New State/Local Data for November 2009

In this issue:

  1. Demographic information
  2. Poverty and income
  3. State and local fiscal data
  4. Food and nutrition issues
  5. Family issues
  6. Food systems
  7. Energy
  8. Research tools

1. Demographic information

Hispanic Origin Population in the U.S. - 2007


The Hispanic Origin Population in the U.S. - 2008

The US Census Bureau has compiled national-level tabulations from the Current Population Survey on Hispanics for a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. They include information on the generational distribution of the Hispanic population, as well as of specific groups (Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban). There are also tabulations on:

  • educational attainment,
  • nativity and citizenship status,
  • year of entry of the foreign-born,
  • household type,
  • labor force and employment status,
  • occupation,
  • earnings and poverty,
  • housing tenure,
  • mobility, and
  • health insurance status.

Demographic Profiles of U.S. Hispanics by Country of Origin

The Pew Hispanic Center has released five additional demographic profiles of Hispanic populations in the United States by country of origin: Guatemalan, Colombian, Honduran, Ecuadorian and Peruvian. Country of origin is self-described in response to the Hispanic origin question in the ACS. It is not necessarily the same as place of birth. For example, a person born in Los Angeles may identify his or her country of origin as Mexico. Likewise, some people born in Mexico may identify another country as their origin depending on the place of birth of their ancestors. These profiles describe the employment and income characteristics of each group. Characteristics of each group are also contrasted with the characteristics of all Hispanics and with the U.S. population overall. The profiles are based on the Center's tabulations of the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey (ACS). The newly released profiles are:

  • Hispanics of Guatemalan Origin in the United States, 2007
  • Hispanics of Colombian Origin in the United States, 2007
  • Hispanics of Honduran Origin in the United States, 2007
  • Hispanics of Ecuadorian Origin in the United States, 2007
  • Hispanics of Peruvian Origin in the United States, 2007

Changing Latino Pathways to Adulthood: More Work, More School - But Gaps Remain

The Pew Hispanic Center found that Latino youths (ages 16 to 25) are more likely to be in school or in the workforce now than their counterparts had been in 1970. Yet significant gaps remain, not only between the educational attainment of Latino and white youths, but between the high value that Latino youths place on a college education and their more modest aspirations to get a college degree themselves, according to a pair of analyses of new survey data and Census data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

A nationwide survey of Latinos indicates that nearly nine in ten Hispanic youths say that a college education is important for success in life, but that only about half that share say they themselves plan to get a college degree. The biggest reason young Latinos cut their education short is financial pressure to help support a family. The new survey findings are in the report, Latinos and Education: Explaining the Attainment Gap.

A supplemental analysis of Census Bureau data from 1970 to 2007, The Changing Pathways of Hispanic Youths Into Adulthood, finds that Hispanics -- who account for 18% of all youths in the United States ages 16 to 25, up from 5% in 1970 -- are more likely now than in the past to be engaged in skill-building activities such as work or school. However, all youths in the United States are more likely now than in 1970 to be engaged in school or work, and the gap between Hispanics and whites on this measure has not closed.

State & County Migration Flows

The Internal Revenue Service has released a new year of state and county level migration flows based on tracking tax returns between 2007 and 2008. The Missouri Census Data Center has made them available in their public data archive, and in their interactive web application that displays a migration profile for any selected county in the U.S. Raw files are available for download at http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=212718,00.html.

IRS county-level migration files use tax returns as proxies for households and exemptions claimed on those returns as proxies for persons. These data show movement from county to county. Single-county reports can be generated at this site for any US state, for one or more tax-year combinations, from 1999 to 2008, including Colorado migration patterns. Median and average gross income per return are reported, as well as gross income per exemption. (Starting with data for years 2005/2006 the median adjusted gross income figures were not being reported by the IRS). The most recent data (for 2007/2008) were added in October 2009.

American Community Survey (ACS) New Release: 2006-2008 3-Year Estimates

The US Census Bureau ACS 3-year estimates are based on data collected from January 2006 through December 2008 and are published for geographic areas with populations of 20,000 or more. The 2006-2008 ACS estimates are based on an annual, nationwide sample of about 250,000 addresses per month. These include all states, congressional districts and metropolitan areas; about half of all counties; and about 8% of all places. Moving the once-a-decade, long-form questions to an ongoing survey throughout the decade has enabled the Census Bureau to produce annual, detailed socioeconomic and housing data that help leaders, planners and businesses make better-informed decisions. Combined, data from the 2010 Census and the ACS will help determine the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal tax funds to states and local areas every year.

As is the case with all surveys, statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. All comparisons made in the reports have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90% confidence level, unless otherwise noted (consult the data tables for specific margins of error). Additional information on the ACS includes guidance on:

  • using multi-year estimates
  • comparing 3-year date with previous years and with Census 2000
  • products, definitions and data accuracy

ACS Public Use Microdata Sample 2008

The US Census Bureau Public Use Microdata Sample files, or PUMS, are a sample of the actual responses to the American Community Survey and include most population and housing characteristics. These files provide users with the flexibility to prepare customized tabulations and can be used for detailed research and analysis. Files have been edited to protect the confidentiality of all individuals and of all individual households. For an overview of the file, please see the American Community Survey PUMS overview.

The 2008 ACS 1-year PUMS files include the total population including those living in institutions, college dormitories, and other group quarter facilities. The smallest geographic unit that is identified within the PUMS is the Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA). PUMAs are defined after each decennial census for use in presenting PUMS data, and are defined within states based on a minimum population threshold of 100,000. PUMAs are not updated between decennial censuses in response to shifts in patterns of population distribution; as a result, some PUMAs may now have estimated populations less than 100,000.

New 2010 Census Website

The Census Bureau is trying to reach every person living in the US to inform them and their communities about the importance of participating in the 2010 Census. A Spanish language site will launch in November. This website is the platform on which the US Census Bureau will build a national dialogue about how each person’s participation helps paint a new “Portrait of America.” The site includes:

  • Top Questions;
  • “How It Works” which explains the census and the 10 questions on the form;
  • Information on key census dates; and
  • The multimedia center (videos, photos and audio)


2. Poverty and Income

Alternative Measures of Income and Poverty: 2008

The Census Bureau has released alternative income and poverty estimates covering calendar year 2008. The data were collected from the 2009 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). These estimates do not revise or replace the official 2008 income and poverty estimates released Sept. 10, 2009 (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/014227.html). The alternative measures show the effect on income and poverty measures when factoring in a range of different assumptions about income sources (such as subsidized housing or free or reduced-price school lunches) and poverty thresholds.
  • The first set of alternative measures include poverty estimates only and are based on recommendations from a 1995 National Academy of Sciences panel on measuring poverty. These estimates use a broadened definition of income and a set of poverty thresholds that are conceptually consistent with this income measure.
  • The second set of alternative measures includes income and poverty estimates and shows the impact of cash and noncash benefits and taxes on the distribution of income and prevalence of poverty. The poverty estimates in this series are based on the official poverty thresholds. Both of these alternative measures are similar to estimates released in January 2009 covering calendar year 2007 from the 2008 CPS ASEC.

3. State and local fiscal data

State and Local Government Revenue Topped $3 Trillion in FY 2007

State and local governments took in more than $3.1 trillion in total revenues, most ($1.3 trillion) from taxes, according to the latest findings from the US Census Bureau’s 2007 Census of Governments. Revenues have risen 69.6% since the last census in 2002 (see Table 1). At the same time, expenditures for state and local governments totaled more than $2.7 trillion, with education ($776.6 billion), public welfare ($377.4 billion) and highways ($144.8 billion) as the top three activities. Overall, state and local government expenditures rose 29.5% since 2002.

The findings come from the 2007 Census of Governments data on state and local government finances and show revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings for state and local governments, the nation and for each state. Aggregate figures are given for total state and local finances. The Census Bureau also releases these data annually based on the Annual Survey of Local Government Finances. The percentage spent by state and local governments varies greatly by function. In the case of education, police, fire protection and housing, for example, spending is largely by local governments (Tables 2-5). In the case of public welfare, highways and corrections, state governments generally contribute proportionately more than local governments (Tables 6-8).

State and local government spending on education totaled more than 40% of expenditures in Vermont (41.4%), Michigan (40.6%), Texas (40.3%) and Arkansas (40.2%). In Colorado, spending on education was 34.5% of total expenditures. State and local government spending on public welfare was greater than 20% of expenditures in 13 states and the District of Columbia, with D.C. (25.5%), Maine (24.3%), Rhode Island (23.7%), Minnesota (22.8%) and Vermont (22.7%) at the top. Colorado’s public welfare spending was 11.2% of total expenditures.

The leading states in state and local government expenditures for highways were South Dakota (15%), Alaska (13.7%) and North Dakota (13%), while Colorado’s spending on highways was 6.3% for 2007.

State & Local Government Employment and Payroll, 2008

The Annual Survey of State and Local Government Employment and Payroll was compiled by the US Census Bureau in March 2008. At 8.9 million, education workers accounted for more than half of the 16.7 million state and local government full-time equivalent employees nationwide in 2008, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. State and local governments had a 1.4% increase in employment from 2007 to 2008. Local governments — which include counties, cities, townships, special districts and school districts — accounted for 12.3 million full-time equivalent employees in 2008, compared with 4.4 million full-time equivalents that were employed by state governments.

Besides education, some of the other employment categories that contributed the largest numbers to the state and local government employee workforce were hospitals (998,000), police protection (952,000) and corrections (748,000). Other employment categories include streets and highways, public welfare, health, judicial-legal, financial-administration and fire protection.

The payroll for state governments rose by 5.3% ($937 million) in 2008. Among the functions with the largest increases in payroll were education ($464 million) and corrections ($113 million). For local governments, payrolls were up 5.9% ($2.7 billion) in 2008. Among the largest increases in payroll by function for local governments were education, fire protection, hospitals and police protection. Total payroll and employment for Colorado include:

4. Food and nutrition issues

Food Spending Declined and Food Insecurity Increased for Middle-Income and Low-Income Households from 2000-2007

USDA ERS reports that from 2000 to 2007, median spending on food by U.S. households declined by 12% relative to the (rising) cost of USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, and by 6% relative to the (rising) Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Food and Beverages. Over the same period, the national prevalence of very low food security increased by about one-third, from 3.1% of households in 2000 to 4.1% in 2007. The deterioration in food security was greatest in the second-lowest income quintile, in which the prevalence of very low food security increased by about half. These estimates, based on data from the nationally representative Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement, are corroborated by corresponding declines in food expenditures by middle- and low-income households in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey. The decline was largest in the second-lowest income quintile, in which average CPI-inflation-adjusted spending for food declined by 16%. The declines in food spending by middle- and low-income households were accompanied by increases in spending for housing and, in the two lowest income quintiles, by declines in income and total spending.

Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics Program, 2008 Project Summaries

This USDA ERS report summarizes research findings from the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics Program (RIDGE), formerly known as the Small Grants Program. The Economic Research Service created the program in 1998 to stimulate new and innovative research on food and nutrition assistance issues and to broaden the network of social scientists investigating the food and nutrition challenges that exist across communities, regions, and States. The report includes summaries of the research findings of projects that were awarded 1-year grants in summer and fall 2007. The results of these research projects were presented at the RIDGE conference in October 2008. The projects include analyses of WIC vendor access and fruit and vegetable availability, effects of food insecurity on the development of infants and toddlers, administrative data to evaluate CACFP in family child care homes, the economics of the Thrifty Food Plan, and food stamp use among the elderly. Several projects focus on specific populations such as immigrants, Native Americans, or people living in the rural South.

Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity? Untangling the Self-Selection Effect

Self-selection by more food-needy households into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program) makes it difficult to observe positive effects of the program in survey data. This study investigates self-selection and ameliorative program effects by examining households’ food security month by month for several months prior to initial receipt of SNAP benefits and for several months after joining the program. Two-year panels are constructed by matching the same households interviewed in the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement in 2 consecutive years using data from 2001 to 2006. Food security is observed to deteriorate in the 6 months prior to beginning to receive SNAP benefits and to improve shortly after. The results clearly demonstrate the self-selection by households into SNAP at a time when they are more severely food insecure. The results are consistent with a moderate ameliorative effect of SNAP—reducing the prevalence of very low food security among recent entrants by about one-third—although they do not conclusively demonstrate that extent of amelioration.

Food Safety Web site

Foodsafety.gov is a new consumer Web site to help consumers and families get all the latest information on food safety and food recalls in one place.

www.MyFoodapedia.gov

MyFoodapedia.gov is a new online tool that gives consumers quick access to nutrition information for over 1,000 foods. MyFood-a-pedia provides calorie count information on the contribution of the food to the five food groups people need to be healthy. MyFood-a-pedia also provides the number of "extra" calories in foods from solid fats, added sugars, and alcohol.


5. Family issues

America After 3 P.M.

The Afterschool Alliance has published a survey finding that 8.4 million children participate in an afterschool program, an increase of nearly 3 million children over the past five years. The number of children who are unsupervised in the afternoons has risen from 14.3 million (25%) in 2004, to 15.1 million (26%) in 2009. Today, 30% of middle school students (3,722,219) and four percent of elementary school children (1,133,989) are unsupervised after the school bell rings. Other findings include:

  • While ethnic minority children are more likely than others to be in afterschool programs, millions are unsupervised each afternoon and the unmet need is huge. Twenty-five percent of Asian, 24% of African-American, 21% of Hispanic and 16% of Native American children attend afterschool programs, compared to the national average of 15%.
  • Yet 28% of African-American, 21% of Hispanic and 24% of both Asian and Native American children have no adult supervision after the school day ends.
  • The economy is taking a toll on participation in afterschool programs. Parents cite a number of barriers to enrolling their children in afterschool programs, with more than half of parents (52%) citing cost and more than one in four reporting hours of operation (26%) and availability (27%) as reasons for nonparticipation.

The report also includes state-level findings, including a Colorado fact sheet.


6. Food systems

Marketing U.S. Organic Foods: Recent Trends from Farms to Consumers

USDA ERS notes that organic foods now occupy prominent shelf space in the produce and dairy aisles of most mainstream U.S. food retailers. The marketing boom has pushed retail sales of organic foods up to $21.1 billion in 2008 from $3.6 billion in 1997. U.S. organic-industry growth is evident in an expanding number of retailers selling a wider variety of foods, the development of private-label product lines by many supermarkets, and the widespread introduction of new products. A broader range of consumers has been buying more varieties of organic food. Organic handlers, who purchase products from farmers and often supply them to retailers, sell more organic products to conventional retailers and club stores than ever before. Only one segment has not kept pace—organic farms have struggled at times to produce sufficient supply to keep up with the rapid growth in demand, leading to periodic shortages of organic products.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

This Web page was designed by USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion and is a USDA-wide effort to create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers. Growing a Healthier You promotes national initiatives, such as National Nutrition Month and feature interesting facts about specific fruits, vegetables and other foods. It will also feature What's for Dinner (or Breakfast or Lunch); Your Garden, Your Produce, Your Menus; and From Garden to Plate, Safety Matters.

7. Energy

State Energy Rankings and Profiles

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released 12 new State Rankings pages that display charts and maps ordered by data value. The rankings cover energy production, consumption, and price, as well as carbon dioxide emissions from electric power plants, as follows:

State-Level Energy Production Annual Time Series Through 2007

State-level energy production annual time series data through 2007 are now available in the State Energy Data System (SEDS). Tables include: coal, crude oil, natural gas, and fuel ethanol production estimates in physical units and British thermal units (Btu); total energy production estimates in Btu comprising fossil fuel production, renewable energy production, and nuclear electric power generation; rankings of production by State; and comparisons of State-level production and consumption. Time series cover 1960-2007 except for natural gas and total production, which span 1970-2007. Data are provided in tables of PDF and Excel format.

8. Research tools

USA Counties

USA Counties features over 6,500 data items for the US, states and counties from a variety of sources. Files include data published for 2008 estimates and many items from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, the 1990 census, the 1980 census and the 2002, 1997, 1992, 1987, 1982 and 1977 economic censuses. Information in USA Counties is derived from the following general topics: age, agriculture, ancestry, banking, building permits, business patterns, crime, earnings, education, elections, employment, government, health, households, housing, income, labor force, manufactures, population, poverty, retail trade, social programs, veterans, vital statistics, water use, and wholesale trade. Files contain a collection of data from the U. S. Census Bureau and other Federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Social Security Administration.