Data.census.gov Newsletter – May 2023

What's New?

In April, we released new updates to improve your experience on data.census.gov. With this release, you will now see:

• New bar charts added to the Marital Status and Marital History section of the Geography Profiles
• New buttons for “Dataset” and “Year” added to the table toolbar
• Simplified column controls
• Continued search engine optimization
• Fixes to 16 defects

The primary feature of the release is the new bar charts added to the Marital Status and Marital History section of the Geography Profiles. This update provides more meaningful information in the bar charts. You’ll also see the new buttons for “Dataset” and “Year” added to the table toolbar. These buttons provide an intuitive option for you to switch between all available datasets and years applicable to the table you are currently viewing. This will be more helpful for users to interact with the table and replaces the previous “Survey” button. You’ll also see we removed the reset column buttons because the “Restore” button at the top of the table already provides functionality to return to the default table view.

Finally, behind the scenes we performed technical updates to improve your view of the maps in the Geography Profiles on a mobile device without having the controls cover up the map automatically. Users will also experience a readjusted zoom area on the map as you make updates to your selected geographies.

Latest Data Releases

New data releases:

• August 2022 Current Population Survey Veterans Supplement – 4/06
• June 2022 Current Population Survey Fertility Supplement – 4/06
• Incremental Development Code Release – 4/06
• May 2022 CPS Unemployment Insurance Nonfiler Supplement – 4/13
• March 2023 Current Population Survey Basic Monthly – 4/13
• 2021 County Business Patterns – 4/27

Featured Question

Where can I download Shapefiles?

We have not yet added the ability download Shapefiles directly on data.census.gov, but you can download them through these easy steps on census.gov:

• Visit the web interface to download TIGER/Line Shapefiles
• Select the year and type of geographic area
• Click Submit
• Choose the state if prompted and click Download
• Save the file to your computer or open the zip file
• Repeat as needed
• Note: Not all versions of TIGER/Line Shapefiles are available through the web interface. You can use the FTP site to access the full set files.

• For detailed instructions, please see the educational brochure on Downloading TIGER/Line Shapefiles.

Coming Soon

Upcoming Releases:

• May 25th: 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics Data

In future updates to data.census.gov, Microdata Access and the Census Data API, we are working toward:

• New graphical stories representing different data and releases. 
• Improved mapping functionality including download and sharing capabilities.
• Backend development to allow the API to be more user friendly.
• Continued improvements to geography profile visualizations.

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COMING IN MAY:

Webinar

Accessing 2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics Data Using data.census.gov

Date to Be Announced

For anyone who is interested in accessing the newly released 2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics tables and Demographic Profile, we bring you this webinar. Join us for this session where we will take participants through data.census.gov to easily find 2020 Census demographic and housing characteristic data, including finding data for different levels of geography, using the mapping feature to visualize data for your community, where to find helpful technical documentation, and more.

Featured Video Tutorial:

How to Export and Download Tables in data.census.gov

New Recorded Webinar:

Using data.census.gov to Explore Race & Ethnicity Data

The Census Bureau has ample demographic and socioeconomic data by race and ethnicity, and it's all available in our data platform, data.census.gov. Watch this webinar where we will define the concepts of race and ethnicity in accordance to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Standards, and do a live walkthrough on how to navigate data.census.gov to access this data.

More Upcoming Workshops:

These participatory classes walk you through examples that cover the basics of using data.census.gov.

Time is allotted throughout the training for questions, and participation is strongly encouraged. No prior knowledge of using data.census.gov is required for these classes.

Basics of Using the Census API in data.census.gov

Basics of Using the Microdata Access Tool in data.census.gov

Making the Most of Mapping in data.census.gov

Basics of Finding Data on data.census.gov

Advanced Usage of data.census.gov

About data.census.gov

Data.census.gov is the primary platform to access data and digital content from the U.S. Census Bureau. We continuously update data.census.gov with new data from our most popular survey and programs, as well as system enhancements to improve your experience on the platform.

We’re here to help with your data needs:

• Visit our data.census.gov Resources page for educational materials
• Learn about Microdata Access and the Census Data API
• Request a data.census.gov training: 
  ced.cedsci.outreach@census.gov
• Request a training for your local area: census.askdata@census.gov
• Ask your questions: census.data@census.gov

Provide Feedback on data.census.gov

Your suggestions help determine future improvements we implement to make data.census.gov work better for you!