The U.S. Census Bureau today released 5-year American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for the first time, making available social, economic, housing and demographic statistics for every community in the nation.
Up until now, small geographic areas had to rely on outdated 2000 Census figures for detailed information about the characteristics of their communities. Consisting of about 11.1 billion individual estimates and covering more than 670,000 distinct geographies, the 5-year ACS estimates give even the smallest communities more timely information on topics ranging from commute times to languages spoken at home to housing values. U.S. Census Bureau
NOTE: Here are a few comparisons of demographics for Utah's counties from the newly available American Community Survey data:
- Kane County shows the oldest median age (43.7 years); Utah County the youngest (23.2 years).
- Beaver County maintains the highest share of population over the age of 85 (3 percent); Daggett County the lowest (0.6 percent).
- Rich County displays the highest percentage of population in the "White/Not Hispanic or Latino" category (96.8 percent); San Juan County with its high share of Native Americans, the lowest--only 38.5 percent.
- On average, Wayne County workers have the shortest commute time (11.1 minutes); Tooele County workers, the longest (28.5 minutes).
- Utah County households are the largest (average of 3.79 individuals); Daggett County households are the smallest (2.1 individuals).
- Garfield County shows the lowest percentage of never-married men over the age of 15 (9.8 percent); Utah County, the highest (38.1 percent).
- On the other hand, Piute County exhibits the lowest percentage of never-married women over the age of 15 (8.3 percent); Cache County, the highest (34.3 percent). (Maybe more unmarried male BYU students need to head to Utah State University.)
- Washington County has the highest percentage of homes built since 2005 (9 percent); Emery County, the lowest (0.3 percent).
- Piute County shows the highest percentage of veterans in the population (16.2 percent); Utah County the smallest (5.5 percent).
Okay, I'm a data geek, so this list could go on forever. . .but, I need to stop somewhere. Hopefully, I've whetted your interest in the wealth of information now available at the Census website.
If you'd like help accessing the data for any of the counties in my region (Beaver, Garfield, Kane, Iron, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, Washington and Wayne), please feel free to contact me. (Lecia Langston)
And, watch our publications for articles about this data.
