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August 2005
Vol. 6, No. 5
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Inside the Data Center
The Economic Census
The 2002 Economic Census began collecting data on the nation’s
businesses in late 2002, and it is in the process of being released by
the Census Bureau. Currently, state level data is being released (see
Table 1) and is available through the American FactFinder website
(http://factfinder.census.gov).
Table 1: Release Dates for Indiana Sector Data
To help users better understand and gain access to the 2002 Economic
Census and how it relates to past economic censuses, the Census Bureau
is offering two hands-on seminars to be held in Indianapolis at the Indiana
State Library on September 23rd at 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Both seminars
are free to the public and each will last three hours. The required registration
can be done online at www.census.gov/econ/census02/guide/ec02conf.htm.
Racial and Ethnic Composition Since 1790
Since the first census in 1790, when U.S. marshals counted 3.9 million
residents, the decennial census has collected data on the nation’s
population, including data on racial composition. For the first time,
the U.S. Census Bureau has released a historical summary by city, titled
Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990,
and by Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, for Large Cities and Other Urban
Places in the United States. It is available online at www.census.gov/population/www/techpap.html.
This working paper illustrates how the composition by race and Hispanic
origin has changed over the years in 306 cities. Data are provided for
224 places that have had a census population of 100,000 or more at some
point from 1790 to 1990, as well as another 82 places that historically
were among the largest in their state. As shown in Figure 1,
Indiana cities and towns included in the working paper are Evansville,
Fort Wayne, Gary, Hammond, Indianapolis, New Albany and South Bend.
Figure 1: Total Population, 1830 to 1990
The racial categories used in the report are those used in the 1990 census.
Data from Census 2000 are not included because they are not directly comparable
with race data from previous censuses.
Handbook for State and Local Officials
The Data Center has received a few phone calls from concerned citizens
about the legitimacy of a new survey they have received in the mail. A
local police department also called after an individual in the community
contacted them about someone coming to their door with a laptop computer
claiming to be from the Census Bureau. The fact is, starting in January
of 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau started mailing the American Community
Survey to 300,000 addresses every month in every county of the United
States, including every county in Indiana. The Census Bureau has published
an informative and helpful document entitled American Community Survey—A
Handbook for State and Local Officials. This document, along with
a sample of the survey questionnaire and many other publications, can
be found at www.census.gov/acs.
By Frank Wilmot, State Data Center Coordinator
Indiana State Library
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