Working with U.S. Census Data
This workshop will focus on ways to access data directly from the U.S. Census Bureau. Specifically, you will learn how to:
- Find data on the U.S. Census Bureau’s website
- Explore the data with an interactive web map in your browser
- Download data tables and geospatial files to your computer
- Open the data in QGIS to make your own maps
This workshop is geared toward folks with a basic understanding of GIS concepts. If you need help getting started with QGIS, check out the Learn the Basics of QGIS tutorial first.
Watch the workshop
Click the link below to watch a recording of this workshop on YouTube:
Most recent
November 16, 2023 - part 2: bespoke maps
November 2, 2023 - part 1: the basics
Previous recordings
November 2, 2021 - full workshop
Workshop outline
Part 1: The Basics of data.census.gov
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Introduction |
| 0:05 | Census geographies |
| 0:10 | Basic queries |
| 0:15 | Map tools |
| 0:25 | Custom queries |
| 0:40 | Practice |
| 1:10 | Wrap-up |
Part 2: Creating a Bespoke Map
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Introduction |
| 0:05 | Census geographies |
| 0:10 | Types of Census data |
| 0:20 | Custom queries |
| 0:30 | Data cleaning |
| 0:40 | Mapping with QGIS |
| 0:55 | Practice |
| 1:10 | Wrap-up |
If you are working through the materials on your own time, it may take a bit longer!