Overview

Census Guide

Rechs Ann Pedersen, Internet Librarian
Last updated 4/5/2001

Overview, or I've never done this before

Before You Start--Basic Information

The Census data comes from the Census questionnaires. There are two questionnaires, a short one and a long one. The short questionnaire is sent to most people. The data from the short one is called the 100% data.

The long questionnaire is sent to about 12% of the population. The long questionnaire has the same questions as the short one, plus additional ones. The data from the long form is called the sample data.

For more information, see What was asked on the Census? 100% Data, Sample Data, and the Questionnaires

The data from the short questionnaire (100% data) is released earliest. The data from the long questionnaire (sample data) is released later.

For more information, see Has the 2000 data been released?

The data is available for different geographic areas. The biggest area is the whole United States. The smallest area is a block. In between are other areas including states, counties, places, and tracts.

For more information, see the Census Bureau's: Introduction to Census 2000 Data Products.

Your Question

Before you look for Census statistics, consider:

What subject are you looking for? Did the Census ask for the information you want?
If the Census asked for that information, has the data been released?
What area do you want the data for? Is that area used by the Census?

If you are uncertain about the answers to those questions, please see the other sections of this Guide, or ask your local Reference Librarian for help. (or go ahead anyway and ask for help later if you get stuck)

Find the Answer

Once you formulate your question, you can use various sources to find the data. The Census data is available online, on CD-Rom, and in print. All data may not be available in all formats.

For more information, see Sources for Finding the Data

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