Census Data Availability in 10.1

RickRossi

Household Income data for 2010 does not seem to be included in in the 10.1 dataset?  Was Household Income included in the 2010 Census, or is it only availble through ACS?  If not included in the Census, does ESRI estimate a benchmark for 2010 (based on ACS) for trending purposes?

KristenCarroll

Household Income data for 2010 does not seem to be included in in the 10.1 dataset?  Was Household Income included in the 2010 Census, or is it only availble through ACS?  If not included in the Census, does ESRI estimate a benchmark for 2010 (based on ACS) for trending purposes?

Hi Debbie,
The following answer comes from Cathy Spisszak, our Data Product Manager:

[INDENT]Household Income was not included in Census 2010 due to the elimination of the long form.  Income information now comes from the ACS: http://resources.arcgis.com/content/acs.
Esri supplies annual estimates of Income.  However, there currently isn�??t a good benchmark for income for trending purposes due to the changes made to the decennial Census.
From our 2011 Methodology statement:
Data users like time series. They like to know what has happened since the last update. Has the housing market stabilized yet? Has the local economy improved? Has there been any growth, or are the residents simply one year older? Unfortunately, the 2011 updates are only comparable to corresponding Census 2010 counts. Each decennial census effectively restarts demographic time series for the next decade.
�?�  Esri's 2010/2015 demographic updates were based on Census 2000, reported in 2000 geography and released several months before Census 2010 data. Updated sample variables, like income and employment, are also not comparable to current sample data (i.e., ACS data).
�?�  Census 2000 geography is not comparable to Census 2010 areas. The Census Bureau revised or realigned boundaries from the county level to blocks.
�?�  Geographic incompatibility also precludes the comparison of trade areas, which are built from different blocks and block groups in Census 2010.
�?�  ACS is not comparable to Census 2000 as a base. For example, ACS household income is averaged over different surveys spanning 12�??60 months, and each respondent's income is adjusted by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Census 2000 collected income for the previous year (1999) at one point in time. ACS may also include seasonal residents for an area, unlike Census 2000.
�?�  2011 updates are not comparable to 2010 updates.

The 2011 updates are also not comparable to ACS data. The only data for all levels of geography is the five-year ACS data. First, a five-year average is hardly comparable to a single point in time. Second, the 2006�??2010 ACS data was released after the 2011 updates. Finally, current forecast models, especially for sample items like income, differ from the models that were used from 2000 to 2010. All models are being revised to incorporate Census 2010 as a base to accommodate the change in ACS sample data and to introduce new data sources.[/INDENT]


Best Regards,

Kristen C.
Esri Support Services