1. Data Mining for
Community Needs Assessments

2. Relevant Data Points
Census Data
• Population
• Age < 19
• Race
• Median Income
• Poverty
• Child Poverty
• Education
Neighborhood
Scout
• Overview
• Demographics
• Real Estate
• Public Schools
• Crime
Kids Count
• Available
measures vary
by community.
May include:
• Low-income
working
families with
children
• Unemployed
Teens
• Teens not
attending
school and
not working
• Children in
single-parent
families
MI School Data
• Students
Proficient in
English at the
End of 3rd
Grade
• Students
Proficient in
Math & English
Grades 3-8
• ACT
Composite
Score
• 4-Year
Graduation
Rate
• Dropout Rate
• Eligibility for
free/reduce
price lunches
• Attendance
2

3. Primary Datasets
• U.S. Census Bureau
• Neighborhood Scout
• Kids Count
• MI School Data
3

4. U.S. Census Bureau
 Search Census (every 10 years) and American
Community Survey (Annually) data.
 Factfinder.census.gov
 For larger cities (e.g. Detroit) it is best to pull data for
3 segments:
 The City of Detroit as a whole
 By ZIP Code
 By Census Tract (search by address)
 Statistics of Interest
 Population counts
 Race/Ethnicity
 Median income
 Poverty
4

5. GeographiesState • Michigan
County
• Macomb
• Oakland
• Washtenaw
• Wayne
City
• Auburn Hills
• Belleville
• Detroit
• Highland Park
• Romulus
• Shelby Township
• Ypsilanti
ZIP Codes
• Auburn Hills – 48326
• Belleville – 48111
• Detroit – 48204, 48205,
48210, 48228
• Highland Park - 48203
• Romulus - 48174
• Shelby Township - 48315
• Ypsilanti - 48197
Neighborhood
(Census
Tract)
• Wilson – 1408 (Oakland Co.)
• Donahey – 5780 (Wayne Co.)
• Dauch – 5454 (Wayne Co.)
• Diehl – 5309 (Wayne Co.)
• Holden – 5301 (Wayne Co.)
• Bloomer-Munger – 5263 (Wayne Co.)
• Fauver-Martin – 5530 (Wayne Co.)
• Romulus – 5858 (Wayne Co.)
• Wertz –2270 (Macomb Co.)
• Huron Valley – 4105 (Washtenaw
Co.)
5

6. U.S. Census – Datasets
 American Community Survey
 Conducted Annually
 Detailed information on population and housing
 Provides more current estimates
 Generally accepted statistical information
 Annual Population Estimates
 Based on most recent census
 Not available for all areas
 May be different than the ACS estimates
 Decennial Census Program
 Conducted every 10 years
 Goal is to count every resident of the U.S.
 Primary purpose is population counts to apportion seats
in Congress and allocate federal and state funding6
Apples to
Apples: Be
consistent! Use
the same
datasets when
comparing
across
geographies/
factors.

7. U.S. Census Bureau – Data by City
7

8. Population Data – City
8

9. Population Data – ZIP Code
Make sure to use the
same dataset for each
search.
9

10. Population Data – Census Tract
Start here.
10

11. Census Tract – Cont’d
Step 1: Make sure Your
Selections Box is blank at the
start.
Step 2: Search by address.
Step 3: Click “Census Tract”
Geography to add to “Your
Selections” box.
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12. Census Tract – Cont’d
Step 4: Click
Topics  People 
Basic Count/Estimate
 Population Total
(This will add
Population Total to
Your Selection Box.)
Close Select Topics
box.
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13. Census Tract – Cont’d
Step 5: You should now see
a list of tables. Choose the
table that is consistent with
the rest of your choices. E.g.
2014 ACS 5-year Estimates.
13

14. Census Tract – Cont’d
You’ll see the total
population for this
Census Tract, as well
as detail on ages, etc.
14

15. Census - Preferred Tables
Data point Census dataset
Population ACS DEMOGRAPHIC & HOUSING ESTIMATES:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Age ACS DEMOGRAPHIC & HOUSING ESTIMATES:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Race ACS DEMOGRAPHIC & HOUSING ESTIMATES:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Median Income SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
- Median household income
Poverty SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
- Percentage of Families & People Whose Income in the Past 12 Months is
Below Poverty Level
- All people
Child Poverty SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
- Percentage of Families & People Whose Income in the Past 12 Months is
Below Poverty Level
- Under 18 Years
Education Level EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT:
2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
15

16. Neighborhood Scout
 www.neighborhoodscout.com
 Can search by address, city, or state.
 For Detroit neighborhood-specific data, search by address
(This gets you census tract-level data).
 Ranks and compares data to all other neighborhoods in
the U.S. Also provides state and national data as
benchmarks.
 Free to access overview, demographic, and real estate
data.
 Paid subscription (monthly) to access schools and crime
rates.
 Subscribe for 1 month.
 Download and save all needed data for the year to T:Library
 Pulls data from Census Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Justice,
National Center for Education Statistics, and U.S.
Geological Service for every census tract in America. Uses
a patented algorithm to compare neighborhoods and
compare census tract data.
16

17. Neighborhood Scout
17

18. Kids Count Data Center
 http://datacenter.kidscount.org/
 Click on Michigan
 Then choose “build a custom indicator report for
your community.”
18

19. Education
Data Framework
State
School
District
Individual
Schools
19

20. MI School Data
 www.mischooldata.org
 State of Michigan’s official public portal for education data,
provided by the Center for Educational Performance &
Information (CEPI)
 Can pull statistics on k-12 state, school district, and school
building-level data (including charter schools).
 Most schools in Wayne County are under the Wayne RESA
ISD.
20
To get to
district-level
data, click
here

21. 21
MI School Data (Cont’d)
Student
counts,
grad/dropout
rates, grade
retention and
attendance
are all under
Student
Counts.

22. 22
MI School Data (Cont’d)
Test assessment
data is all under
Student
Assessment. Can
choose from school
district, individual
school, year, and
subject.

23. 23
MI School Data (Cont’d)
Results:
• 17.5%
Advanced
• 27.5
Proficient
• = 45% of
Students at
Barth
Elementary
in Romulus
are Proficient
in English
Language
Arts

24. Alternative Datasets
• Detroit Open Data
• Data Driven Detroit
• Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information
(Unemployment)
• MDE – School Lunch Program (Low Income)
24

25. Detroit Open Data
 https://data.detroitmi.gov/
 Can search and download data on an array of topics,
such as the customized homicide heat map below.
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26. Data Driven Detroit
 Datadrivendetroit.org
 Skillman Good Neighborhoods data
 Vacant properties and land use
 One D Scorecard / Regional Opportunity Index
26

27.  http://milmi.org/datasearch
 Can pull employment, unemployment data for
State, County, and Cities.
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Michigan Bureau of Labor Market
Information

28.  http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-
66254_50144---,00.html
 Traditional free & reduced price meals – by
district and by school building
 See Program Data: Breakfast & Lunch Info by
District
 Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
districts/buildings
 Universal free breakfast & lunch to all students in
high poverty LEAs/buildings
 For LEAs where >40% of students qualify for
free/reduced school meals
 See: 2016-2017 CEP Eligibility Aggregated to
LEA Level28
Michigan Dept. of Education
School Lunch Program Data

29. 29
MDE – School Lunch Program
Traditional free &
reduced price
lunch statistics.
Universal Eligibility
(as % of student
enrollment)
2016-2017 CEP Districts in
B&GCSM Service Area:
• Detroit City School District (61.4%)
• Highland Park Public Schools (74%)
• Pontiac City School District (62.1%)
• Romulus Community Schools (47.4%)
• Ypsilanti Community Schools (52.7%)