Greater New Orleans Community Data Center <www.gnocdc.org> October 2003

Step-by-step guide to using FactFinder

Getting to the Census web site

1. Get on the Web and go to www.census.gov
   
   
   
2. In the left column, click on .
   
   
   
3. In the left column, click on .
   
   
   
4. Choose .
   
   
   
5. With 'Census 2000 Summary File 3 (SF 3) - Sample Data' chosen, in the light grey box to the right, click .
   
   
   
6. On the next page, the first item should look like this: .
   

Choosing a geographic type

7. The next item is: . There are five main types of geography that you may want to use – National, State, Parish, Census Tract, and Zip Code. Instructions for each are listed below.
   
   
   

   Note: you can choose more than one geographic level at a time. Or, you can download data for each geographic level one at a time so you have a separate page (or Excel file) for each area.

   
   
   

   Instructions for getting National data Choose from the drop-down menu. The next item is: . The box below it has only one nation (of course -- since it is the U.S. Census after all!). Select the nation by clicking its name: . Click . In the box below this button, should appear. Click . Then wait . When the next page appears, jump to Step 8 below.

   Instructions for getting Louisiana data Make sure State has been automatically selected in the drop-down menu. The next item is: . The box below it lists all the states. Use the arrows to scroll down, then select your state by clicking its name: Click . In the box below this button, should appear. Click . Then wait . When the next page appears, jump to Step 8 below.

   Instructions for getting Parish-level data Choose from the drop-down menu. The next item is: . Choose from the drop-down menu. The next item is: . The box below it lists all the parishes in Louisiana. Use the arrows to scroll down, then select the parish you want by clicking its name. Here's an example using Jefferson Parish: . If you want to see what the geographic boundaries of a parish are, click and a map of the parish will pop-up. To move the parish into the bottom box, click . In the box below this button, your parish name should appear. Here's an example of how Jefferson Parish would look: . Click . Then wait . When the next page appears, jump to Step 8 below.

   Instructions for getting Census Tract level data Choose from the drop-down menu. The next item is: . Choose from the drop-down menu. The next item is . Use the drop-down menu to choose the parish your census tract is in. Here's an example using Orleans Parish: . A list of all Census tracts in the parish you've chosen will appear below. Use the arrows to scroll down, then select the Census tract you want by clicking its number. Here's an example using Census tract 121.01: . It can be tricky figuring out which Census tracts are relevant to your program. You may want to use our guide to finding Census tracts at: www.gnocdc.org/tractguide/ If you want to see what the geographic boundaries of a Census tract are, click and a map of the tract will pop-up. To move the Census tract into the bottom box, click . In the box below this button, your Census tract's code should appear. Here's an example of how one of the tracts in Orleans would look: . Click . Then wait . When the next page appears, proceed to Step 8 below.

    

Choosing what type of data you want

8. Now that you've selected a geographic type, you will find yourself in a new page that will have a show all tables tab selected. Select the by subject tab: .
   (Note: all of the search methods are just different ways to get to the list of tables that you'll find in show all tables.)
   
   
   
9. From the drop-down menu ,you'll find a list of categories. Choose one that you want numbers about.
   
   
   
10. Click . You may have to wait .
    
    
    
11. Next, you'll see a list of tables that have data relevant to the subject you searched for. Some subjects only have one table of data, others have several. Below is an example of what the list looks like for the subject Population Totals. Your list will look different if you chose another subject.
    
    (Note: each table has a code associated with it, such as P1 or H15 above.)
    
    
    
12. Before you add any tables to the final selection, you'll want to find out what's in each one. Preview each table by selecting its name from the list and then clicking . A pop-up window will show you the format in which the data from this table will appear (as well as links to definitions). Print each pop-up window.
    
    
    
13. Once printed, circle the code at the top of the page (such as this one: ) that goes with each table so you can easily select it from the list of tables when you want it.
    
    
    
14. Read through the printed pop-up pages that show the format of the data in each table. Decide which single data table will be most useful to you. (It's much easier to view one data table at a time. When you're finished, you can repeat this process to view other data tables.)
    
    
    
15. Select the table that you want and click .
    It should look something like this:
    
    
    
16. When the data table you want has been added to the bottom box, you can move ahead and view your tables.
    
    
17. To view your table, click . Wait . The next page will have your data.

Printing & understanding your data

18. Once you have your data, you will want to print. At the top right of the screen, click on .
    
    
19. Move your cursor down to choose .
    
    
20. Now you've got your data. Congratulations! From here you may want to get data on another geographic area for comparison. (National and state number are always good to add context for your local numbers.) Or you may want to get data from a different table for the same area.