Census 2000 data that you can easily access from the Internet can be used in a number of ways to accomplish your academic goals. The Census 2000 web site has been designed to be very user-friendly. Spend some time exploring and you will soon develop a level of comfort that will enable you to easily find useful information. The chart below will help you make some connections between census data, courses you might be taking and the types of academic work that might benefit from the inclusion of census data.

Census 2000 Categories

Academic Assignments
Population Comparisons of population characteristics such as age, language, marital status, ancestry and occupation.
Race and Ethnicity Track the changes in levels of education, income, and political participation among racial and ethnic groups.
Immigration Research issues related to federal immigration policy such as access to health care, citizenship, work, and political participation. Examine demographic characteristics of states that border other countries.
Sex When you report about income, housing, political participation, and education it is possible to compare differences between males and females.
Households and Families Examine the ways that family composition and living arrangements have changed over time. Compare these changes with other factors such as income, religious belief or education.
Poverty Look at income figures for each state, for groups within the population and for men and women. Compare income figures with the poverty level that the government determines. Examine the status of various social classes and how their membership numbers have changed each decade.
Children Research families with children and examine the percentage living in poverty and in single parent homes. Compare characteristics of children living in urban, suburban and rural areas.
The Aging Population You can use facts about the aging of our population in reports about retirement, advertising, political participation and health care.