Data

What kind of data is included in Business Analyst Online? How often is the data updated?

Esri's business, consumer spending, and demographic data encompasses a wide variety of datasets that are updated quarterly, semiannually, annually, and decennially in the case of U.S. Census data. For more details on the data included with your Business Analyst Online subscription and when it is updated, see the Esri Data Fact Sheet.

To learn about the data available in Business Analyst, visit the Business Analyst Data Descriptions on the Resource Center.

What is Esri 2013/2018 Updated Demographic Data?

Esri is proud to offer 2013/2018 Updated Demographic Data. The 2013/2018 data release contains the following data:

The Esri 2013/2018 data is based on Census 2010 data. Esri's 2013 Updated Demographic data was built on 2010 geography. The exceptions include CBSAs which are current as of February 2013, DMAs which are the 2012-2013 markets defined by The Nielsen Company, and ZIP Codes which reflect the USPS's Q4 2012 inventory. Congressional District data represents the 113th Congress.

Esri's 2013/2018 Updated Demographic data is available on the following reports: Age 50+ Profile, Age by Sex by Race Profile, Age by Sex Profile, Demographic and Income Profile, Demographic and Income Comparison Profile, Detailed Age Profile, Disposable Income Profile, Executive Summary, Graphic Profile, Household Income Profile, Housing Profile, Market Profile, and the Net Worth Profile. The Quarterly Demographic Profile has been discontinued.

For more information about geography changes associated with Census 2010, click here.

To read the Methodology statements for the Esri Updated Demographic Datasets, click here.

How accurate is the Esri Updated Demographic Data and what distinguishes it from other vendors?

Esri has a team of demographers, statisticians, and economists who use a wide variety of public and private data sources to develop a uniquely accurate and detailed picture of local population, economic, housing, and business characteristics. Using Geographic Information System tools and our strong demographic estimating experience, Esri captures the effects of significant events that occur between decennial Censuses.

The release of each decennial census enables data vendors to evaluate the accuracy of their annual demographic estimates by benchmarking against census results. Data vendors could also learn how their estimates compare to other providers. In 2011, Esri took advantage of this once-a-decade opportunity and commissioned an independent study to obtain an unbiased answer about its data accuracy. This blind study was conducted by four credentialed researchers and experts in small area forecasts and measures of forecast accuracy. Data from each of the five major data vendors, including Esri, was benchmarked against results from Census 2010 for the entire US at four geography levels. This study proves that Esri's demographic update methodologies produce the industry's most accurate demographic data. Users can be confident that Esri's Updated Demographics data will provide them with the best possible analysis results. To learn more about the Vendor Accuracy Study and to read the excerpted report, visit www.esri.com/accuracy.

Esri offers a full catalog of over 15,000 variables for up to 11 levels of geography, creating an incredibly detailed picture of the U.S. population. For a full list of the data offered by Esri and information about methodologies and sources, click here.

What is Census 2010?

The U.S. Census takes place every 10 years. It is mandated by the constitution and counts every resident in the United States. Census data is used to distribute federal funds to local communities and determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. It is used by businesses and local and state governments to analyze the underlying demographics of an area.

Data derived from Census 2010 will be different than data from past years. The most significant change is due to the Census Bureau's omission of the long form. The short census questionnaire provides only the complete counts of population, households, and housing units plus the following characteristics: sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, household relationship, occupancy, and tenure. Every other variable was previously collected from the sample long form. Now, data about income, education, employment, language, migration, citizenship, marital status, and housing characteristics, such as value and rent, will be obtained from the American Community Survey (ACS), which is separate from Census 2010.

A decennial Census also brings a change in geography. For more information about the Census 2010 Geography, please see Census 2010 Geography Release.

What is the ACS?

In 2010, the Census Bureau changed how it collects decennial census data. The Census Bureau has eliminated the traditional long form and opted to only release decennial census data collected from the short form. The American Community Survey (ACS) is the replacement for census sample data, or long form. Data on income, education, employment, language, migration, citizenship, marital status, and housing characteristics, such as value and rent, will now be obtained from the ACS rather than the decennial census sample.

The ACS provides data that is updated more frequently than the decennial census data. The ACS collects and produces population and housing information every year instead of every 10 years. ACS represents continuous measurement or a rolling sample design. A small percent of the population is sampled every month. The monthly samples are combined and averaged to produce one-, three- or five-year databases. The Census 2000 sample represented approximately 1 in 6 households and one point in time, April 1, 2000. ACS represents approximately 1 in 40 households. ACS' much smaller sample sizes affect data reporting and produce much larger sampling errors.

Each ACS estimate will be reported with a Margin of Error (MOE). The MOE is a measure of the variability of the estimate due to sampling error. The MOE enables data users to measure the range of uncertainty around each estimate. This range can be calculated with 90 percent confidence by taking the estimate +/- the MOE. For example, if the ACS reports an estimate of 100 +/- 20, then there is a 90 percent chance that the value for the total population falls between 80 and 120. The larger the MOE, the lower the precision of the estimate and the less confidence one should have that the estimate is close to the true population value.

For more information about ACS, please visit www.esri.com/acs.

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