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Census demo: How to find ACS tables, narrative profiles, tribal-area data and use the API
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Summary
In a live demo Maryann McKay showed how to use data.census.gov (search filters and maps), narrative profiles, My Tribal Area, the Census API and the statistical-testing tool; she highlighted table naming conventions, PUMS files and practical tips on 1-year vs 5-year datasets.
During the recorded webinar Maryann McKay ran a live demonstration of Census Bureau data tools and practical tips for retrieving ACS estimates.
She began with data.census.gov, using the advanced search filters to select counties and topics and showing table B25077 (median owner-occupied housing value). McKay clicked the maps view, selected Delaware County and noted the median owner-occupied housing value example of $419,500. She emphasized that when a geography does not appear in a 1-year output users should check the dataset selection and switch to 5-year estimates to include smaller places.
McKay also explained the table-ID system (for example, B06004APR indicates a base table, subject code and special Puerto Rico suffix) so users can interpret the structure of table identifiers. For users needing customized tables, she described Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files as anonymized individual-record samples suitable for statistical packages.
Other tools demonstrated:
- Narrative Profiles: McKay showed the narrative profile for Perry Village, N.Y., which pulls highlights from the latest ACS 5-year estimates across 18 topics and links to underlying tables.
- My Tribal Area and My Community Explorer: She demonstrated selecting the La Jolla reservation, viewing topic grids and maps, and noted these tools are powered by ACS 5-year estimates for small geographies.
- OnTheMap and API: McKay described OnTheMap for emergency management use cases and the Census API for developers; the API supports multiple formats (HTML, XML, JSON) and provides access to ACS datasets going back before 2010.
- Statistical testing: She reiterated the Census provides an Excel-based statistical-testing tool for comparing estimates and determining whether observed differences are likely to be statistically meaningful.
McKay closed the demo by directing users to census.gov/acs for tool documentation and to recorded tutorials and by offering support through acso.users.support@census.gov. The webinar recording and PDF slides were noted as available for later review.
