Posts in Census & ACS
Work From Home Trends and Commuting Patterns Since 2019

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many workplaces quickly transitioned from in-person work to remote work. While many workplaces have returned to offices, many other jobs have continued to be performed at home. We wanted to look at these trends using two Census Bureau data products: the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates, and the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES).  

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Changes to the federal standards for how race and ethnicity data are collected and reported

Last week the Census Bureau announced that it will implement updated standards for the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that are effective as of March 28th, 2024. This is the first time the OMB’s race and ethnicity data standards have changed since 1997. Read more.

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Understanding Census Geography

When we work with data, we are always working with a place – a state, the nation, a town, etc. In data-speak, these are called “geographies.” It simply means a physical place to where the data are connected. Explore this blog post to understand the census geographies that are most commonly used in Connecticut.

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Census & ACSJeff Borofsky
Census Data Shows Disproportionate Mortality Rates For Different Groups During Covid-19

Census Bureau data products continue to give insight into changes in mortality trends over the past few years and through the Covid-19 pandemic. Vintage 2022 Population Estimates, which are based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics, take into account final 2021 and provisional 2022 mortality data and allow data users to look at mortality by sex and by race and ethnicity.

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Native American Heritage Month

To celebrate Native American Heritage month, we explored the Decennial Census data files to find some data on Native Americans living in Connecticut. In this post we share what we found about the tribes with the highest populations in Connecticut, demographics of the Native American population in Connecticut, and where Native populations live across the state.

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Accessing Detailed Ethnicity and Nationality Data with the Census Microdata Tool

This past summer the Equity in Data Community of Practice met to learn from the Census Bureau about how to access granular data on nationality, county of origin, and more. Many people turn to data.census.gov for data on the “standard” race and ethnicity categories. But these categories never accurately represented people from different racial groups, and this is becoming more true as the US becomes more diverse. During this meeting, Kanin Reese from the Center for Enterprise Dissemination at the Census Bureau demonstrated how we can utilize the Census Bureau’s Microdata Tool to find data about people living in our state from specific countries of origin, nationalities, languages, ethnicities, and more.

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Known Errors in the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2022 Population Estimates: Guidance for Data Users

Connecticut’s Department of Public Health (DPH) has determined that the Census Bureau’s vintage 2022 population estimates are artificially high for certain Connecticut towns in 2021 and 2022 due to pandemic-related issues with the counts of residents in group quarters facilities.

This blog post:

  1. discusses what happened;

  2. explains the impact on population estimates for specific towns, planning regions and the state;

  3. delineates which population estimates the state will be using for official purposes; and

  4. provides some recommendations for data users on which version of the population estimates to use, and where to find these estimates.

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Check Out Our 2020 Demographics and Housing Explorer!

The 2020 Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC), released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May 2023, is one of many data products released as part of the 2020 decennial census. The DHC file includes detailed tables on topics such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, along with many topics about households and families.

The raw data can be downloaded on the Census Bureau’s website, but CTData has created a 2020 Demographics and Housing Explorer for data users to easily access and explore data found in the DHC file. Click the button or preview below to explore data for your town!

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Geographic Resources for Connecticut's new "County-Equivalent" Planning Regions

This week, the Census Bureau is releasing 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates data for Connecticut’s new county-equivalent planning region geographies for the first time. Earlier this year, population estimates for planning regions were released – you can read more about those estimates and about planning regions in our blog post. This blog post provides a guide to resources for the new planning region geographies.

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Census & ACSJill Walshgis
Multigenerational Households in Connecticut

According to the 2020 decennial census, Connecticut has approximately 1.4 million households, of which 3.9%, or 55,526, are multigenerational. This marks an increase of about 0.3%, or 4,924 households, from the 2010 decennial census. In comparing the change from 2010 to 2020, every planning region in Connecticut experienced an increase in multigenerational households. The smallest increase was in the Lower Connecticut River Valley, with 77 households, or 4.3%, while the largest was in Western Connecticut, with 1,683 households, or 23.5%.

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Unveiling the U.S. Census Bureau's Methodology for Annual Population Estimates

Accurate population estimates are vital for informed decision-making and planning for the future. The U.S. Census Bureau produces annual population estimates that provide valuable population insights. This blog post explores the methodology utilized by the Census Bureau to produce these estimates, highlighting the data sources, statistical techniques, and considerations on when to use them.

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Overview of the four sources of population data

Accurate and reliable population data is essential as we strive to understand our communities and plan for the future. From determining congressional districts to allocating resources for schools and healthcare, population data drives decision-making at all levels of government and beyond.

In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at four commonly used sources of population data: the Decennial Census, American Community Survey (ACS), Population Estimate Program (PEP), and Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) Population Estimates. Continue reading to learn more about these sources.

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An Overview of Differential Privacy in the 2020 Decennial Census

To protect respondents’ privacy, for the 2020 Decennial Census the Census Bureau is using a modern disclosure avoidance approach called differential privacy. In brief, differential privacy adds statistical noise—small random additions or subtractions—into the data to reduce the risk that someone could reidentify any person or household.

In this post, we will: (1) describe how differential privacy is applied to the 2020 Decennial Census data; (2) review the Census Bureau’s guidance for 2020 Decennial Census data users; (3) provide an overview of the summary metrics file released by the Census Bureau; and (4) discuss some illustrative examples of the amount of error introduced to certain counts as reported in the summary metrics file.

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Recent and Proposed Changes in How the Census Bureau Collects and Processes Race and Ethnicity Data

In 2020, the Census Bureau made some important changes to how they collect and process race and ethnicity data. These changes were intended to better capture the increasingly diverse racial and ethnic identities of the U.S. population, while still following the 1997 Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. However, these changes also raise some questions about the validity of the Census Bureau’s “Two or More Races” classification in 2020, particularly for Hispanic and Latino individuals. They also complicate comparisons with race data from before 2020, making it difficult to assess change over time. In this blog post, we discuss the consequences of the Census Bureau’s recent changes to how they collect and process race and ethnicity data, as well as the proposed revisions to the OMB standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity.

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Census Bureau Releases First Population Estimates for Connecticut’s “County-Equivalent” Planning Regions

Today, the Census Bureau released the first postcensal population estimates for Connecticut’s nine planning regions. These nine planning regions are the new county-equivalent geographic units that the Census Bureau will be using for Connecticut (see our earlier blog post on this topic). This is the first Census Bureau data product to be released using Connecticut’s new county-equivalent geographic units.

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Celebrating Black History Month

February 2023 marks the 96th year of celebrating the incredible accomplishments and contributions of Black and African American residents nationwide. Since 1976, the month of February has been designated as Black History Month (whereas prior to 1976, this event was celebrated for a week). In this post, we will highlight various data facts and achievements to celebrate our Black and African American residents in Connecticut.

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2021 American Community Survey Data: Connecticut Sees an Increase in Health Insurance Coverage

Health insurance coverage in Connecticut has changed from 2010 to 2021, and in this post, we take a look at both state and town-level trends.  

We used town-level data from the recently released 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, as well as the 2012-2016 ACS 5-year estimates, and the American Community Survey 1-year estimates for state-level trends.

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Census & ACSJill Walshacs