Census Maps

The above map represents the black population in U.S. counties with the darker shades of green representing more concentrated areas. The southeastern United States clearly shows the highest concentrations in Black population for the 200o Census, with data collected in 1999. The states of Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina seem to have the most counties with 46.68% - 86.49% of the total population self-reported as Black. Many counties in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee had a self-reported Black population of 24.57% - 46.33%, with the rest of the U.S. having significantly lower populations. There are only 4 tiers of color, which is enough to give an overall idea of where the concentrations are. Another tier of color would give a bit more specificity and allow us to further see the trends in population densities.

Data for the above map of self-reported Asian population in the U.S. was also taken for the 2000 Census. It shows the highest concentrations in dark purple, and lower concentrations with lighter shades. California and Hawaii have the most counties with an Asian population of 17.57% - 46.04%, with other states on the west coast following closely behind. This data could be more telling if there was another level of color. The darkest states could have 17.57% Asian population, but could just as well be 46.04% Asian. It is a large difference in population to be covered by a single tier. An added level would be able to illustrate the percentages better. The New York/New Jersey area also had higher Asian concentrations than that surrounding counties. There are lower concentrations of Asians, in comparison to Blacks because in the 2000 census they had a lower total population.

This last map illustrates "some other race" population by percentage for the 2000 Census. Given that the Census does not offer a "Hispanic" or "Latino" option to self-report, and given the areas that show the most dense populations of "some other race," one can infer that the data is reporting the majority of the Hispanic population of the U.S. Anyone who does not identify with any of the other options to choose from can self-report as "some other race," so it also includes people that identify themselves as something other than Hispanic. The highest concentrations occurred in the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas - with the most counties in the 10.08% - 20.87% and 20.88% - 30.08% tiers. These are all states that share a boundary with Mexico, which gives some more indication of who "some other race" may be. There are also denser concentrations in the northwest (western U.S. in general), Florida, and the New York area.

These maps serve as an overview of the different racial groups in the U.S. during the 2000 Census in comparison to total population. It is difficult to compare them to one another, because the 4 tiers on each map are broken differently. Had they all been set to the same breaks, the maps would be able to serve as a comparison of the different racial groups in relation to one another. The information we have about each racial group is also limited given the large percentage that each tier represents. It would be interesting to have data from the 2010 Census to contrast this data with. It would not only give us a snapshot of a certain time, but show trends in population changes and internal immigration. This map series, I feel, is good for giving us a basic knowledge of the racial concentrations from the 2000 Census, but does not allow for more detailed questions to be answered about the subject. This lab was the first one that allowed us to create a map from data that we ourselves had to find and input into the ArcMap software. It is very useful to know now how to use the GIS software from the very beginning of the creation process. Although I know this is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the complexity of the projects that ArcGIS can undertake, I now feel more confident in my ability to find my own data and use it in the map making process.