* U.S. Census Bureau

This entry has been entirely rewritten and reorganized. New and or changed material from the last issue is thus not marked.

The Census offers a great wealth of data. It is tempting, and in fact accurate to say, that if you think it is produced by the Census, check here - you're likely to find it. The material is a mix of general interest material (I've even used some for my principles classes) and highly detailed information.

As one would expect, the web site is organized in a straightforward fashion (much of the material is accesible via other protocols). The following description basically follows the entries used on this site. One entry in several areas is "Data Access Tools." It contains

• STF3A CD-ROM Software - used for accessing data from Census CD-ROMs
• Data Map - nice interface to summary statistics and more detailed info for states and counties
• 1990 Census Lookup - browse and retrieve material from the following databases from the 1990 Census: STF3A, STF3B, STF1D, STF3D, STF1C, STF1A, STF3C-1, STF3C-2
• Tiger Mapping Service - highly detailed maps for any part of the U.S.
• U.S. Gazetteer - identify places in the U.S.
• Census CD-ROMs at the Univ. of CA - the 1990 Census Lookup material comes from here
• Data Extraction System - DES extracts data from large datasets; it currently includes "the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, American Housing Survey, etc."

Another resource that can be found in several areas is the Statistical Abstract of the U.S. As its name suggests, it is a wealth of information.

Two major headings are likely to be of particular interest to economists. The first is "Population and Housing." It contains

• Latest Briefs - various topics are covered here (some of the papers are in Adobe Acrobat pdf format)
• Continuous Measurement - this is a research program for interpolating data between Censuses
• Housing and Household Economics. This information is from the from the Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. It includes (i) household economic statistics: health insurance, income and poverty, (ii) labor force, poverty dynamics, program participation dynamics, (iii) small area income and poverty estimates, (iv) and other reports and information in this area.
• Population. This material is from the Population Division. It includes (i) population estimates and projections (they are quite extensive), (ii) extensive data on social and demographic characteristics, (iii) background info on, and reports, products of this division, and (iv) some info from the International Programs Center (This includes the "International Data Base" (IDB) which contains a wealth of demographic information on a number of countries.)
• County and City Data Book. To quote: "Find the latest official statistics for 1,078 cities, all 3,141 U.S. counties, and 11,097 places of 2,500 or more inhabitants..." In all, more than 100 variables are available. Other than some summary info, it appears that one must retrieve this data from the ftp link located on the Population and Housing page.
• Statistical Briefs - many topics are covered; again many papers are in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.
• Demographic Brochure - this describes the work of the Census

The second major heading likely to be of interest is "Economy." It contains

• Highlights - this contains summary information; many of the reports and series not from Census
• Agriculture- reports and press releases are contained here
• Manufacturing and Construction - reports and press releases are contained here
• County Business Patterns (CBP) - "County Business Patterns is an annual series that provides data covering most of the economic divisions of the economy..." It is based on SIC codes by counties.
• Statistics of U.S. Businesses - Standard Statistical Establishment List (SSEL) "This confidential register contains a wealth of employment, payroll, and organizational information for over 6 million employer businesses in the U.S..." This longitudinal dataset provides a wealth of information on this sector of the economy. Sample material from 1991 data is available here, as is contact information for the entire dataset.
• Current Industrial Reports - the title describes it well
• Economic Census and Surveys - consists of Specific (which includes Retail, Services, and Wholesale Censuses) and General Economic Census and Surveys on a variety of topics
• Governments - a variety of information on state and local governments and schools
• Income and Poverty - annual data on these subjects from the CPS
• International Trade - from the Foreign Trade Division; it has press releases and info about the division
• North American Industrial Classification System - read about material on this proposed replacement for the SIC system
• Quarterly Financial Report for Manufacturing, Mining, and Trade Corporations - summary info on this topic
• CES (Center for Economic Research) Research Programs - papers from this organization are available in PostScript

The web site also has material on geography, information about the Census Bureau, the "Latest News" (press releases, etc.), how to contact people at the Census and search this site, and information on products for sale.

In December of 1994, the Census won an award from the Vice President for this site. It was in honor using the Internet to "distribute Census Bureau data and dramatically increase public access to Bureau information."..."The Census Bureau envisions a day in the not too distant future when most census data will be disseminated electronically."

• http://www.census.gov
• gopher://gopher.census.gov:70/1/
• ftp://ftp.census.gov
• Information Overview: access@census.gov (no subject or message needed)
• Information: pio@census.gov