansions
• Housing in Austin: locals think it’s not affordable, outsiders think it’s cheap

• Actually fewer housing units available
• Tear down 4 plex – build 1 large single residence

• 70% of Home Away units are permanently available for rent

4. Deep urban pooling and suburban sprawling of working-class and poor Hispanic households

• Becoming Hispanic: Dove Springs, Runberg & Lamar and East Riverside
• Majority Hispanic, families come in and get toehold but also isolating
• Not necessarily negative, but reinforces existing divides?
• Lower income areas in south east Travis county
• Geocoding section 8 housing units – Concentrations east of I35, south of 290, Austin colony (food desert), Moores crossing [Kristen's note--check out this slide in the presentation slides above. It's very telling.]

5. Significant suburbanization of African American households

• Disappearance of black east Austin
• Loss in central east Austin tracts, gain in Round Rock, Pflugerville
• Why? Idea: Rejection of urban segregated past — when reach middle class, blacks say “see ya” to urban area because of what it represents
• But some cities have seen the opposite effect

6. Substantial increase in international immigration as a source of population growth, but this flow has slowed.

• 1990-2000s: 28% natural, 65% domestic, 8% immigration
• 2000s-2010s: 36% natural, 41% domestic, 23% immigrant
• Some say that flow of migration come to a stop
• Some say international immigration peaked in 2007 as construction peaked
• You can get this immigration from ACS, but use with grain of salt

7. New chunks of growth for Austin’s age structure: the very young, baby boomers, and seniors.

• Austin historically dominated by 20 & 30 cohorts
• Change–more kids (< 18)
• 1 in every 2 kids are Latino
• Net terms: we have more folks with college degrees
• Austin has 2 cultures – local & low education + high education moving in from elsewhere
• Also, expansion of senior and pre senior demographics
• Austin metro area fastest % growing of seniors, but 51st city for total baby boomers

8. The Asian Boom

• Highest share (%) of total Asian population of any city in Texas
• Indians fastest growing component
• Preferred areas– Round Rock, north Austin, southern Williamson county

9. Population structural shifts: racial and ethnicity growth differentials (and the age component that comes with it)

• Population: white, decrease black, huge increase Hispanic
• Kids: white stable, black huge drop, Hispanic huge increase
• Adults: strong white growth, small black growth, dominated Hispanic growth
• In 10 years, more Asians in Austin than blacks

10. Profound racial and ethnic change in east Austin.
Gentrification? Or the city has 1 foot on the gas and 1 foot on the brake. Fixed income seniors and low income renters hurt by gentrification.

Tips when working with Demographic Data (ACS and Census 2010)

• If you’re comparing large areas, use 1 year ACS data.
• Only use 5 year composites when looking at tiny errors OR concerned about margin of error (MOE)
• MOE are very difficult to communicate!
• Get Census data in much more straightforward fashion: mcdc.missouri.edu
• American Fact Finder is confusing, because there’s a legacy factfinder
• Beast from hell => new factfinder. Ryan swears it’s unusable
• Aggregating the 2010 data back to the Census 2000 tract level: figure out the 2000 parent tract, sum the child tract

This Presentation Inspired Me & What I’m Going to Do About It Today

The presentation was engaging, because Ryan told the story behind the numbers of how Austin is shifting and he was talking about a topic that is near and dear to the audience’s hearts — the city of Austin.

But I found the presentation to be inspiring as well. As Ryan was apologizing for the simplicity of his graphs and maps (what he called his Hello Kitty style), I was thinking “Yes–this presentation is who I want Cubit to be when it grows up.”

Today, Cubit is a tool that helps people pull demographic data faster. But I want Cubit to be a demographic data story telling tool. And the types of graphs and maps that Ryan was using in his presentation were excellent story-telling devices.

So I’m committing here to taking the first baby step to turning Cubit into a demographic data story telling tool. It’s a tiny step. This first tiny step will be to add totals by geography types for Census 2010 SF1 data. We’ve got to start somewhere. And I would hate to let such an excellent presentation not result in at least 1 immediate and tangible change on my part.

Related posts:

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2. Get Texas Census 2010 Data with Cubit If your projects are located in Texas and you need...
3. Cubit Planning in the Austin American Statesman A big thank you to Lori Hawkins for her article...

Below is a list of states that I’ve finished adding the Census 2010 SF1 data into Cubit for. I’ll be updating this list as the Census Bureau releases more states and as I load the data into Cubit. For a complete list of states that the US Census Bureau has released Census 2010 SF1 data for, go here.

July 19th Cubit Release: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Wyoming

July 28th Release: North Carolina, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Arizona

August 1st Release: California, New York, Minnesota, Montana & Oklahoma

August 15th Release: Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio

August 22nd Release: Texas

Coming Soon: UT, VA, VT, WV & WI

[UPDATE: SF1 Data for all states is now available on Cubit!]

Here’s what the data looks like. Try Cubit for free for 7 days.

In the Current Demographic Report, you can get Total Population and Racial Breakdown Percentages…

Click to see a larger image.

…Sex, Age, and Detailed Age Breakdown data (which Age Breakdown data was the #1 most requested data that we add to Cubit ASAP)…

Click to see a larger image

…Total Households, Average Household Size and Household Types.

Click to see a larger image.

In the current Housing & Transportation Report, you can get data on Housing Units, Occupied vs. Vacant Units and (not pictured) detailed Vacancy Rates.

Click to see a larger image.

Did I mention you can try Cubit for free for 7 days?

Any thoughts or questions about this new data? Let me know in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Easy Access to Census 2010 Data in Seconds & for Free The US Census Bureau has released Census 2010 data for...
2. Get Texas Census 2010 Data with Cubit If your projects are located in Texas and you need...
3. Get Census 2010 Data by County or City Via Cubit Below are step-by-step instructions for getting Census 2010 (plus lots...

The Most Important Take Away

People love data …when the data is about themselves.

The Rest of the Story

The name of the presentation is “7 Awesome Examples of Writing that Drives Eyeballs to Your Site.” I give detailed examples of 7 different types of writing that can result in increased web traffic–5 of which I’ve used at Cubit. My focus is on how I measure results and the different tools that I use to accomplish those results.

Also, here’s the first 17 minutes of the presentation on YouTube. After that my camera died (so sad). However, Cindy with Hacks and Hackers was able to video the entire presentation and hopes to have it loaded to their website very soon. I’ll update this blog post with that link when it’s available.

Let me know if you have any questions about using data journalism to increase visitors to your website.

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So let’s see if surveying you guys to produce a new sample of walkable neighborhoods makes a difference. If I get at least 100 responses to the survey at the bottom on this post, I’ll re-pull Census 2010 data for the neighborhoods that ya’ll think are the best examples of walkable neighborhoods in US cities. And yes, ya’ll is an actual word in Texas.

Use the definition of walkability provided by Walkscore.com below.

• A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it’s a main street or a public space.
• People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.
• Mixed income, mixed use: Affordable housing located near businesses.
• Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play.
• Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.
• Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.
• Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.

Related posts:

1. Walkable Neighborhoods have Higher Housing Vacancy Rates per Census 2010 Data Summary I pulled Census 2010 data for 20 walkable neighborhoods...
2. Walkable Communities & Diversity: A Look Using Census 2010 Data The Short Version I pulled Census 2010 data for 20...
3. Get Census 2010 Data by County or City Via Cubit Below are step-by-step instructions for getting Census 2010 (plus lots...

Woohoo! Who doesn’t just love government guidance documents with diagrams and checklists?

Click on the links below, and a PDF will begin downloading.

• Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool for Federally Conducted and Federally Assisted Programs
• Frequently Asked Questions about the Protection of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Individuals under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title VI Regulations

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I pulled Census 2010 data for 20 walkable neighborhoods in the United States and compared the vacancy rates for those neighborhoods to the vacancy rates for their surrounding cities (and in 1 case, the county). One pattern emerged.

Walkable neighborhoods have higher vacancy rates than their surrounding cities.

The Details

After my Twitter conversation about walkability and diversity with @GvilleJen, I wasn’t too surprized by the pattern that “Blacks & Hispanics are Less Likely to Live in Walkable Neighborhoods per Census 2010 data” (This link also has an explanation of how the 20 neighborhoods were selected & what data were used).

But I hypothesized that a socially redeeming characteristic of walkable neighborhoods would be a lower than average vacancy rate. More people buying property in walkable neighborhoods means more real estate taxes–which fund our public services. And haven’t we all been reading articles about how Gen Y loves living in dense urban areas, and how 58 percent of American would prefer to live in a neighborhood where stores are within an easy walk?

Well, the Census 2010 data indicate that walkable neighborhoods have higher vacancy rates than their surrounding cities. Only Dupont Circle in DC and City Center East in Philadelphia have slightly lower vacancy rates than their surrounding cities. Every other walkable neighborhood had a higher vacancy rate than its surrounding city. Topping the chart is Core in San Diego with a vacancy rate of 24.6% while San Diego city has a vacancy rate of 6.4%.

Why is This?

Hypothesis 1

Perhaps homes for sales in walkable neighborhoods are more expensive than homes in the rest of the city. And more expensive homes were harder hit in the real estate downturn. But I haven’t loaded the new American Community Survey home values into Cubit yet, so I can’t test this hypothesis easily.

Hypothesis 2

My selection of 20 walkable neighborhoods is flawed. As Ben Shardlow comments, “The top 20 neighborhoods are going to have extremely high densities of amenities like grocery stores, restaurants, coffeeshops, etc., so it’s not surprising to see the most chichi neighborhoods in the country on this list. Conclusions drawn about this upper echelon can’t safely be extended to the rest of country.”

Why do you think that walkable neighborhoods have higher vacancy rates than their surrounding cities? I’m really interested to see what other folks think about this surprising pattern.

Related posts:

1. Walkable Neighborhoods in Your City Survey In this post about walkability & lack of racial diversity...
2. Walkable Communities & Diversity: A Look Using Census 2010 Data The Short Version I pulled Census 2010 data for 20...
3. Census 2010 SF1 Data for All States Now Available on Cubit Sound the trumpets! The SF1 data for all states is...