We now have a new database for CDXZipStream that provides an extensive variety of demographic data for 2010 census tracts. CDXZipStream is our Excel-based zip code software that performs address, zip code, and geographic analysis, including route optimization, geocoding, zip code radius calculations, address verification, and demographics import.

Demographics based on census tract offers significant advantages over zip code data. Since census tracts are about half the population of zip code areas, the smaller size provides a more accurate demographic snapshot.  Also, zip code census data is actually based on ZCTA's, or Zip Code Tabulation Areas, which the Census Bureau use to approximate zip codes. Census tracts, which are precisely defined by the Census Bureau, do not include the possible error associated with using ZCTA's.

The CDXTract feed provides a variety of data from the 2010 Census and the on-going American Community Survey.  Topics are:

- Age

- Individual Earnings

- Educational Attainment

- Household Size

- Household Income

- Housing Value and Rent

- Marital Status

- Population

- Race

- School Enrollment

- Land, Water Area

For a complete listing and description of each demographic variable, you can download an Excel file which describes each CDXZipStream data feed in detail, including CDXTract.

To access the data, census tract codes (also referred to as FIPS codes), must be provided as input in an Excel worksheet. CDX Technologies now offers a free Excel template that can identify census tract codes for an address list – please see our blog posting Get Census Tract FIPS Codes in an Excel Template.  You can also view a short Youtube tutorial on how to use the template: Get Census Tract FIPS Codes in Microsoft Excel.

Once you have the list of FIPS codes for each location, use your cursor to select the first code in your list, then click on the CDXZipStream icon on the main toolbar. You’ll see a dialog like this:

We’ve selected the CDXTract data feed (under the Select Data Feed option), and have also added the data fields we need to the list on the right, in this case covering median age data and earnings levels.

Click "Get Data", and the selected data will now be automatically returned to the worksheet (only part of the returned data is shown here):

For a short tutorial on how to use the CDXTract data feed, please see the YouTube video Census Tract Demographics for an Address List.

Between the recent 2010 Census and the ongoing American Community Survey, there is now an unprecedented level of extensive, up-to-date demographics data available for the U.S. market.  Please note that census tract data is an additional purchase, and is compatible with all demographic versions of CDXZipStream.  For pricing information and access to the CDXTract database, please contact us at 1-877-CDX-TEC1 (1-877-239-8321) or support@CDXTech.com.

In a previous post,  Zip Code Demographics from the 2010 Census, we talked about how there are now new several updated fields in CDXZipStream that incorporate data from the last census. These fields cover basic areas such as population counts, median age, household size, and race.  We’ve also now just introduced a more extensive, dedicated data feed that covers 115 fields from the 2010 Census.  This feed is listed as “CDXCensus2010” under the “Select Data Feed” dropdown list, available in the Premium and Premium ACS version 11 of CDXZipStream.  You can review a listing of all CDXZipstream data feeds and their fields, including CDXCensus 2010, from the file CDXZipStream Data Fields and Definitions, or refer to the list at the bottom of this post.

If you already own CDXZipStream Premium or Premium ACS, click on the "License Information and Software Updates" button on the main CDXZipStream toolbar (third button from the left) and select "Date Updates" to purchase the new feed through your account. Data updates for premium versions are $29.95.   If you own a version of CDXZipStream that does not include this feed and would like to upgrade, please see our pricing list for more information; you can then upgrade if desired through your online account.  (Please contact support@cdxtech.com if you need your account user name or password information.)  Of course, if you are buying CDXZipStream for the first time, please see our "Buy Now" webpage to purchase CDXZipStream Premium or Premium ACS.   New purchases already include this feed.

CDXCensus2010 fields:

1. ZipCode
2. Age median
3. Age median male
4. Age median female
5. Age under 5
6. Age male under 5
7. Age female under 5
8. Age 5 - 9
9. Age male 5 - 9
10. Age female 5 - 9
11. Age 10 - 14
12. Age male 10 - 14
13. Age female 10 - 14
14. Age 15 - 19
15. Age male 15 - 19
16. Age female 15 - 19
17. Age 20 - 24
18. Age male 20 - 24
19. Age female 20 - 24
20. Age 25 - 29
21. Age male 25 - 29
22. Age female 25 - 29
23. Age 30 - 34
24. Age male 30 - 34
25. Age female 30 - 34
26. Age 35 - 39
27. Age male 35 - 39
28. Age female 35 - 39
29. Age 40 - 44
30. Age male 40 - 44
31. Age female 40 - 44
32. Age 45 - 49
33. Age male 45 - 49
34. Age female 45 - 49
35. Age 50 - 54
36. Age male 50 - 54
37. Age female 50 - 54
38. Age 55 - 59
39. Age male 55 - 59
40. Age female 55 - 59
41. Age 60 - 64
42. Age male 60 - 64
43. Age female 60 - 64
44. Age 65 - 69
45. Age male 65 - 69
46. Age female 65 - 69
47. Age 70 - 74
48. Age male 70 - 74
49. Age female 70 - 74
50. Age 75 - 79
51. Age male 75 - 79
52. Age female 75 - 79
53. Age 80 - 84
54. Age male 80 - 84
55. Age female 80 - 84
56. Age 85 - 89
57. Age male 85 - 89
58. Age female 85 - 89
59. Age 90+
60. Age male 90+
61. Age female 90+
62. Households total
63. Households family
64. Households nonfamily
65. Households average size
66. Households 1-person
67. Households 2-person
68. Households 3-person
69. Households 4-person
70. Households 5-person
71. Households 6-person
72. Households 7+ person
73. Housing units
74. Housing units owned with mortage
75. House units owned free and clear
76. Housing units renter-occupied
77. Housing units owner-occupied
78. Housing units owner-occupied 1-person
79. Housing units owner-occupied 2-person
80. Housing units owner-occupied 3-person
81. Housing units owner-occupied 4-person
82. Housing units owner-occupied 5-person
83. Housing units owner-occupied 6-person
84. Housing units owner-occupied 7+ person
85. Housing units renter-occupied 1-person
86. Housing units renter-occupied 2-person
87. Housing units renter-occupied 3-person
88. Housing units renter-occupied 4-person
89. Housing units renter-occupied 5-person
90. Housing units renter-occupied 6-person
91. Housing units renter-occupied 7+ person
92. Housing units owner-occupied 15 - 24 years
93. Housing units owner-occupied 25 - 34 years
94. Housing units owner-occupied 35 - 44 years
95. Housing units owner-occupied 45 - 54 years
96. Housing units owner-occupied 55 - 64 years
97. Housing units owner-occupied 65+ years
98. Housing units renter-occupied 15 - 24 years
99. Housing units renter-occupied 25 - 34 years
100. Housing units renter-occupied 35 - 44 years
101. Housing units renter-occupied 45 - 54 years
102. Housing units renter-occupied 55 - 64 years
103. Housing units renter-occupied 65+ years
104. Population
105. Population male
106. Population female
107. Population Hispanic
108. Population not Hispanic
109. Race White
110. Race Black or African American
111. Race American Indian and Alaska Native
112. Race Asian
113. Race Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
114. Race some other race
115. Race two or more races

The U.S. Census Bureau has recently released the Census 2010 Summary File (SF-1) that includes a compilation of the data by Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs).  ZCTAs are an approximation of the U.S. Postal Service zip codes and are actually aggregates of small census-defined areas called blocks.  Since ZCTAs generally match zip code areas very closely, for the purposes of this article we will use the terms ZCTA and zip code interchangeably.  For more information on ZCTAs, please see our blog posting “What’s a ZCTA?”  

Zip code data is especially valuable for market research, target marketing, and sales planning, since zip codes represent a fairly small (on average zip codes cover about 9,400 people) homogenous area that can be matched to readily available mailing address lists.  And since the decennial census is a 100% count of the population, census data provides a truly complete snapshot of the American population as a whole. 

To see the data from the new Summary File, go to the on-line American Factfinder tool and select the 2010 SF1 100% Data Set under Topics.  You can then select ZIP code/ZCTA as a geographic filter and find the specific geography and data table of interest.  For a list of zip codes more typical of a customer mailing list, however, it is easier to use our software CDXZipStream which has a selection of the more important demographic variables from the 2010 Census.  These variables, covering age, population, households, and race data, are: 

1. Population

2. MalePopulation

3. FemalePopulation

4. MedianAge

5. MedianAgeMale

6. MediaAgeFemale

7. HouseholdsPerZipcode

8. PersonsPerHousehold

9. AsianPopulation

10. BlackPopulation

11. HawaiianPopulation

12. HispanicPopulation

13. OtherPopulation

14. IndianPopulation

15. WhitePopulation

These are part of the Premium Zip Code data feed, available with the Demographic, Premium, and Premium ACS versions of our Excel add-in software CDXZipStream.  Please see the version comparison webpage for more information on other features of these versions.

To obtain data for these fields for a list of zip codes in Microsoft Excel, place your cursor on the first zip code and click on the CDXZipStream logo on the main toolbar.  Just select the fields of interest, and click “Get Data”.  The data is returned (with optional field headings) like this:

You can also view the YouTube Video “Demographic Data in Excel” for a quick demonstration of how to get demographics for long zip code lists using this method.

The U.S. Census Bureau expects to release the first major data compilation from the 2010 Census during the summer of 2011.  We will include this data in the CDXZipStream Premium and Premium ACS versions approximately two weeks after its release.

However, beyond the 2010 Census, there's another important milestone coming up: in December 2010 the Census Bureau will release for the first time 5-year estimates from the American Community Survey, which will include data down to the zip code level covering the years 2005-2009. This survey (which has replaced the old "long form" of the ten year census) has population, race, gender and age data like the 2010 Census, but also includes education, socioeconomic, and housing information that is not included in the 2010 Census.  It will be updated annually and will be much more current than previous census data obtained every 10 years.  We will include the American Community Survey 5-year data in the CDXZipStream Premium ACS version approximately two weeks after its release.

The five-year American Community Survey data represents a major shift in how demographics is collected, and we'll be discussing this data in more detail as we get closer to the December 2010 issuing date.  Check back later for more postings ...