As the Regional Census Data Center for the San Diego region, SANDAG keeps a complete inventory of data released from the national decennial (once every 10 years) census since 2000. The census provides a variety of information and datasets which SANDAG uses to create products specific to the San Diego region.
Accessing Data
Find more information, documentation, and data products on the Census Bureau website. The primary source for Census Bureau data is the census data explorer, the U.S. Census Bureau’s online tool. SANDAG’s products based on census data can be found on our Open Data Portal.
Census Academy
The Census Bureau has a free virtual hub for learning how to access and use their data. Census Academy Offers:
- Data Gems: Short videos demonstrating tips and tricks for data users who are looking for an easy and quick way to enhance their knowledge of census data.
- How to Videos: Tutorials on how to access data, for example How to Access American Community Survey (ACS) Block Group Data.
Subscribe to get weekly updates from the Census Academy.
2010 Census and American Community Survey
Following Census 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau changed the way it conducts the census. Through Census 2000, a short form was used to count the entire U.S. population (including details regarding ethnicity, age, household composition, and housing information) and a long form collected detailed data regarding the social and economic characteristics of the nation’s communities. Collected from a sample of households (rather than the entire population), this survey included all the questions from the short form, as well as data such as marital status, income, and educational attainment.
Beginning in 2010, the short form continues to be administered every ten years, while the American Community Survey (ACS) uses a series of monthly samples to produce annual updated information formerly captured on the long form.