Each month, the Equity in Data Community of Practice meets to talk about a topic that the group has indicated is of interest to their work. Through our survey results, we know that people are eager to hear from real professionals who are actively integrating equitable principles into their everyday data work. During this session, CTData staff members share their real-world experiences, insights, and actionable strategies for weaving ethical considerations and equity into their everyday data work. Participants had the chance to talk together about what they are doing to integrate equity - to learn from one another and share lessons for the benefit of others.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreIn August 2023, the 75th agency signed the Hartford Data Collaborative Enterprisewide Memorandum of Understanding (EMOU). This is an important milestone for the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC), formed four years ago as a trusted, neutral place for linking and integrating data to address knowledge gaps about social services in Hartford. HDC began in 2019 with four key agencies—the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, Capital Workforce Partners, and Our Piece of the Pie. Since then, a growing number of community-based organizations have demonstrated an interest and willingness to participate in data sharing about their program participants and clients through HDC.
Read MoreThe 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics-A (Detailed DHC-A) file, which provides population counts for 1,500 racial and ethnic groups, was released last week.
There are a few methodological changes to be aware of:
Read MoreConnecticut’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:
discusses what happened;
explains the impact on population estimates for specific towns, planning regions and the state;
delineates which population estimates the state will be using for official purposes; and
provides some recommendations for data users on which version of the population estimates to use, and where to find these estimates.
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!
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreAccording 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%.
Read MoreCTData has just released the Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences: Data to Action Platform, which makes data on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) in Connecticut available to the general public. This data platform was developed by CTData in collaboration with the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
This blog post explains the importance of ACEs and PCEs, along with some information about the data sources we used for our analyses and visualizations. The full data to action platform includes interactive tools to explore ACE and PCE data, along with resources such as infographics and data downloads.
Read MoreAccurate 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.
Read MoreAcross the United States, communities face environmental injustice, an issue defined in part as “the unequal environmental protection and environmental quality provided through laws, regulations, governmental programs, enforcement, and policies.” Environmental injustice looks like minorities and lower income communities facing higher impact from environmental issues than wealthier, whiter areas. Examples of environmental injustice include people of color and low-income individuals being disproportionately exposed to flooding risks, air and water pollutants, and pollutant producers.
Read MoreAccurate 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.
Read MoreTo 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.
Read MoreDuring our 10th Annual CTData Conference, Bridge the Data Gaps, we explored data gaps and solutions in early childhood, Black business ownership, and more. You can see more conference videos and photos here.
Read MoreDuring our 10th Annual CTData Conference, Bridge the Data Gaps, we explored how data can be used as a tool that advances equity and respects those who have experienced racism through data collection and its use.
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CTData’s Hartford Data Collaborative and the Hartford Youth Data Fellows held a Data Walk on Monday, May 15, 2023 from 4:30-6:30pm at CTData’s office in downtown Hartford. Eight Youth Fellows presented data on children & youth, community safety, education, and mental health services: Yandell Alvarez, Naieem Kelly, Nasere Lewin, Syree Little, Rhaili-Em Lowe, Isaiah Perez, Khamari Thornton, and Tatiana Watson. Members of the community, including representatives from community-based organizations, local businesses, and foundations, attended and engaged in discussions with the youth about their findings.
Read MoreThe United States Census Bureau’s Population Estimate Program released its Vintage 2022 population estimates for towns in Connecticut for July 1, 2022. Bridgeport remains in the top spot, with the highest population at 148,377 people (an increase of 0.14%), but Mansfield’s population data showed the largest increase. Click to explore more.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreToday, 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.
Read MoreAt CTData, we often receive questions about changes in migration patterns before and after 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Using three data sources from the U.S. Census Bureau, this blog post will look at recent migration patterns in Connecticut.
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