Statistics for Cities and other Places

Statistics about people, households, personal income, labor force, housing:

Census of Population and Housing, 2000 and 1990:
- Demographic profiles from Census 2000 at http://censtats.census.gov/pub/Profiles.shtml
- Detailed statistics for either 2000 or 1990 at http://factfinder.census.gov. See the step-by-step example below.)
Population estimates, 2000 to the latest available year, at http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/
Housing units authorized by building permits at http://censtats.census.gov/bldg/bldgprmt.shtml

Statistics about businesses:

1997 Economic Census at http://factfinder.census.gov
(Enter the name of the place in the search box in the lower left, click on the 'geography' radio button, and click on 'GO'. In the search results box, locate the heading "==Economic Place - 1997 Economic Census==" and click on the appropriate place name, and hit "OK" to the right of the box. Finally, click on "Table 4" or one of the less detailed 1997 Geography Quick Report links at the bottom.)
1997 Minority- and Women-Owned Business at http://www.census.gov/epcd/mwb97/us/us.html

Statistics about governments:

1997 Census of Governments: employment at http://www.census.gov/prod/gc97/gc973-1.pdf (cities start on pdf page 90)
finances at http://www.census.gov/prod/gc97/gc974-4.pdf (cities start at pdf page 171)

Other:

County and City Data Book, including city rankings and some statistics from other agencies at http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html
Gazateer, including population, latitude and longitude, ZIP codes and maps, at http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer

General issues:

The 1990 census and Census 2000 provide the most comprehensive listings of incorporated places and also census designated places (CDP's, i.e., densely settled concentrations of population that are identifiable by name, but not legally incorporated places). All other data sets confine themselves to incorporated places, and some report only incorporated places that meet certain criteria regarding size or activity. For example, the 1997 Economic Census includes only incorporated places with a population of 2,500 inhabitants or more. The Building Permits program recognizes governmental units that issue residential building permits.

Places in some states may cross county lines. Places do not generally correspond to ZIP Code areas, the boundaries of which are defined for and changed at the convenience of the U.S. Postal Service.

Statistics in each of the above data sets refer to places as of a particular reference date. Places in some states change their boundaries over time.

Step-by-step example retrieving Census 2000 place data from American FactFinder.

There are multiple ways to retrieve Census 2000 place data. Here is one:

At www.census.gov, select "American FactFinder" in the left column.
In the righthand column, under the "Data Sets" heading, select one of the following
- "2000 Summary File 1" (age, race and hispanic origin, household relationship, owners and renters, etc) or
- "2000 Summary File 3" (migration, education, employment, income, housing characteristics).
On the Data Sets page,
1. Click the radio button next to "Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data", if it is not already selected.
2. At the right, select "Quick Tables"
On the Select Geography page,
1. In the "Select a geographic type" box, pick "...Place"
2. Select state
3. Select the place and click "Add".
4. Click on "Show Table" (If you don't see the "Next" button, scroll right until you do.)
On the Select Tables page
1. If you are using SF1, select "DP-1 Profile of General Delographic Characteristics" or other table, and click "Add"
2. If you are using SF3, select one or more of the following, and click "Add"
  - DP-2. Profile of Selected Social Characteristics
  - DP-3. Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics
  - DP-4. Profile of Selected Housing Characteristics
3. Click "Show Table"

Notes:

In step 4.3. you may select more than one area, or even all places in a state, and this will yield a series of separate tables, one for each area. (To create a consolidated table with different areas in successive columns, select "Detailed Tables" in step 3.2.)

To select tables with more detailed categories, select "Change Selections" at the top, then "Tables".

Last revised: March 13 2006

Skip this navigation

Census Bureau Links: Home · Search · Subjects A-Z · FAQs · Data Tools · Catalog · Census 2010 · Quality · Privacy Policy · Contact Us

Page Last Modified: March 13, 2006