On this page, you will learn to conduct demographic research for a geographic community.
The U.S. Census Bureau collects data about people living in the United States at the decennial (every 10 year) census, as well as through the American Community Survey, which adds data yearly. This rich data source makes data.census.gov a powerful tool for researching the community who live near the site you are analyzing.
There is an incredible amount of information available in census data, and there are quite a few tools that use census data to provide demographic information for different geographies. Due to the large amount of data available, using some of the census data research tools can be complicated, so follow the guides below to start to learn how to gather demographic information for your site.
Note: you will need the Zip Code and/or Census Tract number for the site you are researching.
The first demographic research tool is the easiest to use, but it provides the least amount of information. Search is by Zip Code only.
This tool is designed for market segment research. Lifestyle segmentation defines households by distinct lifestyle types, to provide marketers with a comprehensive picture of who lives where and what they are like. These insights are used to create more effective and efficient marketing strategies. In addition to the lifestyle segments in a Zip Code, demographic information including household by income, household composition, population by age, and population by race & ethnicity are provided:
The U.S. Census Bureau provides data.census.gov for researchers to explore and export census data. This tool allows you to build your own table of data based on the topic you are interested in. This tool works best if you used the advanced search feature, so the link and demonstration start from the advanced search page.
data.census.gov takes a bit of time to learn to use, however it contains a lot of data, and is also free to use, no subscription required!
PolicyMap is a subscription tool provided to you by the CU Boulder Libraries. It used data from several federal agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as other data sources they collect and purchase, to create maps that include demographic and socioeconomic information on population, income and spending, housing, lending, quality of life, economy, education, health, federal guidelines, and analytics.
Mapping application for demographic and socioeconomic analysis including with data on population, income and spending, housing, lending, quality of life, economy, education, health, federal guidelines, and analytics.
Another subscription tool provided to you by the CU Boulder Libraries. It also uses U.S. Census Bureau data to create maps visualizing people, social characteristics, and the economy. This tool requires some learning to use, but has powerful features, especially the ability to create side-by-side maps comparing different time points, allowing you to see how a geographic area has changed over time.
