Data.census.gov Newsletter – May 2025
Looking to enhance your data skills? Join us for a workshop!
Last month we launched Geography Essentials for Beginners. This workshop is designed for data users who want to master the fundamentals of decennial census geographies and gain confidence in working with geographic concepts on data.census.gov.
We're excited to share recent updates to data.census.gov and the Microdata Access Tool (MDAT), designed to make accessing microdata faster and easier. Read on for the latest improvements.
What's New?
We've rolled out several enhancements to improve your experience using the Microdata Access Tool, including:
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Enhanced landing page instructions: The landing page now provides better guidance on how to access tables, including direct links to those you may have previously saved from the beta version of MDAT.
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Improved continuous variable notification: Messages alerting you about selecting a continuous variable are now positioned directly above your selection for enhanced visibility, ensuring easier grouping of variables in the cart.
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Confirmation for deleting variables: When you click "Delete All Variables" in the cart, a pop-up window will confirm your action, helping to avoid accidental deletions.
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Clear messaging for deselecting variables: Clearer messaging is now displayed when deselecting all variable values, ensuring a smooth and informative process.
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Streamlined Geography "Group" tab: The Geography "Group" tab now includes intuitive steps and automatic label updates. Trash can icons allow you to delete entries with fewer clicks.
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Mobile view enhancements: These updates allow you to make edits to your variables in the cart on mobile devices. They also remove previous instances of overlapping text.
Additional Updates
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Updated URL standards for filter selections: Filter selections using codes now follow new URL standards, while ensuring previously saved links automatically redirect to the updated format. Industry profiles and other linked URLs are now in line with these standards.
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Improved address search display: After searching by address, the list of geographies is now ordered by summary level codes for better clarity and organization. Additional address search improvements enhance usability.
Stay tuned for behind-the-scenes upgrades that will continue to improve speed and performance.
Featured Question
What is Microdata Access?
Microdata Access allows you to create custom tables that are not available in pre-made tables on data.census.gov.
It is powered by public use microdata. We take responses received from our surveys and apply confidentiality protections. We then make the raw data available for you to conduct your own statistical analysis. Working with microdata requires you to select variables, create categories, format a table, and apply weights.
Microdata Access allows you to create these custom tables on our site without having to use your own statistical software or special programming. Instructions for using the site are available on the Microdata Access Resources page.
Before diving into microdata, here are a few tips:
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Use pre-made tables on data.census.gov whenever possible: The data will be more accurate in a pre-made table compared to a custom table. The process to find a pre-made table is also easier than creating a custom Microdata Access table.
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Geographic coverage in microdata is limited: You can access data for the nation, region, division, and state. A few surveys provide data for public use microdata areas (PUMAs) and counties.
Check out our short video: What is Microdata and Why Should I Use It?
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