PolicyMap News

The Census Bureau defines cost burdened renters as households for whom gross rent is 30% or more of household income. Gross rent is the contract rent plus the estimated average monthly cost of utilities (electricity, gas, water and sewer) and fuels (oil, coal, kerosene, wood, etc.) if these are paid by the renter (or paid for the renter by someone else). Gross rent is intended to eliminate differentials that result from varying practices with respect to the inclusion of utilities and fuels as part of the rental payment. Percentage calculations were suppressed in cases where the denominator of the calculation was less than 10 of the unit that is being described (e.g., households, people, householders, etc). Such areas are represented as having “Insufficient Data” in the map. Denominators for percentage calculations were created by summing all of the component data items in a particular dataset.

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As the nation debates the need for healthcare reform, a question worth asking is: where are the most uninsured populations? The Census’s Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) can provide some answers. They have county and state level data for 2005 and 2006.

The Census’ Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) dataset produces model-based estimates of health insurance coverage for states and counties. This dataset is an estimate based on a model because data on health insurance coverage are not available elsewhere at this time. (A question on health insurance coverage has recently been added to the American Community Survey, but widespread reporting on that question is not yet available).
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There comes a time in every thinking person’s life when he or she realizes that unrestrained generalizations, educated guesses, and hand-waving observations just don’t ring with the same sweet authority as real, well-supported, factual arguments. Whether you’re working on a thesis, putting together a company report, or trying to end a flame-war you started on the forums, solid research skills are about as indispensable to one’s intellectual prowess as the plastic toothpick in a Swiss-army knife is to a pulled-pork junkie.

I should say now before going any further that the greatest asset in one’s toolbox is a sharp, inquisitive mind. Learning how to skim through articles, interrogate texts with the wit and determination of an octopus, and dig through bibliographies for oft-cited references takes practice. But in time it can make the difference between professional and amateur. On the other hand, knowing where to start can be more than half the battle. Here’s my short list of useful research tools on the web.

PolicyMap.com:

This is a new one to me, as it will be to a lot of you, but nonetheless it’s one of the most useful tools for visualizing statistics I’ve seen in a long time. Basically, PolicyMap took a bunch of public statistics (population density, average household income, demographics, overweight population, economic hotzones, etc.) and created color-coded overlays for interactive maps (similar to the Googlemaps interface). It’s so good I should have thought of it.

Say you want to know what the obesity levels look like around Bowling Green, Kentucky. Type in the zip code, select the statistic and in less time than it takes to eat a Twinkie, you can see an accurate geographic representation of how many people need to stop eating Twinkies. Now zoom out and see just how the rest of the U.S. stacks up by comparison. Warning: you may feel the sudden compulsion to renew your gym membership. The data sets are incredibly comprehensive (want to know how many choreographers there are in Temecula, CA?) and you can see convenient graphs and tables and even search by congressional districts, counties or school zones. Anyone in public policy, political science, market research or analysis will fill find this tool insanely useful. And those looking for a new home, trying to start a small business, or doing some well researched regional trash-talking will find it equally beneficial.

Click here to read this article and the rest of the list by Alexander Bandazian in Loudbus Magazine on January 25th, 2010.

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts is known as a playground of the affluent, but its year round residents need to pay a pretty penny, as Dukes County ranks near last in this gauge of homeowner affordability.

Percent of owner-occupied housing units valued at or less than roughly three times of the Area Median Income for a four-person family in 2009. For example, a family with an income of $30,000 could afford to purchase a home valued at less than $80,000. Area Median Income is the median income for a family of a specified size within the county (if the area is located outside of a metropolitan area) or metropolitan area (if the area is located within a metropolitan area), as published by HUD.
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The Urban Institute uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to measure cultural vitality by looking at employment in the arts. We have data on employment levels and hourly and annual wages by artistic occupation (art director, fine artist, photographer, writer, etc.). One might expect to see New York or Los Angeles on this top-ten list, but residents of Trenton, New Jersey and Toledo, Ohio may be surprised to learn that their art directors are among the best paid in the country.

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) is a series of surveys conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) which produces employment and wage estimates for over 800 occupations, among them a number of arts-related occupations. These data present estimates of the number of people employed in arts-related occupations, and estimates of the wages paid to them. Self-employed persons are not included in the estimates. Any year’s data is based on surveys conducted in May of that year.

The average annual wage for art directors in 2006

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Want to see PolicyMap’s new widgets demoed live?  Join us in New York City next week on Jan 13th & 14th 2010 for the Inman News’ Real Estate Connect New York City 2010.  What is a widget? Widgets are customizable instances of PolicyMap maps with dynamic features such as the ability to zoom into or pan across a map, click on an area to view the underlying data or toggle between additional data layers and points of data.

Learn more and see some examples of live widgets here; visit us at booth D-28 in the exhibit hall of the Marriot Marquis Times Square or contact us.
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Our education data from the New America Foundation includes the per-pupil amount of funding districts receive from either federal or state sources. Total Federal Direct Aid includes No Child Left Behind Title I Grants to local school districts and IDEA Special Education State Grants.  It can be found in the "Education" tab, under "School District Funding."

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