Over the past several months, we have explored population changes in Connecticut from 2010 to 2020, touching on topics such as overall changes, diversity, housing, analysis for specific towns, and more. In this short blog post, we explore population changes by race and ethnicity for each of the “Five Connecticuts,” a system developed by the University of Connecticut.
As the Census State Data Center, CTData is required to delineate the 2020 PUMA boundaries. An important component of this delineation process is to elicit community feedback from the data users in our state. We began this process in December during our conference session, “PUMAS: What are they and how you can help,” where we laid out the background of what PUMAs are and why this issue matters on our website as well as through an Op-Ed published by the CT Examiner. We also spent time creating options for the 2020 PUMAs so that data users could respond to them at a meeting we held this week. Read on to learn what was decided this week based on community input.
During CTData’s 2021 Conference, we hosted a session dedicated to Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs). If you attended the session, we want to thank you for engaging and offering your input and suggestions. If you missed this session, read on to learn more about what PUMAs are, why they are important, what needs to be done by January 2022, and how you can help with this important process!
Last week, CTData was approached by an organization that was looking to explain the decline in the youth population between 2010 and 2020, particularly the declining numbers of white youth. We decided to share our findings publicly in this post.
When looking at census data for Connecticut, the state-level population data can hide the diversity that lies within our state. The Census Bureau analyzed the national data by county to uncover the racial and ethnic diversity that lies underneath the top-line stats about which racial or ethnic identity is most common. We wondered what Connecticut looks like when we explore the second and third most common racial and ethnic identity by census tract.
Census 2020 has bumped up one of Connecticut’s cities from 4th to 2nd (Stamford), while a total of 100 of Connecticut’s towns have lost population. The share of people identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) continues to increase.
Diversity can often be difficult to quantify, especially when discussing race and ethnicity. The Census Bureau provides accurate and recent demographic data through the American Community Survey and Decennial Census, but how can we use this data to measure diversity in Connecticut towns?
The American Community Survey (ACS) is a survey administered by the Census Bureau covering topics such as social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics. The ACS surveys around 3.5 million addresses and informs over $675 billion of federal government spending each year. Due to Covid-19, outreach and participation significantly decreased in 2020, and the data collected did not meet quality standards for the 2020 1-year estimates.
In 2020, CTData focused on ensuring a complete 2020 Census count in Connecticut through efforts such as tracking town and county response rates and providing resources to increase response rates in communities. Now that the data collection process has been completed, many of us are awaiting the release of 2020 Census data. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has pushed back many of the previously anticipated data product release dates.
National Invest in Veterans Week is observed from March 1 through March 7 each year and provides an opportunity to celebrate and honor our veterans and their contributions to our community and economy. We put together a blog post with some facts about veterans in Connecticut based on data from the 2019 American Community Survey.
In February 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau updated census geographic boundaries for many states across the country, including Connecticut. Since data from both the American Community Survey and decennial census is often consumed at the census-tract level (areas of up to 4,000 people), it is important for data users to understand the differences between 2010 and 2020 boundaries, as new data will be disseminated using updated boundaries going forward.
The U.S. Census Bureau is typically associated with the once-a-decade count of the entire population of the United States, but did you know the bureau collects and shares data from over 130 surveys and programs?
If you use census data, stay tuned for an important update that will impact the future of your data work in Connecticut.
The State of Connecticut requested and the Census Bureau proposed the appointment of the state’s nine Councils of Governments (COGs) as the “county-equivalent geographic unit for purposes of collecting, tabulating, and disseminating statistical data.” The change is set to be implemented in 2023.
How has Connecticut changed in the last five years? According to our analysis on the newly released 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of Connecticut has declined slightly. However, the share of the population that identifies as a person of color has increased by 3%, and the share of the population that has health insurance has increased as well.
As we’ve spoken with people during the last couple of months about census outreach, one theme has become clear: many people still have hesitations about completing their 2020 Census questionnaires. Reasons include not realizing that the census brings funding to their community, feeling doubtful that funding would be distributed, or reluctance to provide personal information to the federal government.
A lot is going on in our lives right now, but we hope you will take 5 minutes to join us to support a fair and accurate census count.Like you, we at CTData care about an accurate count in Census 2020. There is funding, representation, and data at stake. We are concerned that the U.S. Census Bureau has recently shortened the timeline for the decennial count and that Congress isn’t funding census operations at a level that meets the needs in Connecticut and other states.
Turn on any news outlet and data privacy and accuracy sit at the forefront of the conversation. No organization is too small or too large to outwit potential privacy breaches, not even the federal government.