Browser Requirements

American Factfinder requires:
o Netscape 4x; IE 5x, NOT Netscape 6.0
o the browser must have cookies, Javascript and style sheets enabled.
o 800x600 screen resolution.

What are Thematic Maps?

Thematic Maps display statistical information for a geographic area or several areas. They can be a very effective way of presenting statistical information, especially for comparing multiple geographic areas. Thematic maps are available for 2000 and 1990 Census of Population and Housing and the 1997 Economic Census.

American Factfinder allows you to create highly customized maps. These can be downloaded and used in word processing and presentation programs for reports and presentations.

Examples of thematic maps [will open in a new window]

Creating Thematic Maps

There are several ways to create thematic maps depending on the data you wish to display and the degree of customization required.
See examples of maps created using different options. [will open in a new window]

1. Start with Basic Facts [http://factfinder.census.gov]
• Predefined thematic maps for most frequently requested data. The appearance and way data is presented on these maps cannot be customized. Some data sets are not accessible from this option. There are also fewer geographic area options. For example, only data for the U.S. by state, U.S. by county, and state by county are available. For fully customizable maps, go to steps 2 or 3.
  Example created with the Basic Facts option. [Will open in a new window]
• In the Basic Facts box on the top of the page, select the Maps radio button.
• Wait for the window to reload. It must reload after every selection or the selection will not be registered.
• In the Show Me drop down menu, select the type of information to display on the map.
• In the for drop down menu(s), select the geographic area needed. Click Go. A basic map will appear.
• To print or download, see the section below.




2. If you have a street address in the area for which you require data and need 2000 data, use the search by address [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/AGSGeoAddressServlet?_lang=en&_programYear=50&_treeId=420] feature.
• Enter your address.
• In the menu, select the geographic area (state, county, etc) for which you require data. Click Go
• A list will appear under the menu. Under the Thematic Maps heading will be all the thematic maps available for that area. Select one to view.
• To customize these maps further, see the section below on customizing thematic maps




3. Go to Data Sets [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_lang=en]



• Place the mouse over each data set link to see a description.
• Click on the data set with the required data. If you are uncertain which data set to use, contact the Documents and Microforms department for assistance.
• A small window will appear. Select Thematic Maps.
• Select the geography for which you would like data.
• In the Select the type of area drop down menu, select the type of geographic area for which you require data, (for example "county").
• Wait for the screen to reload. It needs to reload after every selection otherwise the selection is not registered.
• Work your way through the geographic selection menus. Finally, select one area and click Next.
• Select the Theme or type of data/statistics to display on the map.
  • In the Search box at the top, select the Show all themes radio button
  . This will display all the available data in that data set for the type of geographic area selected.
  • Select a theme and click Show map. The Data information button will describe the specific theme selected.
  • A map will appear. See the Customizing Maps section for changing the appearance of your map and the way data is displayed on it.

If the map does not display the required data set for the geographic area divided according to the census geographic area required, use these options:

To change the area(s) displayed, use the drop down menu in the left of the screen to change the types of area displayed (for example, state or block group) within the same state, county, place, etc. If the state, county, etc is incorrect, use the Change Selections drop down menu (top right hand corner of screen) and select Geography to return to the Geography selection menu.

To change the data displayed, use the Change Selections drop down menu (top right hand corner of screen) and select Theme to return to the theme selection menu.

To change the data set displayed, use the Change Selections drop down menu (top right hand corner of screen) and select Data Set to return to the data set page.

The Related Items option in the top right hand corner of the screen will list all tables and thematic maps displaying the same type of data as the current selection.

Customizing Thematic Maps

1. Changing the scale of the map

Zoom in to display features and areas not visible on a large scale map. Zoom out to display more areas for comparison.
• To zoom in, select the radio button re-center and zoom in. Click on the map in the area to zoom
.
• To zoom out, use the numbered buttons on the right of the screen and the arrows around the map to zoom out and re-center.

 

2. Changing the way data is grouped and displayed

The default setting is for data to be grouped into five quantile classes. This can be changed to focus on a specific data group of interest.
Example 1: for the median value of housing in an area, you may only be interested in low and high cost housing. Three groups can be created with housing under 50,000, 50,000-150,000, and over 150,000.
Example 2: for the median value of housing in an area, you may be interested in displaying only
• Select Data classes from the Options menu at the top right.
• A popup window will appear with three options.
• Number of classes changes the number of different data groups displayed.
• Color changes map colors. The Gray option may work best for black and white printing.
• Classing method changes the way the data is divided among the number of data classes selected above. Select User Defined to create your own groupings.
• Make all changes and select Update. The base map will be updated.

 

3. Adding or changing labels and boundaries

Use labels and boundaries to make your map easier understand or to highlight the data displayed.
• Select Boundaries from the Options menu at the top right.
• Select the survey from which the data set used in your map comes from. For example, Census 2000 for the PL 91-171 Summary File.
• Wait for the window to reload
• Select labels and boundaries from the table. In general, select the minimum number of boundaries and labels required to make your map understandable. Unnecessary labels and boundaries can make maps difficult to read or understand.
• Make all changes and select Update. The base map will be updated.

 

4. Changing features displayed

Roads, streets, schools, water bodies and other features can be displayed and labeled on thematic maps. These can help identify or highlight the areas and data displayed.
• Select Features from the Options menu at the top right.
• Select the features and labels to be displayed from the table.
• Select Update. The base map will be updated.

 

5. Changing the title of the map
• Select Title from the Options menu at the top right.
• Type the new title in the box. Titles that are too long will not be displayed completely
• Select Update. The base map will be updated.

Printing and Downloading

Printing

• Select Print on your browser. Maps should fit on a standard 11x13 page.
• If you do not have a color printer, selecting the Gray color option from the Data Classes selection in the Options menu will create a black and white map.

Downloading

• Right click on the image.
• Select Save Picture As (IE) or Save Image As (Netscape)
• Change the file name and location if necessary.
• Click Save. The map will be saved as a GIF. This can be used in MS Office or for Web publications.
• Remember to save the Legend as well.