Census to Redefine Poverty With so many policy debates mired in partisan politics, the announcement last week by the U.S. Census Bureau that it plans to develop a supplemental poverty measure and then open it to public scrutiny is something both Republicans and Democrats can agree on. The supplement is intended to augment the current, deeply flawed measure adopted in the 1960s. In computing family income, that standard ignores billions of dollars in federal and state benefits. It also ignores significant expenses - including day care, out-of-pocket medical expenses and housing costs - that have grown a great deal since the ’60s. The result has been a poverty measure that miscalculates both family income and family needs - the two most common-sense ingredients of an accurate poverty measure. The new supplemental measure has grown out of years of research and extensive consultation with leading scholars, as well as recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences.
Census Brings Money Home - Up Front Blog Last Monday, I came home to a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau urging me to fill out the 2010 Census form. The letter went on to tell me why: “Results from the 2010 Census will be used to help each community get its fair share of government funds for highways, schools, health facilities, and many other programs you and your neighbors need. Without a complete an accurate census, your community may not receive its fair share.” My new report from Brookings, Counting for Dollars: The Role of the Decennial Census in the Distribution of Federal Funds offers important reasons why it’s worth a few minutes of your time to answer the 10 questions. The study’s results are interesting in a number of ways. The numbers gathered through the decennial census determine the distribution of enormous sums -- $447 billion in FY2008, $1,469 per person, and 15 percent of the total federal budget. Rural states tend to come out a little better.
How Marriage Survives During the Recession The recession has taken a toll on the institution of marriage, we keep hearing. Last month, for instance, when it was reported that the proportion of Americans aged 25 to 34 who are married fell below the proportion who have never married, it was quickly attributed to the economic downturn. Young adults, according to this narrative, have less money to spend on a wedding and are less eager to enter into a lifetime commitment during times of uncertainty. Again last week, when a report from the Pew Research Center noted that, for the first time, college-educated 30-year-olds were more likely to have been married than were people the same age without a college degree, the news was interpreted as another side effect of the recent recession. But if you look at marriage in the United States over the past century, this interpretation doesn’t stand up. Look instead at 40-year-olds, and you see that 81 percent have married at least once.
SiteReports Nielsen SiteReports is the most accurate online source for U.S. demographics and is the first to offer current year and five year demographic projections. SiteReports offers more than 50 reports and maps providing detailed information helping you analyze markets, select site locations and target your customers effectively. Using SiteReports, answer questions such as: Where are my best customers and prospects? Accomplish comprehensive market and site analyses in just a few easy steps. Comprehensive Features: Aerial map views Batch report processing Standard geography or radius areas Drive Time analysis Import your own trade areas or locations Interactive mapping Multiple Geographic levels: USA State County Place Zip Code CBSA (Core Based Statistical Area) DMA (Designated Market Area) MCD Tract Block Group YPD (not standard, requires license) Flexible Pricing options: Superior Customer Service & Support Easy to use help pages are available throughout the site.
Five myths about the 2010 Census and the U.S. population - washingtonpost.com Every 10 years, we have to count people. At least that's what Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution says. It doesn't sound too complicated. 1. If immigration stopped today, we would still see substantial gains in our minority populations for decades to come. Already, the District and four states (Hawaii, New Mexico, California and Texas) are minority white, and in six more, whites are less than 60 percent of the population. The census will tell us more about the dispersal of Hispanics and other groups to traditional white enclaves -- suburbs and the country's midsection. Color lines within our population are blurring in a different way, too, with people who identify with more than one race. 2. As a baby boomer, I am part of a demographic mob. This variation in where families and children live is poised to shape a young-old regional divide that could intensify over time. 3. California is not positioned to gain any seats for the first time since statehood in 1850. 4. 5. Not true.
Will Arizona Be America’s Future? - Up Front Blog Arizona’s new immigration law raises many questions. Perhaps most fundamental, as the hue and cry continues, is this: Is Arizona out of touch with the rest of America? Or, is it the precursor of things to come elsewhere? Demographically, there is no doubt Latinos and other immigrant minorities are America’s future, and on this, Arizona stands on the front lines. Yet there is an important demographic nuance to this growth—providing context to the white backlash in Arizona in ways that could play out else where. Nationally this gap is 25 percentage points. Perhaps more relevant to our daily living environments are the shifting racial demographics locally. The appeal of anti-immigrant, anti-Latino messages among boomers and seniors may seem surprising especially because the former are so closely associated with 1960s era liberalism and Civil Rights. Of course, the circumstances that precipitated recent events in Arizona are determined by more than just demography.
Instructions for the Five Methods of Apportionment Applet The applet helps you learn and practice with the five apportionment methods: Hamilton's, Jefferson's, Adams', Webster's and Huntington-Hill. Start with the Create Table tab. Create Table Tab This is the only tab where you can specify the number of states (and, if you wish, their names), the number of seats to be allocated to state representatives and the population of each state. The Compute button at the lower right corner of the applet is initially disabled. The data from this table will be automatically transferred to the tables under other tabs to be used by specific apportionment methods. Hamilton's Method Tab The table is filled automatically with all the preliminary data needed to execute Hamilton's method of apportionment. Jefferson's, Adams' and Webster's Methods The tabs for the three methods have the same structure. Huntington-Hill Method Tab Method Comparison Tab The last tab combines the results of all five methods as they become available. Here is the applet.
Census 2010: Counting for Dollars By: Rachel Blanchard Carpenter and Andrew Reamer The federal government’s role in annually dispensing hundreds of billions of dollars to state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals is highly visible and political, with substantial economic impact in every corner of the nation. It has been understood for some time that a substantial proportion of federal domestic assistance is distributed on the basis of population data gathered through the decennial census, the once-a-decade headcount mandated by the Constitution and managed by the U.S. Census Bureau. An analysis of federal domestic assistance program expenditures distributed on the basis of census-related data indicates that: The accuracy of the 2010 Census will determine the geographic distribution of a substantial proportion of federal assistance, particularly in the form of grants, over the coming decade. Full Report » (PDF) U.S. State/Local Tables (Summary and Individual)Reference Document » (PDF)
2009 Redistricting Commissions Table Contact | Help Login| Create Account| Legislator Compensation A new NCSL report breaks down legislator compensation and per diem rates for all 50 state legislatures. We are the nation's most respected bipartisan organization providing states support, ideas, connections and a strong voice on Capitol Hill. There's Nothing Mini About It! It’s the largest legislative gathering in the nation and you need to be there! We connect you to the best and brightest experts in every issue area critical to the states. Through NCSL meetings, webinars and professional training opportunities, you’ll connect with legislators and staff with your same interests and concerns. Continue We advocate for you in Washington, D.C., before Congress, the administration and, when appropriate, in the courts. We fight to ensure the states are free of unfunded mandates and pre-emption of state laws and that they maintain their authority and independence. Continue > Read earlier posts Tweets by @NCSLorg NCSLs YouTube Channel Denver