Know where the number came from

What does a census and demographics reporter cover?

A census and demographics reporter covers who lives where and how that is changing, from population growth and migration to age, race, income and household makeup. The beat draws on the decennial count, the American Community Survey and other federal surveys, and it feeds stories on every other beat.

Cite the survey, the table, the geography and the year for every figure. Survey estimates carry margins of error, so check them before you call a change real or rank one place above another.

Start here

Census Bureau data

Record the survey name, the table ID and the vintage of any estimate you use.

• U.S. Census Bureau: Official site for demographic, economic and housing data, with topic pages to browse for story ideas.
• Census State Data Centers: Directory of the State Data Center program, which makes census data available locally. Get to know the staff in your state.
• NAICS industry codes: The Census Bureau page for the North American Industry Classification System. Use it to match business data to an industry.

Research and data archives

Useful for trends and subgroups the headline tables do not show. Check who collected the data and when.

• ICPSR: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. Searchable archive of social science datasets.
• Population Reference Bureau: Research on aging, families, work and population dynamics, plus analysis of U.S. census and public data.
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System: NCES survey system covering U.S. colleges and technical schools. Download enrollment and other institutional data by school.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: Private foundation focused on children and youth at risk. Its Kids Count work tracks indicators of child well-being across the U.S.

Immigration

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Federal agency that handles citizenship, green cards and other immigration benefits. Newsroom, policy updates and forms.

Help with the numbers

• STATS check (Sense About Science USA): Free service that connects journalists with volunteer statisticians, run with the American Statistical Association.

Reporting checks for this beat

• Is the figure from a full count or a survey estimate, and what is its margin of error?
• Which year or multi-year period does the estimate cover, and is it the latest release?
• Do the geographies match? City limits, counties, metro areas and ZIP codes are not interchangeable.
• Are you comparing counts or rates, and are the categories defined the same way in both years?
• Did question wording or race and ethnicity categories change between the periods you compare?
• If a group or company supplied the number, can you trace it back to the federal table?

Links were checked in September 2026 for a live page from the same organization. Advocacy groups, trade groups and party sites are labeled and should be treated as interested parties. Verify ownership, date and context before publication.