Census Guide

Rechs Ann Pedersen, Internet Librarian
Last updated 9/27/2001

Sample Search on American FactFinder

How to Find Data for a Specific Place in Santa Cruz (county, town or tract)

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American Factfinder allows you to search in many ways. Below is one of the ways. The search was performed on September 27, 2001. American Factfinder may have changed since then.

Note: To retrieve tract and block information, you need to know tract and block numbers first. For information on how to do that, go to Tracts and Blocks: Data and Maps

Step 1: Go to American Factfinder

1. Go to American Factfinder at http://factfinder.census.gov/
2. Click on "Data Sets" from the menu on the left.
3. Click on Census 2000 Summary File 1
4. Choose "quick tables" to go down to tract level; "Detailed tables" to go down to block level.

You now come to a form page. You start from the top and work down, but you can go back up from any point and change choices. It has one unexpected feature--every time you make a selection, the screen refreshes and you have another set of options to choose from. After a refresh, continue to work your way down, by going to the box under the one you just used.

Step 2: Choose the area or areas you want the data for:

1. Start at the top. Leave the selection method as "list." (You may search for data for a particular address by choosing "address" With the "place name" option, you type in the place name)
2. Select the geographic level you want the data for. The choice ranges from whole state down to blocks.
3. Select the specific state you want the data for, regardless of whether it is for the whole state or part of it.
4. Select the geographical area or areas that you want the data for. Highlight a name and click on the "Add" button. When you have completed your list, click on the "Next" button.

Step 3: Choose the data that you want:

1. Leave the selection on "by subject" ("by keyword" allows you to search by a term you supply)
2. Click on a subject category. Click on "search" button. You will be given a set of tables to choose from. The choices may be greater or less depending on the geographical area you choose.
3. Click on a table and click on the "Add" button. For more than one table, hold down the control key as you click on your selections. Then click on the "Add" button.
4. To display the data, click on the "Show Table" button.

Step 4: To continue searching:

From the table screen, you can continue to search. Either:

• Look for other data for the same area by going to the top of the screen and selecting "Change Selections" button and clicking on "Tables."
• Or look for the same data for another area, by going to the "Change Selections" button and clicking on "Geography."

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