Nationwide Hard to Count Maps Launched

A new mapping application developed by the Center for Urban Research was recently launched which allows users to see the Hard to Count Scores and hard to count attributes for various levels of geographies across the nation (including Metropolitan areas, Counties, and Census Tracts with Hard to Count Scores of over 60).

The application is available at http://www.censushardtocountmaps.org/. Feel free to use in conjunction with the hard to count maps we developed that show tracts in the region with hard to count scores of over 30.

Perspective of Hard to Count Areas Nationwide

Jill Wilson, Senior Research Analyst at the Brookings Institute, covers the Census and other demographic trends nationwide. She is publishing a series on the Census and in her latest post she takes a look at "Hard to Count" areas nationwide.

In her posting she includes a map that shows the percentage of the population in metro areas nationwide that fall within a hard to count census tract. To view her map and article, go here. The USA Today also published a map of the Hard to Count scores by county and that article is found here. Of course, these maps are no substitute for the maps we've developed on this blog because they do not go down to smaller geographic areas; but it is good to see a nationwide perspective.

Hard to Count Maps

The “Hard to Count (HTC) Score” was developed by the U.S. Census Bureau to help identify areas that might be difficult to enumerate during Census 2010. The HTC score was calculated for every Census tract in the nation using twelve socioeconomic, demographic, and housing variables from Census 2000 that were correlated with high non-response rates. Online Maps have been developed showing this data for the CAPCOG area and four additional counties: Bell, Coryell, Falls, & Lampasas.

Online Map HTC Score 70+
Area 1: Travis County

Area 2: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Williamson

Area 3: Bell, Coryell, Falls, Lampasas



Online Map HTC Score 30-69 (click below for maps)
Area 1: Travis County

Area 2: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano, Williamson

Area 3: Bell, Coryell, Falls, Lampasas


For assistance with the map contact Chris Ramser, 512-916-6184.

Hard to Count Scores range from 0-132. Areas with the highest scores (e.g., over 70) are likely to have relatively high nonresponse and undercount rates, while areas with the lowest scores are likely to be areas with low rates. These high HTC areas may warrant increased level of focus for Census outreach activities.

The first set of maps developed by the Capital Area Council of Governments shows the location of Census tracts with a 70+ HTC score for three different areas, while the second shows tracts with a score 30 to 69. The three areas include: Area 1: Travis county; Area 2: All of the CAPCOG region excluding Travis County; and Area 3: Bell, Coryell, Falls, & Lampasas counties. When you visit one of the maps, click on a shaded area to view Census 2000 data about that Census tract. The field names in the table have been abbreviated, but this definition file contains an explanation of each variable. Also, the KML or KMZ files for each map are posted below for download, allowing users to view the data in Google Earth.

Google Earth KMZ files
HTC Score 70+
Area 1: Travis County

Area 2: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano & Williamson Counties

Area 3: Bell, Coryell, Falls & Lampasas Counties

HTC Score 30-69
Area 1: Travis County

Area 2: Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee, Llano & Williamson Counties

Area 3: Bell, Coryell, Falls & Lampasas Counties

KML and KMZ files can be viewed in the free software, Google Earth, which provides for additional functionality. Google Earth contains preloaded data such as schools, churches and other places of interest that may be used to identify partners or locations for outreach efforts. Users can also select individual tracts or tracts with a score over a certain number.

Partnership Specialist Areas

The Census Bureau has assigned a partnership specialist to each county within Texas. The role of the partnership specialist is to develop partnerships with local governments and community groups to increase awareness about the Census.

For the CAPCOG region, there are five different partnership specialists representing certain counties. Each brings knowledge and training that will be assets to your Complete Count Committees. The map below depicts the areas that each represents. Click on the map to view the contact info for each partnership specialist.

(Also you may download a .pdf version of the map here)

View Census Partnership Specialist- Capital Area in a larger map