housing

2020 Resident Population Map

2020 Census Updates

In late summer and early fall I was hammering out the draft for an ALA Tech Report on using census data for research (slated for release early 2022). The earliest 2020 census figures have been released and there are several issues surrounding this, so I’ll provide a summary of what’s happening here. Throughout this post I link to Census Bureau data sources, news bulletins, and summaries of trends, as well as analysis on population trends from Bill Frey at Brookings and reporting from Hansi Lo Wang and his colleagues at NPR.

Count Result and Reapportionment Numbers

The re-apportionment results were released back in April 2020, which provided the population totals for the US and each of the states that are used to reallocate seats in Congress. This data is typically released at the end of December of the census year, but the COVID-19 pandemic and political interference in census operations disrupted the count and pushed all the deadlines back.

Despite these disruptions, the good news is that the self-response rate, which is the percentage of households who submit the form on their own without any prompting from the Census Bureau, was 67%, which is on par with the 2010 census. This was the first decennial census where the form could be submitted online, and of the self-responders 80% chose to submit via the internet as opposed to paper or telephone. Ultimately, the Bureau said it reached over 99% of all addresses in its master address file through self-response and non-response follow-ups.

The bad news is that the rate of non-response to individual questions was much higher in 2020 than in 2010. Non-responses ranged from a low of 0.52% for the total population count to a high of 5.95% for age or date of birth. This means that a higher percentage of data will have to be imputed, but this time around the Bureau will rely more on administrative records to fill the gaps. They have transparently posted all of the data about non-response for researchers to scrutinize.

The apportionment results showed that the population of the US grew from approximately 309 million in 2010 to 331 million in 2020, a growth rate of 7.35%. This is the lowest rate of population growth since the 1940 census that followed the Great Depression. Three states lost population (West Virginia, Mississippi, and Illinois), which is the highest number since the 1980 census. The US territory of Puerto Rico lost almost twelve percent of its population. Population growth continues to be stronger in the West and South relative to the Northeast and Midwest, and the fastest growing states are in the Mountain West.

https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2021/dec/2020-percent-change-map.html

Public Redistricting Data

The first detailed population statistics were released as part of the redistricting data file, PL 94-171. Data in this series is published down to the block level, the smallest geography available, so that states can redraw congressional and other voting districts based on population change. Normally released at the end of March, this data was released in August 2021. This is a small package that contains the following six tables:

  • P1. Race (includes total population count)
  • P2. Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race
  • P3. Race for the Population 18 Years and Over
  • P4. Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race for the Population 18 Years and
    Over
  • P5. Group Quarters Population by Major Group Quarters Type
  • H1. Occupancy Status (includes total housing units)

The raw data files for each state can be downloaded from the 2020 PL 94-171 page and loaded into stats packages or databases. That page also provides infographics (including the maps embedded in this post) and data summaries. Data tables can be readily accessed via data.census.gov, or via IPUMS NHGIS.

The redistricting files illustrate the increasing diversity of the United States. The number of people identifying as two or more races has grown from 2.9% of the total population in 2010 to 10.2% in 2020. Hispanics and Latinos continue to be the fastest growing population group, followed by Asians. The White population actually shrank for the first time in the nation’s history, but as NPR reporter Hansi-Lo Wang and his colleagues illustrate this interpretation depends on how one measures race; as race alone (people of a single race) or persons of any race (who selected white and another race), and whether or not Hispanic-whites are included with non-Hispanic whites (as Hispanic / Latino is not a race, but is counted separately as an ethnicity, and most Hispanics identify their race as White or Other). The Census Bureau has also provided summaries using the different definitions. Other findings: the nation is becoming progressively older, and urban areas outpaced rural ones in population growth. Half of the counties in the US lost population between 2010 and 2020, mostly in rural areas.

https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2021/dec/percent-change-county-population.html

2020 Demographic and Housing Characteristics and the ACS

There still isn’t a published timeline for the release of the full results in the Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC – known as Summary File 1 in previous censuses, I’m not sure if the DHC moniker is replacing the SF1 title or not). There are hints that this file is going to be much smaller in terms of the number of tables, and more limited in geographic detail compared to the 2010 census. Over the past few years there’s been a lot of discussion about the new differential privacy mechanisms, which will be used to inject noise into the data. The Census Bureau deemed this necessary for protecting people’s privacy, as increased computing power and access to third party datasets have made it possible to reverse engineer the summary census data to generate information on individuals.

What has not been as widely discussed is that many tables will simply not be published, or will only be summarized down to the county-level, also for the purpose of protecting privacy. The Census Bureau has invited the public to provide feedback on the new products and has published a spreadsheet crosswalking products from 2010 and 2020. IPUMS also released a preliminary list of tables that could be cut or reduced in specificity (derived from the crosswalk), which I’m republishing at the bottom of this post. This is still preliminary, but if all these changes are made it would drastically reduce the scope and specificity of the decennial census.

And then… there is the 2020 American Community Survey. Due to COVID-19 the response rates to the ACS were one-third lower than normal. As such, the sample is not large or reliable enough to publish the 1-year estimate data, which is typically released in September. Instead, the Census will publish a smaller series of experimental tables for a more limited range of geographies at the end of November 2021. There is still no news regarding what will happen with the 5-year estimate series that is typically released in December.

Needless to say, there’s no shortage of uncertainty regarding census data in 2020.

Tables in 2010 Summary File 1 that Would Have Less Geographic Detail in 2020 (Proposed)

Table NameProposed 2020 Lowest Level of Geography2010 Lowest Level of Geography
Hispanic or Latino Origin of Householder by Race of HouseholderCountyBlock
Household Size by Household Type by Presence of Own ChildrenCountyBlock
Household Type by Age of HouseholderCountyBlock
Households by Presence of People 60 Years and Over by Household TypeCountyBlock
Households by Presence of People 60 Years and Over, Household Size, and Household TypeCountyBlock
Households by Presence of People 75 Years and Over, Household Size, and Household TypeCountyBlock
Household Type by Household SizeCountyBlock
Household Type by Household Size by Race of HouseholderCountyBlock
Relationship by Age for the Population Under 18 YearsCountyBlock
Household Type by Relationship for the Population 65 Years and OverCountyBlock
Household Type by Relationship for the Population 65 Years and Over by RaceCountyBlock
Family Type by Presence and Age of Own ChildrenCountyBlock
Family Type by Presence and Age of Own Children by Race of HouseholderCountyBlock
Age of Grandchildren Under 18 Years Living with A Grandparent HouseholderCountyBlock
Household Type by Relationship by RaceCountyBlock
Average Household Size by AgeTo be determinedBlock
Household Type for the Population in HouseholdsTo be determinedBlock
Household Type by Relationship for the Population Under 18 YearsTo be determinedBlock
Population in Families by AgeTo be determinedBlock
Average Family Size by AgeTo be determinedBlock
Family Type and Age for Own Children Under 18 YearsTo be determinedBlock
Total Population in Occupied Housing Units by TenureTo be determinedBlock
Average Household Size of Occupied Housing Units by TenureTo be determinedBlock
Sex by Age for the Population in HouseholdsCountyTract
Sex by Age for the Population in Households by RaceCountyTract
Presence of Multigenerational HouseholdsCountyTract
Presence of Multigenerational Households by Race of HouseholderCountyTract
Coupled Households by TypeCountyTract
Nonfamily Households by Sex of Householder by Living Alone by Age of HouseholderCountyTract
Group Quarters Population by Sex by Age by Group Quarters TypeStateTract

Tables in 2010 Summary File 1 That Would Be Eliminated in 2020 (Proposed)

Population in Households by Age by Race of Householder
Average Household Size by Age by Race of Householder
Households by Age of Householder by Household Type by Presence of Related Children
Households by Presence of Nonrelatives
Household Type by Relationship for the Population Under 18 Years by Race
Household Type for the Population Under 18 Years in Households (Excluding Householders, Spouses, and Unmarried Partners)
Families*
Families by Race of Householder*
Population in Families by Age by Race of Householder
Average Family Size by Age by Race of Householder
Family Type by Presence and Age of Related Children
Family Type by Presence and Age of Related Children by Race of Householder
Group Quarters Population by Major Group Quarters Type*
Population Substituted
Allocation of Population Items
Allocation of Race
Allocation of Hispanic or Latino Origin
Allocation of Sex
Allocation of Age
Allocation of Relationship
Allocation of Population Items for the Population in Group Quarters
American Indian and Alaska Native Alone with One Tribe Reported for Selected Tribes
American Indian and Alaska Native Alone with One or More Tribes Reported for Selected Tribes
American Indian and Alaska Native Alone or in Combination with One or More Other Races and with One or More Tribes Reported for Selected Tribes
American Indian and Alaska Native Alone or in Combination with One or More Other Races
Asian Alone with One Asian Category for Selected Groups
Asian Alone with One or More Asian Categories for Selected Groups
Asian Alone or in Combination with One or More Other Races, and with One or More Asian Categories for Selected Groups
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone with One Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Category for Selected Groups
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone with One or More Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Categories for Selected Groups
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone or in Combination with One or More Races, and with One or More Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Categories for Selected Groups
Hispanic or Latino by Specific Origin
Sex by Single Year of Age by Race
Household Type by Number of Children Under 18 (Excluding Householders, Spouses, and Unmarried Partners)
Presence of Unmarried Partner of Householder by Household Type for the Population Under 18 Years in Households (Excluding Householders, Spouses, and Unmarried Partners)
Nonrelatives by Household Type
Nonrelatives by Household Type by Race
Group Quarters Population by Major Group Quarters Type by Race
Group Quarters Population by Sex by Major Group Quarters Type for the Population 18 Years and Over by Race
Total Races Tallied for Householders
Hispanic or Latino Origin of Householders by Total Races Tallied
Total Population in Occupied Housing Units by Tenure by Race of Householder
Average Household Size of Occupied Housing Units by Tenure
Average Household Size of Occupied Housing Units by Tenure by Race of Householder
Occupied Housing Units Substituted
Allocation of Vacancy Status
Allocation of Tenure
Tenure by Presence and Age of Related Children
* Counts for these tables are available in other proposed DHC tables. For example, the count of families is available in the Household Type table, which will be available at the block level in the 2020 DHC. 
Philadelphia Redlining Map

Redlining Maps for GIS

I received several questions during the spring semester about redlining maps; where to find them, and how many were made. Known officially as Residential Security Maps, they were created by the Home Owners Loan Corporation in the 1930s to grade the level of security or risk for making home loans in residential portions of urban areas throughout the US. This New Deal program was intended to help people refinance mortgages and prevent foreclosures, while increasing buying opportunities to expand home ownership.

Areas were evaluated by lenders, developers, and appraisers and graded from A to D to indicate their desirability or risk level. Grade A was best (green), B still desirable (blue), C definitely declining (yellow), and D hazardous (red). The yellow and red areas were primarily populated by minorities, immigrants, and low income groups, and current research suggests that this program had a long reaching negative impact by enforcing and cementing segregation, disinvestment, and poverty in these areas.

The definitive digital source for these maps is the Mapping Inequality : Redlining in New Deal America project created at the University of Richmond’s Digital Scholarship Lab. They provide a solid history and summary of these maps and a good bibliography. The main portal is an interactive map of the US that allows you to zoom in and preview maps in different cities. You can click on individually zoned areas and get the original assessor or evaluator’s notes (when available). If you switch to the Downloads page you get a list of maps sorted alphabetically by state and city that you can download as: a jpeg of the original scanned map, a georeferenced image that can be added to GIS software as a raster, and a GIS vector polygon file (shapefile or geojson). In many cases there is also a scanned copy of the evaluators description and notes. You also have the option for downloading a unified vector file for the entire US as a shapefile or geojson. All of the data is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike License.

Providence Redlining Map
Redlining Map of Providence, RI with graded areas, from the Mapping Inequality Project

There are a few other sources to choose from, but none of them are as complete. I originally thought of the National Archives which I thought would be the likely holder of the original paper maps, but only a fraction have been digitized. The PolicyMap database has most (but not all) of the maps available as a feature you can overlay in their platform. If you’re doing a basic web search this Slate article is among the first resources you’ll encounter, but most of the links are broken (which says something about the ephemeral nature of these kinds of digital projects).

How many maps were made? Amy Hillier’s work was among the earlier studies that examined these maps, and her case study of Philadelphia includes a detailed summary of the history of the HOLC program with references to primary source material. According to her research, 239 of these maps were made and she provides a list of each of the cities in the appendix. I was trying to discover how many maps were available in Rhode Island and found this list wasn’t complete; it only included Providence, while the Mapping Inequality project has maps for Providence, Pawtucket & Central Falls, and Woonsocket. I counted 202 maps based on unique names on Mapping Inequality, but some several individual maps include multiple cities.

She mentions that a population of 40,000 people was used as a cut-off for deciding which places to map, but noted that there were exceptions; Washington DC was omitted entirely, while there are several maps for urban counties in New Jersey as opposed to cities. In some case cities that were below the 40k threshold that were located beside larger ones were included. I checked the 1930 census against the three cities in Rhode Island that had maps, and indeed they were the only RI cities at that time that had more than 40k people (Central Falls had less than 40k but was included with Pawtucket as they’re adjacent). So this seemed to provide reasonable assurance that these were the only ones in existence for RI.

Finding the population data for the cities was another surprise. I had assumed this data was available in the NHGIS, but it wasn’t. The NHGIS includes data for places (Census Places) back to the 1970 census, which was the beginning of the period where a formal, bounded census place geography existed. Prior to this time, the Census Bureau published population count data for cities using other means, and the NHGIS is still working to include this information. It does exist (as you can find it in Wikipedia articles for most major cities) but is buried in old PDF reports on the Census Bureau’s website.

If you’re interested in learning more about the redlining maps beyond the documentation provided by Mapping Inequality, these articles provide detailed overviews of the HOLC and the residential security maps program, as well as their implications to the present day. You’ll need to access them through a library database:

Hillier, A.E. (2005). “Residential Security Maps and Neighborhood Appraisals: The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation and the Case of Philadelphia.” Social Science History, 29(2): 207-233.

Greer, J. (2012). “The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation and the Development of the Residential Security Maps“. Journal of Urban History, 39(2): 275-296.