Using the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey

Using the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey

Alvaro Lima – Director of ResearchBoston, May 2011

2010 Census + Provide a complete count of all residents

+ Can be used to compare to previous Census

- Asks only basic questions: Number of people Age Sex Race And Ethnicity (Hispanic origin)

- It happens only every 10 years (data gets old)

American Community Survey (ACS)+ Yearly data collection (up-to-date information)

+ Covers questions that are no longer part of the Census

- Subject to sampling error

- Relatively small sample size (difficult to look at

small geographies)

- Average of five years (2005 – 2009)

Total Population

Racial Distribution

Age

SexHousing Occupancy

Income

Education

Ancestry

Nativity

Occupation

Poverty

Language

Which data source to use?

(Census 2010 counts) (ACS 2005-2009 estimates)

What we do with these data (1)

North DorchesterSouth Dorchester

South End

Boston

Jamaica Plain

Harbor Islands

Hyde Park

Roslindale

East BostonRoxbury

Allston/Brighton

Feneway/Kemore

Central

Mattapan

Charlestown

West Roxbury

South Boston

Back Bay/Beacon Hill

0

0.5

1

Diversity Index - 2010 Diversity Index - 2000

Diversity Index by Planning District - 2000 - 2010 We provide data and analysis to city agencies, neighborhood organizations, the press …

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Series1, 8.2%

3.0%

4.3%

22.4%

11.5%

5.1%

8.8%

0.0%

3.5%

6.7%

3.2%

5.4%

2.6%

13.9%

17.3%

4.0%

14.2%

9.5%

Planning Districts

Hou

sing

Cha

nges

(200

0 - 2

010)

What we do with these data (2)

2010 Census profiles for Boston and its neighborhoods

Our analysis shows:

Strong population growth since 2000

The “majority-minority” city status increased from 51% to 53% since 2000

The Hispanic population grew dramatically

The city’s housing stock showed its strongest growth in over half a century

What we do with these data (3)

Foreign-Born Profiles (2010 Census and 2005-2009 ACS)

BRA Research Division series called “Imagine All the People” looking at the largest immigrant communities in Boston

The series looks at key characteristics of these immigrant communities:

general demographic characteristics

educational attainment and language ability

place of residency in the city

economic impact and entrepreneurship

What we do with these data (4)

Language Skills in Metro Boston’s Labor Market

This document looks at the language ability of Greater Boston’s immigrant population and links it to job opportunities in the region concluding that:

the number of immigrants with limited English language skill is growing

jobs requiring higher language abilities pay more and are expected to grow faster

wage difference between jobs requiring advanced and limited language skills is expected to grow

What we do with these data (5)

Thrive in 5 – toward Universal School Readiness

The BRA Research Division provided data and analysis to Boston’s Public School Department to design this program

Using the ACS we assembled data on:

the number of children ages 0 – 5

educational attainment of their parents

age of the parents

racial distribution of children and parents

poverty status

What we do with these data (6)

Young Adults in Boston

Coupling city data sources with 2000 Census data, this report argues that Boston attracts and retains a large number of young adults 20-34

Using ACS data it also shows that Boston ranks 2nd of the 25 largest cities in the US in terms of proportion of young adults between the ages of 20-34

This analysis led to the creation of the City’s One in 3 program aimed at helping Boston retain young adults

What we do with these data (7)

Boston by The Numbers

Using ACS data in combination with state and federal data this snapshot of Boston’s economy shows that Boston accounts for 16.2% of all jobs in Massachusetts

It also shows that Boston has more jobs than residents with 62% of these jobs filled by commuters from outside the city

Finally, up to 36% of workers in the surrounding cities work in Boston