Data Guide - connectipedia

DataPlace data
Oregon State Data Center data
Other data
Other General Resources with Oregon data

When you look at data, how do you judge how reliable it is? If it is the latest available? Is is possible for data to be both recent and reliable?

Since we are not in the data business, we asked people whose job it is to know and study data to help us identify the best sources for a variety of information categories. In addition, we want to rely on primary sources whenever possible, and be careful to use public and non-proprietary data so our users are free to use it for their needs.

First, we learned that there are nearly as many opinions about data as there are sources of data. Arguments can be, and are, made in support of using a number of different sources. We came to the conclusion that determining the very best source for each category of data was a fool’s errand, because it usually comes down to individual preference and need. And frankly, the differences in numbers between different sources were almost never great.

Rather, we decided to try to identify sources for data that we could offer up to the community. While individual numbers for a particular index might be debatable, can we agree among ourselves on a common data source for the connec+ipedia community?

To begin with, we asked Oregon’s State Data Center (located at the Population Research Center at Portland State University) to advise us about the more reliable and accurate sources for demographic, economic and social data in Oregon. (Much thanks to Arlene Wallace and George Hough!) Their recommendations are included in the table below and incorporated into connec+ipedia when possible.

But we also wanted a data source we could actually integrate into connec+ipedia, so that connec+ipedians could access numbers, maps and charts without leaving the website.

After considering many options, we decided to integrate data from Dataplace [http://www.dataplace.org] directly into connec+ipedia. DataPlace data is organized into three categories: demographic, economic and social data.

DataPlace data

The indicators currently incorporated from DataPlace into connectipedia include:

Demographic data

Population estimates
Population density (people per square mile) (2000)
Median age
Poverty rate
Child poverty rate

Pct. non-Hispanic White alone population (2000)
Pct. non-Hispanic Black/African American alone population (2000)
Pct. non-Hisp. Asian, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander alone pop. (2000)
Pct. non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native alone population (2000)
Pct. non-Hispanic other race alone population (2000)
Pct. non-Hispanic multiracial population (2000)
Pct. Hispanic/Latino population (2000)

Pct. of public school students that are Amer. Indian/Nat. Alaskan ('04)
Pct. of public school students that are Asian or Pacific Islander
Percent of public school students that are Hispanic
Percent of public school students that are non-Hispanic Black
Percent of public school students that are non-Hispanic White

Economic data

Average Adjusted Gross Income
HUD Area Median Family Income
Estimated employment per 1,000 population (2003)
Pct. employment in establishments with 500 or more employees
Pct. employment in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting
Pct. employment in professional, scientific, and technical serv.
Pct. employment in construction
Pct. employment in manufacturing
Pct. employment in wholesale and retail trade
Pct. employment in health care and social assistance

Social data

Average household size
Homeownership rate
Pct. housing units that are overcrowded
Pct. of owner-occupied home purchase loans to minorities
Median loan amount for home purchase of all dwelling types
Pct. persons 25+ yrs. old with no high school diploma or GED
Percent of public school students eligible for free/reduced lunch ('04)
Percent of public school students that are migrants
Pct. of low-inc. returns with both Earned Income Tax Credit and the child tax credit

Look here to get a greater understanding of the breadth and depth of DataPlace and how users can customize the data for their own needs.

http://www.dataplace.org/help/customgeo.html

Oregon State Data Center data

We asked Oregon’s State Data Center (located at the Population Research Center at Portland State Univeristy) to advise us about the more reliable and accurate sources for demographic, economic and social data in Oregon. (Much thanks to Arlene Wallace and George Hough).

Here’s what they recommended:

Census Bureau: information at various geographic levels, business, business and industry, people and households, and special topics
- AmericanFactfinder: Data engine for Census 2000 & 1990, American Community Survey (yearly updated for pop. Over 60,000), Economic Census
- Census 1990 & 2000: Data is found in Detailed Tables, Quick Tables, Thematic Maps, and Custom Tables
- - SF1: 100% data with only basic age, race, sex data
- - SF2: 100% data with only basic age, race, sex data but contains advanced race/ethnicity breakdowns.
- - SF3: Sample data with income, relationships, poverty, employment, and same data as SF1 but with sample data.
- - SF4: Sample data with income, relationships, poverty, employment, and same data as SF2 but with sample data.
- American Community Survey (ACS): 2000 to 2005 data available online, new data will be released in upcoming years with smaller geographies. Data is found in Detailed Tables, Data Profiles, Thematic Maps, and Custom Tables
Office of Economic Analysis: Demographic, economic, revenue, and corrections forecasts for the state of Oregon and its counties
- Demographic Forecasts
Administration on Aging
- Data tables created from 2000 Census, specifically for the senior population, these tables are not found in any other place.
Census Scope: Maps, trends, ranking, segregation using the 2000 census
ORBIS Cascade Alliance: Univ. of Oregon houses this data, Data for Northwest Communities.
HUD User: Data sets from HUD; HUD income limits and median income levels, fair market rents.
Oregon Employment Department:
- OLMIS: has data by city and county for employment, unemployment, wages, cost of living, Employer database
Population Research Center: Estimates for the State, Counties, and incorporated Cities. Estimates are done by age and sex for counties. Updated yearly.