2 Populations

In this chapter we’ll cover:

• Loading Census data using censusapi
• Performing equity analyses
• Using Census data to understand migration patterns
• Working with Census microdata
• Spatial subsetting between different geographies of data

Census data, despite its various limitations, is some of the best data researchers and practitioners typically have to understand who’s in our urban areas, and how they’re doing in their year-to-year lives. Understanding how to work with this data is critical and deserves a whole chapter in this curriculum. We’ll also think about “equity” as a specific type of measurement that is readily accessible to anybody working with population data and outcomes of interest. This type of analysis is often critical to urban governance, and is relatively straightforward compared to statistical methods we’ll explore in the next chapters.