Census Data & Emergency Preparedness

Hurricane Irene

Additional Data from our Economic Programs

2011 Hurricane Season

The North Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and lasts through November 30. The U.S. Census Bureau produces timely local data that are critical to emergency planning, preparedness and recovery efforts. Use these online resources for more information about affected area:

OnTheMap: Get up to the minute information on the path of the storm and economic data for affected areas.
Interactive Population Map: Grab local 2010 Census data for affected areas with this interactive mapping tool.
Hot Reports: Shows pertinent economic indicators, including data on housing, transportation and the labor force.
Quick Facts: Provides easy access to facts about the people, business, and geography of the United States.
Facts for Features: This edition highlights the number of people living in areas that could be most affected by the 2011 hurricane season.

OnTheMap For Emergency Management: Hurricanes

OnTheMap for Emergency Management is a public data tool that provides unique detail on the workforce, for U.S. areas affected by hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, in real time. The web-based tool provides an intuitive interface for viewing the location and extent of current and forecasted emergency events on a map, and allows users to easily retrieve detailed reports containing labor market characteristics for these areas. The reports provide the number and location of jobs, industry type, worker age and earnings. Worker race, ethnicity, and educational attainment levels are under a beta release at this time.

2011 Mississippi River Floods

The 2011 Mississippi River Floods have been the most damaging along the river since 1993 and may rival the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. This natural disaster illustrates the importance of emergency planning and preparedness for areas that are more susceptible to severe weather. The Census Bureau has provided a number of reference maps that highlight the impact the floods will have on the population living along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, specifically in areas where the National Weather Service has described the outlook of flooding as either occurring or imminent. Numerous counties in several states have already been declared federal disaster areas.

Preparing for Emergencies Using Census Data

The growth in population of coastal areas illustrates the importance of emergency planning and preparedness for areas that are susceptible to inclement tropical conditions. The U.S. Census Bureau’s official population estimates, along with annually updated socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey, provide a detailed look at the nation’s growing coastal population. Emergency planners and community leaders can better assess the needs of coastal populations using census data.

Coastline Population Trends in the United States: 1960 to 2008 [PDF] — This historical report uses a combination of decennial census data and population estimates to examine population trends along the country’s saltwater edges — the nation’s coastline counties.

Between 1960 and 2008, the population in coastline counties along the Gulf of Mexico soared by 150 percent, more than double the rate of increase of the nation's population as a whole. This area is now home to nearly 14 million residents.

Eighty-seven million people, or 29 percent of the U.S. population, live in coastline counties, including more than 41 million in Atlantic and 32 million in Pacific counties. In 1960, only 47 million lived in coastline counties, an increase of 40 million.

Coastal Population Maps

Map Showing Coastline Counties of the United States by Coastline Region [PDF-743K]
Map Showing Change in Coastline Population by County 1960 to 2008 [PDF-1,389K]
Map Showing Change in Population Density for Coastline Counties 1960 to 2008 [PDF-1,386K]
Map Showing SMSA and CBSA Status for Coastline Counties 1960 and 2008 [PDF-1,541K]
Map Showing Number of Hurricanes by Coastline County 1960 to 2008 [PDF-1,678K]
Maps Showing Details of North Carolina’s 50-Mile Coastal Zone [PDF-472K]

>> Additional information on coastal areas