Existing Conditions Dashboard Data
The metrics included in the Existing Conditions Dashboard are derived from the UrbanFootprint Base Canvas and Census American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. All metric values are estimates, whether sourced directly from ACS estimates for analysis area geographies native to the Census, or calculated for custom analysis areas. The data sources and methodology for estimating values are described in the following sections.
UrbanFootprint Base Canvas Data
Parcel-level Base Canvas data is used for land use, dwelling unit, and job metrics in the dashboard, as summarized in the list below. The data are sourced from the most recent version of the Base Canvas available at the time of dashboard creation. For more information about the metrics in the Base Canvas, see Base Canvas Attributes or the Base Canvas Methodology.
Dwelling Units by Land Use Category (Dwelling Units tab)
Jobs by Industry by Workplace (Jobs tab)
Intersections per Square Mile (Transportation tab)
Area by L1 Land Use Summary (Land Use tab)
Land Area by L3 Land Use Category (Land Use tab)
Building Area by Subtype (Land Use tab)
American Community Survey Data
The ACS table sources for the dashboard metrics, as summarized below, are also referenced alongside the charts and tables in the dashboard. The dashboard currently sources data from ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates.
Metric | ACS Source |
|---|---|
Population Population Density Population by Age Cohort Population by Age Group and Sex | Table B01001 Population density is calculated relative to gross land area, not including the area of water features as delineated by Census TIGER data. |
Population by Race & Ethnicity | Table B03002 |
Population by Poverty | Table C17002 |
Households by Income | Table B19001 |
Population by Educational Attainment | Table B15003 |
Households by Tenure | Table B25003 |
Household Size | Tables B01001 (population) and B19001 (households) |
Dwelling Units by Decade Built | Table B25034 |
Job Type by Residence | Table B23022 |
Jobs by Industry by Residence | Table C24030 |
Workers by Travel Mode | Table B08301 |
Value Estimation by Analysis Area
Value estimates for the ACS-based metrics are either sourced directly from ACS data, or, for custom geographies, calculated via aggregation of block group-level ACS data.
The estimation method is indicated by the Aggregation Strategy column in the Existing Conditions Dashboard data tables (on the Data Table tab). "Census" denotes where native values are used, while "UrbanFootprint" denotes where values are calculated.
Census-Native Geographies
Values for ACS-based metrics are taken directly from ACS data for analysis areas that match up with census-native geographies (those for which the census provides ACS estimates) with at least 99% overlap. These include states, counties, and census "places" such as cities, towns, and census-designated places (CDPs).
Metrics for states and counties are also provided in the dashboards, by default, as "context" areas for reference alongside those for the given analysis areas.
Custom Geographies
For custom analysis areas, for example neighborhoods or local planning areas, estimated values for the ACS-based metrics are calculated using block group-level data (the finest resolution for which most ACS data are available). Values are calculated as area-weighted totals of values for the block groups overlapped by the analysis area.
This involves: 1) computing the percentage of the land area of each block group overlapping with an analysis area; 2) multiplying the metric value for each block group by its land area percentage; then 3) adding up the resulting area-weighted values to arrive at the analysis area total.