Connecticut data analysis and articles — CTData

Overview of the four sources of population data

Accurate and reliable population data is essential as we strive to understand our communities and plan for the future. From determining congressional districts to allocating resources for schools and healthcare, population data drives decision-making at all levels of government and beyond.

In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at four commonly used sources of population data: the Decennial Census, American Community Survey (ACS), Population Estimate Program (PEP), and Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) Population Estimates. Continue reading to learn more about these sources.

Census & ACS, Demographics & PopulationJeff BorofskyAugust 1, 2023population estimates

An Overview of Differential Privacy in the 2020 Decennial Census

To protect respondents’ privacy, for the 2020 Decennial Census the Census Bureau is using a modern disclosure avoidance approach called differential privacy. In brief, differential privacy adds statistical noise—small random additions or subtractions—into the data to reduce the risk that someone could reidentify any person or household.

In this post, we will: (1) describe how differential privacy is applied to the 2020 Decennial Census data; (2) review the Census Bureau’s guidance for 2020 Decennial Census data users; (3) provide an overview of the summary metrics file released by the Census Bureau; and (4) discuss some illustrative examples of the amount of error introduced to certain counts as reported in the summary metrics file.

Census & ACS, Demographics & PopulationCynthia WillnerJuly 12, 2023differential privacy

Conference 2023: Data Gaps Track Videos

During our 10th Annual CTData Conference, Bridge the Data Gaps, we explored data gaps and solutions in early childhood, Black business ownership, and more. You can see more conference videos and photos here.

EventsSarah Eisele-DyrliJune 6, 2023ctdata conference 2023

Conference 2023: Racial Equity Track Videos

During our 10th Annual CTData Conference, Bridge the Data Gaps, we explored how data can be used as a tool that advances equity and respects those who have experienced racism through data collection and its use.

Equity, EventsSarah Eisele-DyrliJune 6, 2023ctdata conference 2023

Hartford Youth Data Fellows Lead Spring 2023 Data Walk

Hartford Youth Data Fellows Lead Spring 2023 Data Walk

CTData’s Hartford Data Collaborative and the Hartford Youth Data Fellows held a Data Walk on Monday, May 15, 2023 from 4:30-6:30pm at CTData’s office in downtown Hartford. Eight Youth Fellows presented data on children & youth, community safety, education, and mental health services: Yandell Alvarez, Naieem Kelly, Nasere Lewin, Syree Little, Rhaili-Em Lowe, Isaiah Perez, Khamari Thornton, and Tatiana Watson. Members of the community, including representatives from community-based organizations, local businesses, and foundations, attended and engaged in discussions with the youth about their findings.

Hartford Data CollaborativeKate EikelMay 25, 2023hdc youth fellowship, academy - customized data workshops

U.S. Census Bureau Release Vintage 2022 Population Estimates by Towns and Cities

The United States Census Bureau’s Population Estimate Program released its Vintage 2022 population estimates for towns in Connecticut for July 1, 2022. Bridgeport remains in the top spot, with the highest population at 148,377 people (an increase of 0.14%), but Mansfield’s population data showed the largest increase. Click to explore more.

Demographics & PopulationJeff BorofskyMay 18, 2023population estimates

Recent and Proposed Changes in How the Census Bureau Collects and Processes Race and Ethnicity Data

In 2020, the Census Bureau made some important changes to how they collect and process race and ethnicity data. These changes were intended to better capture the increasingly diverse racial and ethnic identities of the U.S. population, while still following the 1997 Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. However, these changes also raise some questions about the validity of the Census Bureau’s “Two or More Races” classification in 2020, particularly for Hispanic and Latino individuals. They also complicate comparisons with race data from before 2020, making it difficult to assess change over time. In this blog post, we discuss the consequences of the Census Bureau’s recent changes to how they collect and process race and ethnicity data, as well as the proposed revisions to the OMB standards for the classification of federal data on race and ethnicity.

Census & ACS, Demographics & Population, Equity, PolicyCynthia WillnerMay 3, 2023census

Census Bureau Releases First Population Estimates for Connecticut’s “County-Equivalent” Planning Regions

Today, the Census Bureau released the first postcensal population estimates for Connecticut’s nine planning regions. These nine planning regions are the new county-equivalent geographic units that the Census Bureau will be using for Connecticut (see our earlier blog post on this topic). This is the first Census Bureau data product to be released using Connecticut’s new county-equivalent geographic units.

Census & ACS, Demographics & Population, Migration, Town & RegionalCynthia WillnerMarch 29, 2023population estimates

Connecticut State & Metro Migration Flows

At CTData, we often receive questions about changes in migration patterns before and after 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. Using three data sources from the U.S. Census Bureau, this blog post will look at recent migration patterns in Connecticut.

Migration, Census & ACS, Demographics & PopulationJill WalshMarch 27, 2023acs, population estimates

HDC Launches 2023 Hartford Youth Data Fellows Program!

Ten youth from Hartford joined the Hartford Data Collaborative this past January to serve as the first full class of Hartford Youth Data Fellows. This program is a follow-up to the Hartford Youth Researchers program from the spring of 2022 and is part of CTData’s mission to empower an ecosystem of data users. This year’s group is larger than 2022’s class and includes seven high school seniors and three college students.

Kate EikelMarch 6, 2023

New Geographic Resources for 2020 Census Tracts & Blocks

At CTData, we are continuing to update our geographic resources following the changes to census tracts and census blocks for the 2020 Census. We’ve released three new crosswalks: one for census tracts, one for census blocks, and an updated 5 Connecticuts crosswalk.

Census & ACSJill WalshFebruary 28, 2023Geographic Resources

Celebrating Black History Month

February 2023 marks the 96th year of celebrating the incredible accomplishments and contributions of Black and African American residents nationwide. Since 1976, the month of February has been designated as Black History Month (whereas prior to 1976, this event was celebrated for a week). In this post, we will highlight various data facts and achievements to celebrate our Black and African American residents in Connecticut.

Census & ACSJason Cheung & Wenyu XieFebruary 15, 2023

Connecticut Evictions Have Surpassed Pre-Pandemic Levels

In February 2022, we released a shocking analysis of the eviction crisis in Connecticut diving into topics such as the disparities of evictions of certain demographics, along with analysis of representation in court and the outcomes depending on representation. We are working on an updated analysis with evictions data through the end of 2022, which will be released sometime in the next few months. This blog post will provide a general overview of eviction trends from 2017 through the end of 2022.

Jason CheungFebruary 6, 2023connecticut evictions

HDC & Hartford Youth Researchers Issue Report on First Year of Hartford UNITY Project

The Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC) provided the City of Hartford’s Department of Families, Children, Youth, and Recreation (DFCYR) with the first report on its investment in programs for children and youth starting in the summer of 2021 and continuing through May 30, 2022 (FY2022). Hartford’s UNITY Program provides grants to local program providers serving Hartford youth and is funded by the federal American Rescue Plan Act and is designed to engage children after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. This project was the first in Hartford to require providers receiving over $5,000 in grant funds to join the Hartford Data Collaborative and share their data with HDC.

Hartford Data CollaborativeKate EikelJanuary 27, 2023

2021 American Community Survey Data: Connecticut Sees an Increase in Health Insurance Coverage

Health insurance coverage in Connecticut has changed from 2010 to 2021, and in this post, we take a look at both state and town-level trends.

We used town-level data from the recently released 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, as well as the 2012-2016 ACS 5-year estimates, and the American Community Survey 1-year estimates for state-level trends.

Census & ACSJill WalshJanuary 19, 2023acs

2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates Released: Explore Data For Your Town!

The American Community Survey (ACS) is administered by the United States Census Bureau on an ongoing basis, from January through December of every year. The 2021 ACS 5-year estimates (covering the period from January 2017 through December 2021) were released on December 8, 2022. As usual, we have created an interactive tool for you to explore the data.

Our interactive tool covers a variety of topics, including economic, demographic, education, language, and many other data topics disaggregated by town along with comparisons to previous 5-year periods.

Census & ACSJason Cheung & Wenyu XieDecember 8, 2022acs

CTData 2022 Mini-Conference Recap: What You Need to Know about Using Census 2020 Data

The 2020 Decennial Census faced unprecedented challenges: the COVID-19 pandemic, political interference, natural disasters, and the implementation of a new approach to privacy protection called differential privacy. We invited two experts to share what this means for using Census 2020 data. Amy O’Hara is a Research Professor in the Massive Data Institute and Executive Director of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center at Georgetown University. Elizabeth Garner is the State Demographer at the Colorado State Demography Office.

Demographics & Population, Census & ACS, CTData News, EventsCynthia WillnerNovember 21, 2022ctdata conference 2022

CTData Conference Recap: Population Estimates & Updates

Each year, the Census Bureau produces population estimates for each state and county that are different than the ACS t-year survey that many of us are used to. These are called Population Estimates, and these are the official measures of population & housing units between decennial censuses. In this conference session, you will learn about the methodology that undergirds these annual data and learn about the ways you can access the data through the US Census Bureau.

CTData News, Census & ACSSarah Eisele-DyrliNovember 17, 2022census, ctdata conference 2022, population estimates

CTData Conference Recap: Census Bureau Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics Demo

The Longitudinael-Employer Household Dynamics Data (LEHD) Products combines state administrative data with census data to understand various aspects of the workforce. During this conference session, we learned about several of the LEHD products, and learned how to use them. Watch the video to learn how you can use these products to inform your decision-making.

CTData News, Census & ACS, EventsSarah Eisele-DyrliNovember 17, 2022census tools, ctdata conference 2022

Conference 2022: Coffee with CTData

CTData has been busy this year, growing and offering more products and services that can help you with making sound decisions with data. The links to information we shared during the session is available here. The recording will be made available below after the session.

CTData News, EventsSarah Eisele-DyrliNovember 17, 2022ctdata conference 2022