Race and Ethnic Categories

• The first census to allow respondents to choose more than one race category.
• Race is a self-identification data item in which respondents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify.
• Spanish/Hispanic/Latino is not a race category; it is an ethnic identification. An individual of Hispanic origin can be of any race.
• Ancestry refers to a person's self-identification of heritage, ethnic origin, descent, or close identification to an ethnic group.
• Census 2000 race data is not directly comparable to previous censuses.
• Example of a table showing the new categories:
  QT-P3. Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000, Delaware, SF1
• Using the New Racial Categories in the 2000 Census (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
• Frequently Asked Questions on Race (Census Bureau)
• Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: Census 2000 Brief (PDF)
• Tabulating Data on Race and Hispanic Origin from the 2000 Census. By Joseph J. Salvo.
  Article on using the new race data.

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Changes in Questions

• New question in 2000 -- Grandparents as Caregivers (long form)
• "Marital status" and "housing value or rent" transferred from the full count to the sample count
• Several sample questions were eliminated

Geography

• Tracts
  • For the first time, the entire country is "tracted"
  • Block numbering areas (BNAs) are no longer used

• ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs)
  • New geographic entity
  • ZCTAs are aggregations of census blocks that have the same predominant ZIP Code
  • ZCTA® is a trademark of the U.S. Census Bureau
  • ZIP Codes are established by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS); most ZIP Codes do not cover an easily definable area, nor do they have specific boundaries
  • ZIP Code® is a trademark of the U.S. Postal Service
  • Census 2000 ZIP Code® Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs™)
  • Census 2000 ZCTAs (PDF)
  • The ZIP Code Resources Page

• Geographic Changes for Census 2000 + Glossary of Geographic Terms and Concepts
• American Factfinder offers several ways to obtain Census 2000 data and maps using a geographic unit as the search:
  • Address Selection: Enter an address to find out the state, county, county subdivison, census tract, block, voting district, place, congressional district, and state legislative district that contain that address.
  • Place Name Selection: Enter a type of place (census tract, voting district, etc.) and a place name to retrieve census data for that place.
  • Map Selection: Find census data by clicking on a U.S. map.
  • List Selection: Select a specific program from a list to find the relevant data for a specific place.

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Maps

• Census Tract and Block Maps
  • Not distributed in print form for Census 2000
  • Available on the Internet in PDF format
  • The size of these maps (33 inches x 36 inches) "will prohibit many users from printing"
  • Smaller maps available through the Advanced Geography search option of American FactFinder
  • Street address locator
    American Factfinder (AFF) provides Address Search. Data can be obtained without having to first use a map to determine the numbers for Census Tracts, Block Groups, and Blocks
  • "Outline Maps"
    Census outline maps show very little detail. It can be helpful to consult road maps or street maps (ask for assistance at the Reference Desk) or to use a mapping program, such as MapQuest.
  • Map Products

• Using Tract and Block Maps on the Internet
  • Format
    Format of the maps is PDF.
  • Size
    Large size, typically 33 inches x 36 inches when printed. Best printed with a map plotter.
  • Arrangement:
    Maps files are arranged in sub-directories by map type. Within each map type sub-directory, the map files are stored in state sub-directories, then county sub-directories. Within each county folder is an index sheet file to identify individual map sheets. The index map has the number "000" before the PDF extension. First, identify the map sheet number from the index map. Then go back to the sub-directory and select the map file with the map sheet number before the PDF extension.

• Census Tract Outline Maps
  • Census Tract Outline Map State Folders
  • Delaware State folder
  • New Castle County Index map -- determine map sheet number
  • New Castle County folder -- select map sheet numbered file

• Block Outline Maps
  • Block Map State Folders
  • Delaware State folder
  • New Castle County: Index of map sheets -- determine map sheet number
  • New Castle County folder -- select map sheet numbered file

• Map abbreviations:
  • PB -- Block outline maps
  • CT -- Census Tract outline maps
  • CBC -- County Block maps
  • PV -- Voting Precinct outline maps

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