Today the Census Bureau released the single-year 2023 American Community Survey data.
The R-package “tidycensus” works without a hitch.
Attached is a national summary of workers by means of transportation to work. Nationally we are seeing a 1.2 percent increase in workers by all means of transportation, 2022 to 2023; an 8 percent decrease in workers usually working-at-home; a 14.4 percent increase in transit commuters, and a 5.2 percent increase in carpooling-to-work.
Work-at-home shares have fallen steadily since a high in 2021 at 17.9 percent.
I’ve also provided a link (albeit behind a paywall) with a San Francisco Chronicle article on “How San Francisco Residents Got to Work”. Journalists, and great data journalists like at the Chronicle, have early “embargoed data” access to Census Bureau data. Some very nice graphics, tables, and discussions with local professors.
Chuck Purvis.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/remote-work-from-home-19755167.…
Here’s how work-from-home rates are changing in S.F.
sfchronicle.com
Congratulations to Rolf Schmitt, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, as the 2024 recipient of the TRB Robert E Skinner, Jr, Distinguished Transportation Research Management Award. The award will be presented at the TRB Annual Meeting on January 8, 2025.
Rolf started his career with USDOT in 1977. I didn’t know Rolf was a geographer by academic training! Cool.
https://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/183286.aspx?utm_source=TRB+Weekly&utm_campa…
The Census Bureau is releasing the single-year 2023 American Community Survey (large areas, 65k+ population) this Thursday, September 12.
The single-year tabulations will be followed by the single-year 2023 PUMS in mid-October. The five year tabulations (2019-2023) are scheduled for mid-December, and the five-year PUMS is scheduled for mid-January, 2025.
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/news/data-releases/2023/release…
2023 Data Release Schedule
census.gov
My guess is that the API and the R-package “tidycensus” will be working OK on September 12th, as well as the data.census.gov gateway.
I’ve attached my guesstimates for US national commuting by means of transportation. Based on BLS statistics, I’m estimating a 2.5 percent increase in the total number of workers at work. Based on APTA transit ridership statistics, I’m estimating a 15 percent increase in the number of usual transit commuters. I’m guessing that the “work-at-home” share will continue to decrease in 2023, due to the “return-2-work” movement. I’ll update my table this Thursday.

In terms of data releases for the 2020 Decennial Censuses, we’re almost done. The only forthcoming data product is the S-DHC file, data on demographic and housing characteristics, but ONLY at the national and state level.
https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/program-management/…
glance_data_products
PDF Document · 178 KB
Over the past month the Census Bureau released the last small area data products (the DDHC-B file on housedolds by detailed race/ethnicity); and a Privacy-Protected Microdata File (PPMF). The PPMF is NOT a PUMS. It’s NOT a sample, but ALL decennial census (“short form” records). But it is microdata, down to the block level, that can (and should be) aggregated to various levels of geography. The main drawback I see with the PPMF is that there aren’t household ID codes to link the person file with the housing unit file, such that you can’t tally the person characteristics to a household total. It will be interesting to note any MPO or State DOT applications of the PPMF.
Hope this is of interest!
Chuck Purvis
Retired from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco, CA, since 2009!
Hi CTPP listserv -
The AED20(1) Subcommittee announces its Call for Posters for the 2025 TRB Annual Meeting. We look forward to your submissions.
Call Title
Understanding Census Data through Visualization
Sponsoring Committee
Census Data for Transportation Planning Subcommittee of the Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems Committee, AED20(1)
Call Description
The Census Data for Transportation Planning Subcommittee of the Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems Committee, AED20(1), invites you to submit posters for a session focusing on Understanding Census Data through Visualization. In keeping with the theme of our parent committee, topics focusing on transportation planning and urban data are requested. Posters will be displayed at the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, January 2025. All accepted posters will also have their work displayed on the AED20(1) website. Authors of the most innovative poster may be invited to present at the subcommittee meeting.
Background
The Subcommittee is interested in seeing the innovative ways in which people are visualizing the Census to gain a better understanding of the demographic data.
Do you have a new graphical or visual way to display traditional data to aid in analysis? Have you found a new platform to display the data? Have you been using a new method to illustrate complex statistical concepts? How can viewing the Census data in a new way help in analyzing the data? Have you run into issues or limits in using newer methods?
The goal of this poster session is to highlight new and creative ways to visualize Census data. The poster session would also like to share any challenges and lessons learned from translating complex Census data into visual and analytical products.
Evaluation Criteria
Posters must incorporate data from at least one Census data product; Census data products include but are not limited to Decennial Census data, the American Community Survey, LEHD, Economic Census data, and AASHTO Census Transportation Solutions (ACTS, formerly CTPP). Additional non-Census data sets may be used. Note: The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is not a Census data product.
A broad range of abstracts relating to Understanding Census Data through Visualization are welcome. Preference will be given to posters which emphasize the following:
* Analysis to solve complex problems;
* Creative ways to visualize Census data;
* New approaches to analyzing Census data;
* Demographic data to improve transportation planning; and/or
* Topics that address applications towards urban areas.
A session-development panel will review all abstracts to identify those that most effectively meet the goals of the poster session. The subcommittee hopes to identify posters representing a diverse array of uses and applications. Applicants will be notified in late September whether their submission has been selected.
Poster Session Guidelines
Those selected for this session will prepare a poster for presentation at the 2025 Annual Meeting in January. Participants are not required to prepare a paper. Each presenter will be provided with a table and a 4' x 8' vertical panel for displaying posters and other materials. An electrical connection will be available at each station. Telephone and internet connections will not be available. TRB's guidelines for poster presenters are not yet available, but it is expected that all guidelines once available should be followed. Presenters are expected to register for the TRB meeting and participate in this session. Presentation teams are welcome.
Submission Instructions
A special deadline for submittals has been established. Interested candidates should submit an abstract explaining their project and poster concept by 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, September 16, 2024. The abstract should be no more than a single one-sided page in length (approximately 500 words) and include:
* Main Contact information (name, agency/organization, phone number, email address)
* List of all authors of the poster including each person's name, agency/organization, and email address
* Title of your proposed poster for use in the Annual Meeting agenda
* Data sources that your poster will focus on
* Explanation of the project, research, or process sets
* Any innovative discoveries or lessons learned that would be useful to the transportation community
* Preliminary description of the information to be conveyed in your poster
In addition to the abstract, you are encouraged to include up to two visual(s) to demonstrate your poster concept. You are also welcome to include links to on-line materials that illustrate the analysis or results described in your abstract, but this will not substitute for the information requested in the abstract.
The subcommittee will not consider sales presentations for products or services.
Abstracts should be in a PDF format and submitted to:
Kathy Yu
kyu(a)nctcog.org<mailto:kyu@nctcog.org>
Include the term "AED20(1) Poster Abstract 2025" in the subject line.
For More Information
Questions about the poster session or the abstract submittal process should be directed to
Kyla Elzinga
kelzinga(a)aashto.org<mailto:kelzinga@aashto.org>
202-624-7797
Kathy Yu
kyu(a)nctcog.org<mailto:kyu@nctcog.org>
817-608-2343
Kyla Elzinga
she/her
Program Manager for Planning and Data
AASHTO | American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(202) 624-7797 | kelzinga(a)aashto.org<mailto:kelzinga@aashto.org>
