Local Population and Trade Statistics Workshop

Population Statistics

American Factfinder

Fact Sheets--the easy way to find census data in American FactFinder.

• Directions on how to find Fact Sheets are included in Finding Census Tract Data on the Internet and Finding Census 2000 Data by Zip Code, which also include directions for finding additional detailed data using Data Sets.
• If the geography selected is one used in American Community Survey, the default Fact Sheet will be for 2005 American Community Survey, with a tab to choose Census 2000 instead.
• Practice:
  1. Before you begin, be aware that pop-ups are required for American FactFinder to operate correctly. If you are using a pop-up blocker, you will need to turn it off or enable pop-ups from American Factfinder when given the option by your software.
  2. From the Oviatt Library's Home Page, choose Government Publications.
  3. Choose American FactFinder and, using Fact Sheets, get a Fact Sheet for Los Angeles City. Note the margin of error in the 2005 American Community Survey data. Switch to the Census 2000 Fact Sheet for Los Angeles City. Then request a Fact Sheet for a race, ethnic, or ancestry group and search for Armenians in Los Angeles.
  4. Next, get a Fact Sheet for Northridge. Try first by community name. Why doesn't this work? Then try by ZIP code (use 91324, 91325, or 91326). Why, at the ZIP code level of geography, is there just a Census 2000 Fact Sheet and not one from the American Community Survey? Now try the university's zip code: 91330. Why don't you get a Fact Sheet for ZIP code 91330?
  5. Use Fact Sheet's "Search by Address" option. Pretend you live at 9300 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, CA and want to get a Fact Sheet for the census tract that includes your address. Why, when you are using Address Search, are the first Fact Sheets you get for the City of Los Angeles instead of your tract? Examine the Census 2000 Fact Sheet that was retrieved and change to a Fact Sheet for the census tract. How many people in the tract speak Asian and Pacific Island languages at home? After you find the answer, click on the back button to return to the tract Fact Sheet. Look at the Reference Map for the tract. Close the map and request a Fact Sheet for a race, ethnic, or ancestry group and search for people of Mexican origin in the tract, then look for people whose ethnic group is Armenian. Why can you find data for one of these but not the other?
  6. Get a Fact Sheet for the city San Fernando. You'll get a Census 2000 Fact Sheet, but not an American Community Survey Fact Sheet. Why doesn't San Fernando have an American Community Survey Fact Sheet?

2005 American Commmunity Survey using American FactFinder's Data Sets

• 2005 American Community Survey User's Guide. Go to Base Table Shells - by topic and select "Language". When will the 2005 data on "Citizenship Status By Age By Language Spoken At Home For The Population 5 Years And Over" be released?
• Go to American FactFinder's Main page. Select Data Sets, then American Community Survey.
• Select 2005 American Community Survey, then review the choices: Data Profiles, Ranking Tables, etc.
• Practice: Finding Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) data in the 2005 American Community Survey using Data Profiles.
  1. Choose Data Profiles.
  2. Pull down the menu of Geographies to review which ones are available and note that Zip Codes and census tracts are not listed. Select Public Use Microdata Area.
  3. Select California.
  4. Highlight PUMA 05401 and click Map It. (For PDF maps of PUMA areas, use Census 2000 Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) Maps.
  5. Close the map and click Show Result to get the data profile for PUMA 05401.
  6. Go back to Data Sets and select the 2005 American Community Survey again, but this time pick Ranking Tables instead of Data Profiles. Review the list of tables available and select the one for Percent of People Born in Mexico.

Annual Population Estimates (another American FactFinder Data Set)

• Practice: Go to American FactFinder's Main page. Select Data Sets, then Annual Population Estimates. Find the current estimated population for each of these local cities: San Fernando and Hidden Hills.

Demographic Research Unit Statistical Reports (City of Los Angeles Planning Department).

• Census 2000. Used most by our students for Community Plan Area statistics or as an emergency substitute for tract level data if American FactFinder is unavailable.
• Local Area Statistics includes, for a few variables, 2004 population and housing estimates by census tract, community areas (e.g. Northridge) and area planning commission (i.e. North Valley and South Valley).

San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center

• SFVERC Census Data includes Census 2000 data and some 2004 estimates.
• SFVERC Zip Code Data

Other ways to update Census 2000 data for Census Tracts or Zip Codes without paying for the data

• By Census Tract
  • FFIEC Census Reports (Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council) includes 2006 estimates of Tract Median Family Income. (Note: data is from 2000 unless specifically labelled otherwise).
  • City of Los Angeles Housing Vacancy Data.
• By ZIP Code
  • Community Sourcebook of ZIP code Demographics. Print source with estimates used to update Census data. Latest in Reference Room on Table 4 East.
  • Demographics USA (ZIP edition). Print source with estimates used to update Census data. Latest in Reference Room on Table 4 East.
  • City of Los Angeles Housing Vacancy Data.

Ring Studies of Census Data

• The Right Site (EASI) includes both free data and reports that must be purchased. The free Census 2000 Reports section allows you to generate free demographic ring studies of Census 2000 data, i.e. tabulations of Census 2000 data within a circle a set distance (usually 1, 3, or 5 miles) from an address you select.

Trade Statistics

Finding Port Level Statistics in USA Trade Online (step-by-step demonstration and practice)

1. Before you begin, be aware that pop-ups are required for USA Trade Online to operate correctly. If you are using a pop-up blocker, you will need to turn it off or enable pop-ups from USA Trade Online when given the option by your software.
2. From the Library's Home Page, choose Government Publications.
3. Choose USA Trade Online.
4. On the USA Trade Online home page, "Click here to access the trade data".
5. Find Port-level Imports or Port-level Exports and pick a report (monthly, annual or cumulative YTD). Workshop demonstration will be monthly Port-Level Imports.
6. Note in the upper left corner of the page where it says Selection. This selection menu is where you pick the port(s) you want, the commodity, the country, the measures, and the time interval. It is most foolproof if you make the choices in that order (the order they appear in the selection menu), until you know what you are doing in the database. (You can change your choices at any time).
7. Expand Los Angeles CA (District) to see all the "ports" included in the port district.
8. Select Los Angeles, CA (Port) and Long Beach, CA (Port). Leave Total All Ports checked (it is at the very top of the list of ports) as that will let you compare the port statistics to the United States total. As most of you know, the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are located right next to each other and together are the nation’s busiest port, with 40 percent of the nation’s cargo moving through them.
9. Go to the Selection menu and select Commodity.
10. Find where it says "Clear all" and click on it.
11. Scroll down the list of commodities to "95 Toys, Games & Sport Equipment; Parts & Accessories" and expand it. Then expand 9503 Toys Nesoi; Scale Models Etc; Puzzles; Parts Etc. and select 950341 Stuffed Toys And Parts And Accessories Thereof by clicking in the box in front of it. Note: for questions about import categories, use the Current Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States by Chapter. (For Export categories, see Schedule B Export Codes; Schedule B 2005 - Browse HTML is helpful).
12. Go to the Selection menu and select Country.
13. Find where it says "Clear all" and click on it.
14. Scroll down the list of countries and select World total, China, Hong Kong, and Thailand by clicking in the box in front of each of these.
15. Go to the Selection menu and select Measures.
16. Find where it says "Clear all" and click on it.
17. Select Total Value ($US) by clicking in the box in front of it.
18. Go to the Selection menu and select Time. Choices here can be complicated. I usually just use the default. So, for this practice exercise, don't do anything here at all; just leave it set at the default. If you have questions about the choices offered, consult the database's Help section.
19. At the upper left part of the screen is "Options", with a choice of "View Report" under it. (The options of what you can do change, depending on where you are in your use of the database).
20. Click on View Report.
21. In the report, there will be a little box with "1,2,3" under the name of each county for the totals and for each port. Click on all those boxes to reveal rankings. What is being ranked in this report?
22. At the upper left part of the screen under Options is a choice for Printable Version. Before choosing it, consider very carefully how changing the rows per page or columns per page affects the display and how this would affect printing the results. Always use Print Preview and adjust the rows or columns per page as needed to ensure you are printing everything you wanted to print.
23. Another choice under Options is "Save". Save your report under the name "Monthly Port-level Imports-(insert your last name)". Note that while the database did let you change the name of the report, it never asked you where you wanted the report saved.
24. In the upper right corner of the page, choose "My Reports". Your report should be saved there. Probably anybody else's report who has saved it here in the library will show up there too. Delete your report.
25. Review the other choices under "Options" and experiment with them.

Data from the Port of Los Angeles or from the Port of Long Beach

Port of Los Angeles

• Facts & Figures about the Port of Los Angeles and FAQs about the Port of Los Angeles
• Port of Los Angeles Economic Impacts

Port of Long Beach

• Overview of the Port of Long Beach and About the Port of Long Beach
• Port of Long Beach Economic Impact

Port Security

Homeland Security Digital Library is a very good database for both government and non-government sources on port security issues. Some sources will include data and discuss economic impact.

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Created and maintained by Mary M. Finley
Questions or comments: mary.finley@csun.edu
Links checked: 1 September 2006

 

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