The United States leads the world in providing open access to government data. However, the neutrality and availability of crucial data required for informed decision-making, dissemination of public funds, public services, and research, is at risk.
In our recent webinar, Safeguarding Federal Data for Democracy, experts from across the country gathered to discuss the urgent need to preserve public data, the threats facing federal data infrastructure, and we data users can respond.
Read MoreThe 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates were released in December 2024. The ACS is a survey administered by the U.S. Census Bureau, reaching 3.5 million households nationwide and over 30,000 households in Connecticut in 2023. ACS data tables cover a variety of topics, including demographics, housing, and income.
Read MoreApril 1, 2030 will be our next Census Day. Today, in anticipation of that day, we're reflecting on the remarkable impact of the Census Bureau—a cornerstone of American data transparency. Read more.
Read MoreHave you ever tried downloading data across multiple years and towns, only to encounter a bunch of steps for what should be a straightforward question? We've been there too, which is why we created and recently updated our Data by Topic tool! This new and improved platform provides convenient way to access Connecticut data at state, town, county, and planning region levels.* Explore the tool with this webinar.
Read MoreTransportation infrastructure shapes not just how we move, but the economic opportunities and daily costs faced by residents. The newly confirmed U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, issued a memo on January 16th that could significantly affect the transportation landscape of the country. In this post, we examine the potential impacts of such a demographically-driven policy on Connecticut.
Read MoreThis past Tuesday, we submitted detailed recommendations to improve the Census Bureau’s race and ethnicity code list, drawing on years of experience with Census and ACS data. Our team identified several areas for improvement that, if addressed, should make a real difference in how Connecticut’s diverse communities are represented.
Read MoreOn December 19th, 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau released their vintage 2024 population estimates for the nation and states. This estimates series incorporates a methodological change to how the Census Bureau estimated net international migration, resulting in substantially higher nationwide estimates of net international migration over the last several years.
Read MoreOn September 23, 2024, we introduced our new 2024 Population Estimates Dashboard through an informational webinar. This powerful tool provides easy access to Connecticut census data from 2020 to the present for each of the state's towns and planning regions, marking a significant step forward in making vital demographic information easily accessible to the public, researchers and policymakers.
Read MoreIn May of 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) released their vintage 2023 population estimates for Connecticut’s towns. However, there are some important caveats to keep in mind when interpreting Connecticut’s population estimates. In this blog post, we discuss some errors and adjustments in the Census Bureau's population estimates for Connecticut and provide guidance for data users.
Read MoreThe U.S. Census Bureau conducts the American Community Survey (ACS) continuously throughout the year. On September 12, 2024, they released the 2023 ACS 1-year estimates. Our data visualizations showcase Connecticut's trends over recent years, incorporating both ACS data and business statistics from the Connecticut Secretary of the State. These graphics offer insights into the state's evolving demographic and economic landscape.
Read MoreLast month, the Census Bureau released an erratum informing the public that they had made a data processing error in the 2022 ACS domestic migration estimates for Connecticut and that data users should not use these migration estimates. This blog post discusses what happened, what data products were affected, and what data users should do.
Read MoreThough our Data Helpline, CTData often receives questions about accessing data on immigration and languages spoken in Connecticut from organizations who want to better understand their communities and tailor their approaches to outreach and service provision. In this blog post, we introduce different datasets that include local immigration and language data and discuss how to access them.
Read MoreThe blended base is the estimate of the national, state, and county populations by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin as of April 1st, 2020, that the Census Bureau has used in their population estimates since the 2020 Decennial Census. The blended base uses population totals from the 2020 Decennial Census, but the distribution of the population by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin comes from other data sources.
In this blog post, we will:
Provide an introduction to the blended base and why it matters
Compare Connecticut’s blended base population estimates by age and sex to the 2020 Decennial Census counts for the state
Discuss the future of the population estimates base
Dive into more details on the blended base methodology for those who are interested
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many workplaces quickly transitioned from in-person work to remote work. While many workplaces have returned to offices, many other jobs have continued to be performed at home. We wanted to look at these trends using two Census Bureau data products: the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates, and the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES).
Read MoreLast week the Census Bureau announced that it will implement updated standards for the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that are effective as of March 28th, 2024. This is the first time the OMB’s race and ethnicity data standards have changed since 1997. Read more.
Read MoreWhen we work with data, we are always working with a place – a state, the nation, a town, etc. In data-speak, these are called “geographies.” It simply means a physical place to where the data are connected. Explore this blog post to understand the census geographies that are most commonly used in Connecticut.
Read MoreCensus Bureau data products continue to give insight into changes in mortality trends over the past few years and through the Covid-19 pandemic. Vintage 2022 Population Estimates, which are based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics, take into account final 2021 and provisional 2022 mortality data and allow data users to look at mortality by sex and by race and ethnicity.
Read MoreTo celebrate Native American Heritage month, we explored the Decennial Census data files to find some data on Native Americans living in Connecticut. In this post we share what we found about the tribes with the highest populations in Connecticut, demographics of the Native American population in Connecticut, and where Native populations live across the state.
Read MoreThis past summer the Equity in Data Community of Practice met to learn from the Census Bureau about how to access granular data on nationality, county of origin, and more. Many people turn to data.census.gov for data on the “standard” race and ethnicity categories. But these categories never accurately represented people from different racial groups, and this is becoming more true as the US becomes more diverse. During this meeting, Kanin Reese from the Center for Enterprise Dissemination at the Census Bureau demonstrated how we can utilize the Census Bureau’s Microdata Tool to find data about people living in our state from specific countries of origin, nationalities, languages, ethnicities, and more.
Read MoreThe 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics-A (Detailed DHC-A) file, which provides population counts for 1,500 racial and ethnic groups, was released last week.
There are a few methodological changes to be aware of:
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