Nursing - Public Health: Demographics

1. Census

2. Click on 'advanced search.'

3. You will notice 'browse filters' on the left hand side of the screen. Click on 'geography'.

4. By default, United States is a permanent filter. We now need to add Massachusetts.
Under the 'geography' filter a new box will appear with options. Click on 'state.' A new box will appear with an alphabetized list of states. Click 'Massachusetts'.

5. Now, scroll down until you see 'Place' under the 'geography' menu. A new box will appear and you will select 'Massachusetts.' Another box appears and you will select the city you need.

6. We have now added all of our geographical locations. These will stay constant through our searching on this website.

7. You will notice at the bottom of your screen that your selections show up. 

1. Click Topics (left side menu on your screen). A new menu pops up and you will select 'population and people.' Another menu appears and you will select 'populations and people'. Then hit search.

2. Once the page loads, select the fourth table for 'selected characteristics of the native and foreign-born populations.'

3. By default, the chart shows the 2019 ACS 5-year estimates. Ask your professor if they prefer the 5-year or the 1-year. 

4. You will use this chart to answer  the total population question plus questions 1, 3 and 3B for ethnicity. (we will come back to question 4 later on). We will also skip population density until the very end.

1. To answer question 2, you will need to select a different chart. On the left hand side of the screen, you will see the chart 'age and sex.' Select this chart.

2. Once this chart loads, you will scroll down to the section titled 'selected age categories. Census data used <18 years instead of <20. Ask your professor if it is okay to use <18 years instead.

1.  To find the poverty rate we will need to leave the population chart and select a new one. Click on the 'filter' button on the left-hand menu to exit out of the current population table.

2.  Deselect 'population and people.'

3. Under the second menu of 'topics' select 'income and poverty.' Another menu will appear, click on 'income and poverty.'

4.  We will be using 'poverty status in the last 12 months' which is the first table listed.

5. All the information you need is found on the very first line of the chart. You will need to scroll to the right to see all of the chart.

1. To find our education statistics we will need to leave the poverty chart and select a new one. Click on the 'filter' button on the left-hand menu to exit out of the current poverty table.

2. Deselect 'income and poverty.' Under the second menu, select 'education.' Another menu will appear. Select 'educational attainment.' Then hit the 'hide' button.

3.  You will look at 'population 25 years and older' category. 4. You will look for 'high school graduate or higher.' 

1. To find our unemployment statistics we will need to leave the education chart and select a new one. Click on the 'filter' button on the left-hand menu to exit out of the current education table.

2. Deselect 'educational attainment.' Under the second menu, select 'employment.' Another menu will appear. Select 'employment.' Then hit the 'hide' button.

3.  From the left-side menu, scroll down until you see the chart titled 'employment status.'

4.  Scroll through the chart until you see the column titled 'unemployment rate.' Here you will gather the 'estimate' percentage. Depending on what your professor wants, the percentage might be enough. If you need the actual number, you will need to multiply that percentage by the total population of folks working in each category (U.S., Massachusetts, and your city).

To find the population density for the U.S., Massachusetts and your community:

1. Click on Population density.

2.  It automatically shows the statistics for the United States. You will need to add Massachusetts and your community.

4. Once you have added in MA and your community, scroll down to the bottom of the chart. Under 'Geography' you will see 'population per square mile.' This is the population density.

To find the National Criteria for Poverty Rate for a family of 4:

1. Click on Poverty Thresholds.

2. We will select 2019 to be consistent. 

3. The size of the family unit is 4. Go across the excel sheet until you see the column for 2 children. This is the poverty threshold for a family of four.

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