 As a local affiliate for the U.S. Census Bureau, NCTCOG provides selected reports from the 2000 Census for the 16 counties in the NCTCOG region. Reports and maps can be generated using the links to the left for Census tracts, zip codes, cities, counties, and the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Also available is a summary of data within a radius of a given address. For further analysis, selected tables from Census 2000 are available for downloading in DBF format.
Regional Trends [PDF]
Hispanic Population Swells in North Central Texas [PDF]
NCTCOG also offers selected data from the 2005 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is a nationwide survey
which is scheduled to replace the Census long form and provide demographic, socio-economic and housing
characteristics on an annual basis. Results will be available
for areas with populations of 65,000 or more beginning in the summer of
2006, for areas with populations of 20,000 or more in the summer of 2008,
and for all areas down to Census tract level by the summer of 2010. Currently, general demographic characteristics and social characteristics reports are available for 9 counties and 15 cities in North Central Texas by selecting the County > Report and City > Report options from the menu on the left. Economic, housing, and race and ancestry reports will be released later in the summer and fall of 2006.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Summary File 1 and Summary File 3?
Summary File 1 is the 100-percent population and housing figures from the Census "short form." The Census short form was filled out by all Census respondents and includes questions related to gender, age, race, Hispanic origin, and household size. Summary File 3 is detailed statistics about a sample of the population. Summary File 3 statistics are derived from the Census "long form", which was distributed to approximately one in six households. Topics in Summary File 3 include household type, educational attainment, disability status, ancestry, nativity, native language, employment status, income, poverty status, and selected housing characteristics.
How do I find income and poverty statistics?
Income and poverty statistics are included in the Economic Characteristics data from Census 2000 Summary File 3. These data are available by Census tract, zip code, city, county, and region, as well as in a radius summary from a given street address. Data for radius summaries are summarized by Census block group or tract.
How can I find out which Census tracts are in a given city?
One way is to create a map of the city with Census tracts overlaid. Another is to use the interactive report to "drill down" from county to city to Census tract, block group, and block. (This report is one of the options on DFW Region search page.) Click on the name of the geographic area (county, city, etc.) to select the smaller geographies that are part of it. Note that only Census blocks nest exactly to city boundaries; there will always be some overlap with tracts and block groups.
Why isn't Hispanic included as a race category?
Race and Hispanic Origin (also known as ethnicity) are considered distinct concepts and therefore require separate questions in censuses and surveys. Therefore, Hispanics or Latinos may be of any race -- White, Black or African American, American Indian, Asian, some other race, etc.
The standards governing race and ethnicity were stated in Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in October 1997. All federal agencies, including the Census Bureau, which collect and report data on race and ethnicity, must follow these standards. OMB accepted the recommendation made by the Interagency Committee for the Review of the Racial and Ethnic Standards that two separate questions – one for race and one for ethnicity or Hispanic origin – be used whenever feasible to provide flexibility and ensure data quality.
People who identify with the terms Hispanic or Latino are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 or ACS questionnaire: Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban. It also includes people who indicate that they are "other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino." Origin can be considered as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as "Spanish," "Hispanic," or "Latino" may be of any race.
How is the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area defined?
The Dallas-Fort Worth Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA) is a combination of the Dallas Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA) and the Fort Worth-Arlington Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA). For Census 2000, the Dallas PMSA consists of eight counties: Dallas, Denton, Collin, Hunt, Rockwall, Ellis, Kaufman and Henderson, and the Fort Worth-Arlington PMSA consists of four counties: Tarrant, Parker, Hood and Johnson. Combined, the two PMSAs make up the Dallas-Fort Worth Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Following Census 2000, the Census Bureau redefined the metropolitan areas. As of June 2003, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area is made up of eight counties in the Dallas-Plano-Irving Metropolitan Division (Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall) and four counties in the Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Division (Johnson, Parker, Tarrant, and Wise). Click here for more about the Census Bureau's definitions of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.
The DFW Urban Area consists of nine counties: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant. The North Central Texas Workforce Region consists of fourteen counties: Collin, Denton, Ellis, Erath, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Navarro, Palo Pinto, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell and Wise.
What is the difference between a Census tract, Census block group and Census block?
 Census tracts (yellow lines) are small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county. The primary purpose of Census tracts is to provide a stable set of geographic units, making it possible to compare statistics for the same geographic area from one Census to another. Census tracts generally have between 1,500 and 8,000 people, with an optimum size of 4,000 people.
Block groups (blue lines) are clusters of Census blocks having the same first digit of their four-digit identifying numbers within a Census tract. Block groups generally contain between 600 and 3,000 people, with an optimum size of 1,500 people. Block groups are the smallest Census geography for most Summary File 3 data.
Census blocks (red lines) are areas bounded on all sides by visible features, such as streets, roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and by invisible boundaries, such as city, town, township, and county limits, property lines, and short, imaginary extensions of streets and roads. Generally, Census blocks are small in area; for example, a block bounded by city streets. However, Census blocks in remote areas may be large and irregular and contain many square miles. Census blocks are the smallest Census geography for Summary File 1 data.
How can I find out what Census tract an address is in?
On the Census Tract search page, "click here" from the bottom of the frame and a new window will appear. Type in an address and city or zip code and click on "Find tract" to map the address and display the Census tract number.
Where can I get Census information for cities and counties in other parts of Texas?
The Texas State Data Center is the state resource for Census 2000 data. Statistics for all Texas counties and cities may be found on their web site at http://txsdc.utsa.edu/txdata/. Census 2000 data may also be accessed through the Census Bureau's Factfinder.
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