The 2012 Planning Database was substantially redefined in content and level of geography, compared to the 2000 planning database. The content of the database has increased to 179 fields of data, and the data are at the block-group level of geography, in contrast to tract data in earlier planning databases. The 2012 Planning Database (PDB) assembles a range of housing, demographic, socioeconomic, and census operational data. The PDB variables have been extracted from 2010 Census and American Community Survey (ACS) 2006-2010 5-year summary files and summarized for all block groups in the country. This database will be updated annually.

The database can be used in many ways, including:

• Identifying areas where special outreach and promotion efforts could be considered
• Linking spatial map data files to create thematic maps
• Generating reports, cross tabulations, and simple analyses
• Planning recruitment activities by Regional Census Centers, and Local Census Offices