Here’s a quick update on the current situation and plan to release the US Census 2020 Vision update. The target release date for the Vision update is Monday, the 2nd of October, 2023. We'll provide more information on the precise time and system downtime as we get closer.
Please be assured that this update is one of our top priorities. However, releasing the data in Vision requires a lot of research, planning, processing, testing and, importantly, creating a suite of support documents and packages to allow our clients to update to the newest data seamlessly.
What are the key stages?
Completing the full US Census update requires the following milestones to be achieved.
- Download and process the latest versions of the US geography layers.
- Download and process all the available 2020 Census data.
- Download and process the latest ACS data.
- Testing, update finalisation and creating the support suite.
What data will be available?
Below are the main topics that will be available when the Vision update goes live:
- Population demographics, such as race, and banded by age and sex.
- Household demographics, including, type, occupancy status, tenure, vacancy status, and size.
Alongside the US 2020 Census data, we will also be processing the latest American Community Survey data to be released at the same time.
What geography will be available?
To release the 2020 Census data for the US, we must also prepare the latest versions of the geography.
We maintain two primary geography hierarchies in Vision: ZCTAs and Administrative Geography (such as TRACTs, Counties etc.). With the 2020 Census, we are introducing a new lower level of Geography known as the Block Groups (from which TRACTS and Counties are based).
The US Census 2020 and ACS data will be available at the following geographies:
- Block Groups
- Census Tracts
- Counties
- States
- ZCTAs
NOTE, you must update the latest versions of the geographic boundaries to access the latest data.
Our next steps
We’ve scoped out the project and have already started work on the first two stages, downloading and processing the latest geographic boundaries and available 2020 Census data.
We're making good progress and will keep you updated as we complete the key stages that form this update. Please keep an eye on our Socials for future updates and announcements.
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