On August 12th the United States Census Bureau released redistricting data from the 2020 Decennial census to the public, alongside videos, visualizations, and other resources.
About the 2020 Decennial Census redistricting data
These data capture the demographic characteristics of the nation on April 1st, 2020 at the state level and down to census blocks:
- Population totals
- Voting-age population (i.e. age 18 and up)
- Race and Hispanic/Latino origin
- Occupied and vacant housing units
- Population totals in group quarters (i.e. nursing homes, prisons, military barracks, and college dorms).
Population totals from the data are used by states to redraw electoral district lines (or, "redistrict") based on population size, and to determine where funding goes. North Carolina, for example, gained one seat in the US House of Representatives due to a 9.5% increase in the state population from 9.5 million people in 2010 to 10.4 million in 2020.
The redistricting data are the first 2020 Census data to have differential privacy applied using the new (and controversial) Census Disclosure Avoidance System,
meaning that false data, referred to as "noise," are intentionally added to
the public dataset in an effort to protect the confidentiality of
individuals represented by the data. This generally means that data
users (i.e. researchers, especially in the social sciences) who look at block-level data, or other areas with a very small
population size, may need to adjust their methods.
Future releases include easier-to-use versions of the redistricting data published on August 12th, which will be published on the census.data.gov portal by the end of September, and more detailed population and household statistics.
Exploring and accessing Census data
The 2020 data has yet to be added to the census.data.gov portal, but is accessible via FTP download from the US Census Bureau Redistricting Data webpage, along with a number of visualizations and web maps; my favorite is the 2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer, which is an interactive web map for exploring demographic data and statistics at the state, county, and census tract levels.
A number of our library databases will eventually have data from the 2020 Decennial census, and currently have data from previous Decennial censuses (typically 2000 & 2010) and/or American Community Survey (ACS) estimates:
- PolicyMap (more info at: Is the Census Data Ready Yet? | PolicyMap Mapchats Blog)
- Data Planet
- SimplyAnalytics
- Social Explorer
Some of these databases have "estimated current population data," which are estimated using previous Decennial censuses, ACS data, and other data sources; this is different from the Decennial census, which is a more accurate count of the entire country's population collected at one point in time, rather than an estimate derived from data collected throughout the year over several years for a sample of the population. Current year estimates are very useful until we get the 2020 Decennial census data, though, and as we pass beyond 2020 into nearly 2022 (oh jeez). And some datasets, like from the ACS (formerly the "long-form" census), have more detailed demographic data that you can't find in the Decennial census, like income, educational attainment, employment, housing, and more. (See Steve's previous blog post about Census tools for the ACS!).
Historical Census data, including the Decennial census, ACS, and others, can also be found in the library databases linked above (some further back than others), as well as:
- in the United States Census Bureau Data Repository (hosted by ICPSR)
- on the United States Census Bureau website (For example: Decennial census data by decade)
- in the websites listed on the UNCG Libraries Finding Data guide under frequently used data sources.
Sources and further reading
Everything you need to know about the 2020 US census release | USA Today
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