Census Product Update: May 2008 Archives

May 29, 2008

Headline News

Facts for Features: 2008 Hurricane Season Begins. (Released May 28, 2008)

New Orders for Manufactured Durable Goods in April Decreased $1.0 Billion (or 0.5 Percent) to $214.4 Billion. (Released May 28, 2008)

Facts for Features: Americans With Disabilities Act: July 26. (Released May 27, 2008)

Sales of New One-Family Houses in April 2008 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 526,000. (Released May 27, 2008)

The Geographic Distribution and Characteristics of Older Workers in New Jersey: 2004. (Released May 27, 2008)

Privately-Owned Housing Starts in April 2008 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 1,032,000. (Released May 16, 2008)

Fact of the Day

Fewer Mothers With a Recent Birth Rely on Government Assistance Than in 1996

The report, Participation of Mothers in Government Assistance Programs: 2004 (PDF - 452 KB), analyzes the socioeconomic characteristics of mothers participating in six different public assistance programs. It shows that in 1996, 42 percent of mothers with a birth in the previous year were participants in at least one of these six programs. The rate dipped to 29 percent in 2001 before climbing to 34 percent in 2004. These data were collected from June 2004 through September 2004 in the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Hot Tip

The Clock Is Counting Down

See the exact amount of time left before Census Day, April 1, 2010 on the Census 2010 web page. In addition, on the web site be sure to watch the video (approximately 3 minutes) on the 2010 Census. This informational video explains how communities benefit from Census Bureau data collection efforts. Testimonials describe the importance of a complete count and why the 2010 Census will be the most important count in our nation's history.

Recently Released

Population

National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: 2006. Report presents microdata records (with any information removed that might identify a specific person or household) on individuals involved in fishing, hunting, and other wildlife-associated recreation, such as wildlife observation, photography, and feeding. Reports for forty-one states have been released to-date.

Participation of Mothers in Government Assistance Programs: 2004. (PDF - 453 KB). Report analyzes the socioeconomic characteristics of mothers participating in six public assistance programs, including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Food Stamps, and Medicaid. Detailed tables are also available online.

School Enrollment in the United States: 2006. A national-level update of characteristics of the nation's more than 75 million students. Eight Internet tables include number of students by attributes such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, family income, type of college, and vocational course enrollment. This Internet-only release comes from data collected each October as part of the Current Population Survey. The full report with analysis of the details is expected later this summer.

Support Providers: 2005. Internet tables examining data about those who provide support to people living in other households. The data include selected characteristics about support providers, such as their marital status, employment status, education level, and race. Although providers are often associated with child support, the category also includes those who pay support for people not living in the same household, such as parents or relatives. The data for these tables come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Latest Economic Indicators

New Residential Construction: April 2008. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits.

New Residential Sales: April 2008. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Includes sales prices, months on the market, and stage of construction.

Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: April 2008. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators.

Economic Census and Surveys

Older Worker Profiles. Report (it will be released for each of over 30 states) provides a detailed picture of workers 55 and older at the county and metropolitan area levels for 2004. Based on data from the Local Employment Dynamics program, the report highlights the age of the states' work force, job gains, and losses, industries in which older workers are concentrated, job stability, and earnings. The following states are available as of the publish date of this newsletter:

Iowa (PDF - 1.31 MB)
Maine (PDF - 1.45 MB)
Vermont (PDF - 762 KB)
Indiana (PDF - 1.53 MB)
Arkansas (PDF - 1.81 MB)
Hawaii (PDF - 558 KB)
Delaware (PDF - 464 KB)
Colorado (PDF - 779 KB)
Wisconsin (PDF - 766 KB)
New Jersey (PDF - 800 KB)

Government

Consolidated Federal Funds Report: 2006. This annual data set provides an overview of federal spending at the national, state, and county levels. The data are obtained from federal government agencies and describe spending for procurement contracts, salaries and wages, direct payments, loans, and insurance.

State and Local Government Finances: 2005-2006. Downloadable Internet tables, covering state and local government financial activities in four broad categories: revenues, expenditures, outstanding debt, and assets (cash and security holdings). The tables through 2004 can be found at the Government web site.

Reference and Compendia

Facts for Features: The Fourth of July

Facts for Features: Older Americans Month (May 2008)

Facts for Features: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May 2008)

Facts for Features: Father's Day (June 15)

Upcoming Releases

Population

International Data Base Update: 2007. Internet files showing demographic indicators such as infant mortality, life expectancy, fertility rates, net migration, and population growth for 228 countries and areas of the world. Includes current estimates and moving population pyramids which project age and sex distributions to year 2050.

Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2006. A detailed look at registration and participation in the most recent congressional election, as well as the characteristics of those who voted, those who registered, and a look at the reasons why people who were registered did not vote. Find out who were the likeliest voters based on region, education, income, employment, race and Hispanic origin, and other factors.

What It's Worth: Field of Training and Economic Status: 2004. Series of tables from the Survey of Income and Program Participation examining the relationship between field of training and monthly earnings.

Economic Indicators

Construction Spending (Put-in-Place): April 2008. Press release showing estimates of the value of total new construction put-in-place by type of construction (residential and non-residential), annual value, and by type of owner (private and public). Scheduled for release June 2, 2008.

Manufacturer's Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: April 2008. Press release showing information on key business indicators. Shows revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders. Scheduled for release June 3, 2008.

Monthly Wholesale Trade: April 2008. Press release showing estimates for sales, inventories on a non-LIFO ("last in-first out") basis, and stock-sales ratios for merchant wholesalers by three-digit major kind-of-business groups. Scheduled for release June 6, 2008.

US International Trade in Goods and Services: April 2008. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption. Scheduled for release June 10, 2008.

Quarterly Services Survey: 1st Quarter 2008. Press release showing quarterly estimates of total operating revenue and the percentage of revenue by class of customer for the services industries. Scheduled for release June 11, 2008.

Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: May 2008. Press release presenting advance monthly estimates of retail store sales by kind-of-business groups. Report includes seasonally adjusted estimates and percentage changes for major kind-of-business groups. Scheduled for release June 12, 2008.

Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: April 2008. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Scheduled for release June 12, 2008.

Economic Census and Surveys

New Foreign Trade Regulations Take Effect. The US Census Bureau's first major revision in two decades includes new legal and online filing requirements, modified filing timeframes and stricter penalties.

Top-Ranked States by Industry. A new web page helps promote the 2007 Economic Census highlighting facts from the 2002 Economic Census about every state by receipts per capita for every industry.

Reference and Compendia

Facts for Features: Conversion from Analog to Digital TV (February 17, 2009). Facts and figures from the Census Bureau's statistical abstract relating to television programming and the conversion from analog to digital broadcasting.

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26) . In observance of the 18th anniversary of the enactment of this groundbreaking law, statistical information from the Census Bureau's demographic subject areas about people with disabilities.

May 16, 2008

Headline News

Fewer Mothers With a Recent Birth Rely On Government Assistance Than in 1996. (Released May 14, 2008)

U.S. Total Business Sales for March Were $1,154.3 Billion, Up 1.0 Percent From Last Month. Month-End Inventories Were $1,465.1 Billion, Up 0.1 Percent From Last Month. (Released May 13, 2008)

Oregon in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot. (Released May 13, 2008)

Kentucky in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot. (Released May 13, 2008)

U.S. Retail and Food Service Sales for April Reached $378.1 Billion, a Decrease of 0.2 Percent From the Previous Month. (Released May 13, 2008)

The Nation's International Deficit in Goods and Services Decreased to $58.2 Billion in March From $61.7 Billion (Revised) in February, as Imports Decreased More Than Exports. (Released May 9, 2008)

School Enrollment in the United States: 2006. (Released May 8, 2008)

March 2008 Sales of Merchant Wholesalers Were $384.3 Billion, Up 1.6 Percent From Last Month. End-of-Month Inventories Were $420.8 Billion, Down 0.1 Percent From Last Month. (Released May 8, 2008)

Monthly Child Support Averaged $425 in 2005. (Released May 6, 2008)

New Orders for Manufactured Goods in March Increased $5.9 Billion or 1.4 Percent to $432.3 Billion. (Released May 2, 2008)

Fact of the Day

Support Not Just For Children

Support payments totaled $43.4 billion in 2005, an average of $5,600 per provider annually. Data from the Support Providers: 2005. This report shows that monetary support is primarily for children, although it also includes support for other non-household members, such as parents or other relatives. These data tables come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, a national survey designed to provide comprehensive details about the social and economic well-being of individuals and households.

Hot Tip

FIPS County Lookup

"Help! I have a bunch of FIPS codes and I want to find the counties they designate."

Try the Census Bureau's FIPS County Lookup. You can use it in three ways:

Select a state name and see the FIPS codes for all the counties.
Type in a county and see the two-digit state and three-digit county code.
Type in the five-digit FIPS code and see the state and county names. For example, type in "32003" and you'll see this is the FIPS code for Clark County, Nevada.

The lookup also lets you download a simple text file showing the FIPS code for each county in the nation arranged by state. FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) codes are the official government identifiers for geographic areas such as counties, cities, metro areas, etc. More information.

Recently Released

Population

Estimates of US and State Population by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: July 1, 2007 [PDF - 655 KB]. Internet tables showing national and state-level population estimates cross-tabulated by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin.

Net Worth and the Assets of Households: 2002. Income and net worth are two important factors in determining economic well-being in the United States. This report looks at net worth and asset ownership by various socioeconomic factors, including monthly income. The data come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Participation of Mothers in Government Assistance Programs: 2004 [PDF - 453 KB]. Report analyzing the socioeconomic characteristics of mothers participating in six public assistance programs, including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, food stamps, and Medicaid. Detailed tables also available online.

School Enrollment in the United States: 2006. A national-level update of characteristics of the nation's more than 75 million students. Eight internet tables include number of students by attributes such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, family income, type of college and vocational course enrollment. This Internet-only release comes from data collected each October as part of the Current Population Survey. The full report with analysis of the details is expected later this summer.

Latest Economic Indicators

Manufacturer's Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: March 2008. Press release showing information on key business indicators. Shows revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders.

Monthly Wholesale Trade: March 2008. Press release showing estimates for sales, inventories on a non-LIFO ("last in-first out") basis, and stock-sales ratios for merchant wholesalers by three-digit major kind-of-business groups.

US International Trade in Goods and Services: March 2008. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption.

Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: April 2008. Press release presenting advance monthly estimates of retail store sales by kind-of-business groups. Report includes seasonally adjusted estimates and percentage changes for major kind-of-business groups.

Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: March 2008. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers.

Economic Census and Surveys

Iowa (PDF - 1.31 MB)

Maine (PDF - 1.45 MB)

Vermont (PDF - 762 KB)

Indiana (PDF - 1.53 MB)

Arkansas (PDF - 1.81 MB)

Hawaii (PDF - 558 KB)

Delaware (PDF - 464 KB)

Colorado (PDF - 779 KB)

Wisconsin (PDF - 766 KB)

Government

Reference and Compendia

Facts for Features: The Fourth of July

Facts for Features: Mother's Day (May 11)

Facts for Features: Cinco de Mayo (May 5)

Facts for Features: Older Americans Month (May 2008)

Facts for Features: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May 2008)

Facts for Features: Father's Day (June 15)

Upcoming Releases

Population

Economic Indicators

New Residential Construction: April 2008. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits. Scheduled for release May 16, 2008.

New Residential Sales: April 2008. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Includes sales prices, months on the market, and stage of construction. Scheduled for release May 27, 2008.

Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: April 2008. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators. Scheduled for release May 28, 2008.

Economic Census and Surveys

Top-Ranked States by Industry. A new web page helps promote the 2007 Economic Census highlighting facts from the 2002 Economic Census about every state by receipts per capita for every industry.

Government

State and Local Government Finances: 2005-2006. Downloadable Internet tables, covering state and local government financial activities in four broad categories: revenues, expenditures, outstanding debt and assets (cash and security holdings). The tables through 2004 can be found at .

Reference and Compendia

Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act (July 26). In observance of the 18th anniversary of the enactment of this groundbreaking law, statistical information from the Census Bureau's demographic subject areas about people with disabilities.

May 01, 2008

Headline News

Total Construction Activity for March 2008 ($1,123.5 Billion) Was 1.1 Percent Below the Revised February 2008 Figure ($1,136.5 Billion). (Released May 1, 2008)

US Hispanic Population Surpasses 45 Million Now 15 Percent of Total. (Released May 1, 2008)

Angelo Falcón Selected for Census Bureau's Hispanic Advisory Committee. (Released April 30, 2008)

Kim M. Williams Selected for Census Bureau's African-American Advisory Committee. (Released April 30, 2008)

Mary A. McGehee Selected for Census Bureau's African-American Advisory Committee. (Released April 30, 2008)

Pyong Gap Min Selected for Census Bureau's Asian Advisory Committee. (Released April 30, 2008)

Tiva M. Aga Selected for Census Bureau's Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Advisory Committee. (Released April 30, 2008)

Indiana in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot. (Released April 30, 2008)

North Carolina in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot. (Released April 30, 2008)

Housing Vacancies and Homeownership. (Released April 28, 2008)

Net Worth and the Assets of Households: 2002. (Released April 24, 2008)

New Orders for Manufactured Durable Goods in March Decreased $0.7 Billion (0.3 Percent) to $212.2 Billion. (Released April 24, 2008)

Sales of New One-Family Houses in March 2008 Were at a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of 526,000. (Released April 24, 2008)

Where Did Your Federal Dollars Go in 2006? (Released April 23, 2008)

Facts for Features: Father's Day: June 15, 2008. (Released April 17, 2008)

Fact of the Day

Money from Uncle Sam

The federal government disbursed $2.45 trillion in domestic spending in 2006, representing a 7.5 percent increase in federal spending over 2005. Per capita spending among states was highest for Louisiana ($16,263). Mississippi was second ($14,516), followed by Alaska ($13,805). The states that received the lowest per capita distribution of federal funds were Nevada ($5,852), Utah ($6,162), and Minnesota ($6,175). This information and much more can be found in Consolidated Federal Funds Report: 2006 (PDF - 2.65 MB), and in, Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2006 (PDF - 3.69 MB).

Hot Tip

Take Advantage of the Statistical Abstract Web Site!

Take advantage of the versatile Statistical Abstract website! Once on the Census Bureau website, click "Statistical Abstract" on the bottom of the page. Headings are listed along the left margin -- roll your cursor over your section of interest and the table titles from that section will appear. The tables are in both spreadsheet and PDF format. In addition to accessing the spreadsheets, browse the site to see other features such as access to other statistical compendia websites, a guide to sources, top five data links, access to state statistical abstract links, and more!

Recently Released

Population

Estimates of US and State Population by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin: July 1, 2007. Internet tables showing national and state-level population estimates cross-tabulated by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin.

Net Worth and the Assets of Households: 2002. (PDF - 655 KB). Income and net worth are two important factors in determining economic well-being in the United States. This report looks at net worth and asset ownership by various socioeconomic factors, including monthly income. The data come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Latest Economic Indicators

Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufactures' Shipments and Orders: March 2008. Press release showing advance information on key business indicators.

New Residential Sales: March 2008. Press release reporting new one-family houses sold and for sale. Includes sales prices, months on the market, and stage of construction.

Housing Vacancies: 1st Quarter 2008. Press release showing rental and homeowner vacancy rates and characteristics of units available for occupancy.

Construction Spending (Put-in-Place): March 2008. Press release showing estimates of the value of total new construction put-in-place by type of construction (residential and non-residential), annual value, and by type of owner (private and public).

Economic Census and Surveys

Older Worker Profiles. Report (it will be released for each of over 30 states) provides a detailed picture of workers 55 and older at the county and metropolitan area levels for 2004. Based on data from the Local Employment Dynamics program, highlights the age of the states' work force, job gains and losses, industries in which older workers are concentrated, job stability, and earnings. The following states are available as of the publish date of this newsletter:

Iowa (PDF - 1.31 MB)
Maine (PDF - 1.45 MB)
Vermont (PDF - 762 KB)
Indiana (PDF - 1.53 MB)
Arkansas (PDF - 1.81 MB)
Hawaii (PDF - 558 KB)
Delaware (PDF - 464 KB)
Colorado (PDF - 779 KB)
Wisconsin (PDF - 766 KB)

Reference and Compendia

Facts for Features: Mother's Day (May 11)

Facts for Features: Cinco de Mayo (May 5)

Facts for Features: Older Americans Month (May 2008)

Facts for Features: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May 2008)

Facts for Features: Father's Day (June 15)

Upcoming Releases

Population

Support Providers: 2005. Data examines those who provide support to people living in other households. The data include selected characteristics about support providers, such as their marital status, employment status, education level, and race. Although providers are often associated with child support, the category also includes those who pay support for people not living in the same household, such as parents or relatives. The data for these tables come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation.

Economic Indicators

Manufacturer's Shipments, Inventories, and Orders: March 2008. Press release showing information on key business indicators. Shows revised durable goods totals, in addition to nondurable goods manufacturers' shipments, inventories, and orders. Scheduled for release May 2, 2008.

Monthly Wholesale Trade: March 2008. Press release showing estimates for sales, inventories on a non-LIFO ("last in-first out") basis, and stock-sales ratios for merchant wholesalers by three-digit major kind-of-business groups. Scheduled for release May 8, 2008.

US International Trade in Goods and Services: March 2008. Press release showing monthly exports, general imports (including data by country), and limited data on imports for consumption. Scheduled for release May 9, 2008.

Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: April 2008. Press release presenting advance monthly estimates of retail store sales by kind-of-business groups. Report includes seasonally adjusted estimates and percentage changes for major kind-of-business groups. Scheduled for release May 13, 2008.

Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales: March 2008. Press release showing sales, inventories, and inventories-to-sales ratios for the combined domestic activities of retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers. Scheduled for release May 13, 2008.

New Residential Construction: April 2008. Press release showing data for housing starts, completions, and building permits. Scheduled for release May 16, 2008.

Economic Census and Surveys

Top-Ranked States by Industry. A new web page helps promote the 2007 Economic Census highlighting facts from the 2002 Economic Census about every state by receipts per capita for every industry.

Government

Participation of Mothers in Government Assistance Programs: 2004. Report analyzes the socioeconomic characteristics of mothers participating in six public assistance programs, including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, food stamps, and Medicaid.

Reference and Compendia

Facts for Features: The Fourth of July. Happy Birthday, America! The Census Bureau celebrates the 232nd anniversary of our nation's independence with a collection of statistics on flags, fireworks, and food.

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Page Last Modified: May 29, 2008