TRANSPORTATION DATA FROM THE 1980 CENSUS: A RETROSPECTIVE ASSESSMENT

An assessment is made of the success of the Census Bureau in achieving its goals in the 1980 Census: (a) include additional transportation questions to meet program needs, (b) provide more journey-to-work data in standard census products, (c) improve the equality of small-area place-of-work coding, and (d) increase the utility of the Urban Transportation Planning Package (UTPP). The 1980 Census included 8 transportation items: Six population questions and 2 housing questions. These questions elicited data on place-of-work, means of transportation, carpooling, travel time, personal disabilities, and automobile availability, light-trucks and vans per household. Standard census data products included printed reports for states and Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs) that contain information on all the various subjects collected in the census, special reports that focus on a particular subject, and data on computer tape. In the 1980 census geographic block coding of place-of-work was more extensive than in the previous census, and workers were assigned to the census tract of work if a block code could not be obtained. Several of the noteworthy improvements were also made in the 1980 place-of-work coding operation that resulted in more accurate small-area data. The Census Bureau again produced the UTPP after the 1980 Census; the specifications were developed by transportation planners under the auspices of the Transportation Research Board and funding was provided by the Department of Transportation. 1980 UTPP highlights, problems, and selected results of the program are discussed.

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Features: Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 39-47
  • Monograph Title: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DECENNIAL CENSUS DATA FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00399319
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: Part II
  • Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
  • Created Date: Jan 31 1986 12:00AM