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Weblogs

FACTS AND STATISTICS

Welcome to the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center's Finding Facts and Statistics weblog. On this post, you will find a collection of descriptions of and links to websites and information you will need in your grant writing, marketing, and public awareness endeavors.

The post is divided in to several sections, which are indicated by the menu at the bottom.

We've also featured a site or two for each topic, which are highlighted in the menu. These featured sites are the ones we think you are likely to rely upon time and again for up-to-date and specific information that supports your work.

If you have any questions, please contact Vicky Sanborn at the Resource Center, 804-828-6521 (in Richmond), 800-237-0178 (toll-free). You can also drop an email with questions and comments at vjsanbor@vcu.edu.

RESOURCES: Home

General Demographics

  • ยทVirginia EDP Community ProfilesThis sight offers you access to wonderful 5- to 6-page economic profiles of cities, towns, and counties in Virginia. Concise and focused, these PDF formatted reports are perfect for gathering basic demographic information for grants or to hand out to current and potential stakeholders. Each report includes information about educational attainment, unemployment, wages, and local industries.

  • U.S. Census Bureau: Quick Facts Statistical profiles by state, county, or city.

    To find statistics for your county or city, go to "Select a county" or "city" in the upper left hand side of the screen, and scroll to the appropriate location. You may also access a location by zipcode if you select You will find statistics based on people, businesses, and geography. Some relevant statistics include population statistics by age, race, educational attainment, nationality, etc. To browse additional data sets for your county/city, including earlier census reports, go to the yellow highlighted "Browse data sets for [county/city]." To find educational statistics, scroll to "Social Characteristics" where you will find a table "Profile of Selected Social Characteristics: 2000" for your chosen locality. Information such as "Educational Attainment", "Place of Birth", and "Language Spoken at Home" is included in these profiles. The information is available in either PDF or Excel formats.

  • CensusScope Ed. Attainment A portal to Census 2000 data, the site is an easy-to-use tool for investigating U.S. demographic trends from the 2000 census and earlier. With eye-catching graphics and exportable trend data, Census Scope is designed both for generalists and specialists. There are four ways to view the data: by, Charts and Trends, Maps, Rankings, and Segregation. The Charts and Trends folder includes information for states, metro areas, and counties and includes data going back to the 1980 census, and in some cases, earlier. The Maps folder provides a U.S. map showing social trends in demographics. To view state, county, and metropolitan area rankings by population growth, race, educational attainment, and language choose the Rankings folder. And the Segregation folder shows breakdowns by race of U.S. cities with populations exceeding 25,000.

  • Natl. Ctr. on Education Stats Details The National Center for Education Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education

    Site Features Over 6,600 tables, figures, and charts are available on this site, all products of NCES Publications.

    Click on "Tables and Figures" in the tool bar at the top. Enter a keyword, such as "race," and if you'd like to further refine your search, you may select a topic area from a list, and year(s) of data. (For example: Elementary/Secondary and 2004 and 2005.) This search criteria brings up five descriptions of selectable tables.

    GED

  • Links to GED Resources Details Produced by the Colorado Department of Education, this site groups GED information by research in the field, general information (including a Spanish-language GED site), instructional resources, and links for learners. Available as links to sites and in PDF format, the comprehensive groupings include topics such as "Educational Attainment of High School Drop Outs 8 Years Later," GEDs for Teenagers: Are There Unintended Consequences?", "Results from a New Approach to Studying the Economic Benefits of the GED", an article "The Devil is in the Details: Evidence from the GED on the Role of Examination System Details in Determining Who Passes", and a study on Virginia's Race to GED program, "Ninety Days to a GED: A First Look."

    ESOL

  • Fair Data Community Mapping Details This versatile and easily-navigable site is loaded with demographic information which can be accessed in a number of ways. Taking some time to explore this rich site will reward your efforts. The following is one way to get to socio-economic information. But don't limit yourself to this one link.

    Site Features

    When you get to the homepage, look to the left of your screen at the list of links to the interactive maps. Click on the "Socio-Econ" link. On this page, click on "SocioEcon Mapper". When you get here click on "SocioEcon Mapper" again. Here you'll see a map of the US. There are 24 maps that display a wide variety of data, for instance the default map is "Median Income." There are several which may be useful for your research, such as "No School No Degree," "25 + No HS Diploma," etc. The map is interactive in the sense that you may view not only the 24 maps, but you can view specific zip codes, counties, etc. There are 5 tools at the top of the map that enable you to specify your search. If you scroll to the bottom of the map you will see a yellow "Help" button. Here you'll find directions to use the five map tools ("Zoom To," "Info," "Zoom In," "Zoom Out," and "Pan"). In addition there are directional arrow buttons that allow you to negotiate your way around an area. There are several ways to zoom to your state and area of interest. You can click on the "Find" button and fill in which blanks you choose depending on the size of the area that you want to view. For instance, you may enter only a zip code, then use the pop-down menu under "Compare Maps" and choose "25 + No High School Diploma" and you will see color-coded block groups within the zip code with percentage statistics. You may also click on the map and use the buttons on the left to zoom in or out.

  • Foreign Born Populations Details Report #300: Acclimation of Virginia's Foreign-Born Population (November 2003) is a study of the acclimation of Virginia's ethnically diverse population. It provides information on the affects of legislative action on the foreign-born in the Commonwealth. Throughout the report you will find links to specific data from the 2000 Census that include charts and maps concerning this population.

    Health

  • State Health Facts Details This Kaiser Family Foundation site offers a comprehensive state health profile using the latest facts and statistics, including overall comparisons of Virginia with the US. Use the menu on the left, click on a category, subcategory, or topic to control how much of the Virginia profile you would like to view.

    Health Literacy Studies

    Workforce Employment Stats and Info

    Posted on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 | In Categories: Grants, Literacy, Technology