Novice Data Users: Help Is on the Way

Working with U.S. Census Bureau data can feel like a complex puzzle and finding the right pieces to complete the picture may seem daunting to anyone who is not a statistician.

What kind of data are available for my area? What’s the most recent data? And, more importantly, how do I get the data?

To help guide novice data users, Census Academy is launching the 2022 Back to Data Basics Webinar Series on Thursday.

Every month until September, Census Academy will offer two to four classes that will take participants on an introductory learning journey.

Our experts will introduce you to the basics of how to access and utilize our data products, topics, tools and resources. All classes are free and open to the public. Registration is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 2020 Census has exposed a new generation to data the Census Bureau generates. 

But many don’t realize the Census Bureau conducts more than 120 surveys and has a wealth of other data products available that can help them make important decisions about their community and plan for the future.

The Back to Data Basics webinar series can be your springboard to dive into this treasure trove of demographic, socioeconomic, housing and business data.

Census Academy's mission is to help people learn about the Census Bureau’s bounty of data products and how to access and use them.

Everyone from professionals and academics to students and the simply curious seek quick access to information in today’s digital world.

Learning trends have shifted to on-demand, video-based training that targets immediate needs or “just-in-time learning”. When the Census Bureau launched Census Academy in 2019, the goal was to adapt to these trends and teach attendees in ways they like to learn.

Census Academy currently offers:

• Live online webinars, including its signature webinar series. These webinars are recorded and posted.
• Data Gems, short "how-to" videos (under 10 minutes).
• Full courses, available any time.

As a one-stop census data education hub, it also hosts educational tutorials, visualizations and a data-for-equity resource webpage. 

People often don't always know what they don't know.

For instance, asking a data question requires a certain amount of geography knowledge and understanding of census terminology (i.e., census block, census tract, metropolitan statistical area) to seek data properly.

Census Academy provides tips and tools for data users that will prepare them for more advanced content, enabling them to ask increasingly complex questions and find out more about the world they live in.

Back to Data Basics is a great way for newbies to begin exploring the census data universe and for more experienced users to boost their knowledge.  

It also expands the knowledge of those who have already worked with census data. The classes can prepare you for more advanced use of data tools and teach you to download data to perform your own statistical analysis.

Keep an eye out for more content coming this year, including a series of six On the Map Data Gems and a new course on how to use Census Data in Statistical Analysis System (SAS).  

Alexandra Barker and Mary Leisenring manage the Census Academy program.