UNST Health, Happiness, & Human Rights : Creating a Demographic Profile

You're being asked to compile some demographic information about two different neighborhoods in Portland. Below are the steps using in Social Explorer to get the demographic information you need in comparable tables. Before you begin, however, you'll want to decide which neighborhoods you're comparing.

1. Choose a neighborhood using information from the Portland Neighborhood Associations link in the Portland Neighborhoods and Census Tracts box on this page. 

2. Identify the census tracts included in the neighborhoods of your choosing and write them down. (One way to identify the census tracts, if the provided tract maps are confusing, is to view the Maps in Social Explorer. Zoom in, hover over a part of the map, and the census tract number will appear.)

3. Go into Social Explorer (linked in the Finding Demographic Information box).

4. Select the table option at the top of the page.

5. Select the American Community Surveys (5-year Estimates) data and then the begin report option for the 2009-2013 data. This is the data set you want you use. It is the most recent.

6. This next step is where you will need to know your census tract numbers. On this page drill down to select your census tracts. First select the census tract level of data, then Oregon, then Multnomah County. They select the census tracts in the neighborhoods you are comparing. Select more than one by using the "control" button on your keyboard when you find the tracts. Then click on "add" and then "proceed to tables."

7. Here is where you can select all of the data points you need to complete you demographic profiles. Remember to use the "ctrl" button to select more than one option at once. 

8. Now is the fun part! You get to view the data. Consider also creating a personal account in Social Explorer to save items to your account. (You can save map snapshots here, too!)