Methodology

How Was This Database Built?

Data included in ESRI's Census 2000 database was collected and compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the 2000 decennial census. Information about the methods employed by the Bureau to collect and analyze data is outlined on the Census Bureau Web site.

The census is designed to answer a variety of questions about the size, distribution, and composition of the U.S. population. However, a single profile of the population—a snapshot of one point in time—cannot answer all of the questions.

Census 2000 data provides a count of the population, and its distribution and characteristics. To understand population changes, trends, and movements over time requires comparing 2000 counts with past counts. Before this comparison can be made, changes in the census data from 1990 to 2000 must be addressed; specifically, changes in the data collected and the areas for which data is tabulated and reported.

An example of a more detailed discussion of ESRI's 1990-2000 race analysis is the white paper Trends in the U.S. Multiracial Population 1990–2000 [PDF-657 KB, 24 pages].