Newsletter | October 2023

Town Profiles are out!

Updated Town Profiles for 2023
The Town Profiles, which we create in partnership with AdvanceCT, are accessed more than any of our other data projects. These two-page, printable reports provide demographic and economic information for Connecticut's municipalities. They contain information about the population, major employers, education, fiscal information, labor force, housing, and quality of life. 

2022 Connecticut Traffic Stops Analysis

Every police department in Connecticut is required to collect and provide data about each traffic stop conducted by their department. This data includes details about the traffic stop, such as the reason for the stop, demographics of the driver, the outcome of the stop, and more. The traffic stops data repository is maintained by the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) at the University of Connecticut. Each year, CTData partners with IMRP to provide the raw dataset, formatted data tables, and data analysis on our Traffic Stop Data Platform.

Demographics & Housing Explorer

The 2020 Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC), released by the Census Bureau in May 2023, is one of many data products released as part of the 2020 decennial census. CTData’s Demographics and Housing Explorer allows data users to explore data on race and ethnicity, homeownership status, household type, multigenerational status, housing occupancy, and urban versus rural households, all at the town level. Click here to explore for yourself! 

Virtual Convenings

Equity in Data Community of Practice: Equity in Action: Insights from CTData Collaborative

October 17: Our community has spoken, and we have heard you loud and clear. According to our survey results, you're eager to hear from real professionals who are actively integrating equitable principles into their everyday data work. Join us as CTData staff members share their real-world experiences, insights, and actionable strategies for weaving ethical considerations and equity into their everyday data work. We will then open the floor to hear from you so we can learn strategies from one another, share our experiences, and explore other ways to bring equity to our data work. We hope to see you there!

Unlocking Insights: Understanding Population Data for Better Decision-Making

November 2: Learn about the 4 sources of population data, how to navigate them, their differences, and which one to use under different circumstances. Register here.

Equity in Data Community of Practice: UNCONFERENCE

November 21: It's back! In November we are bringing back our very popular Unconference format. An unconference is a direct response to the traditional conference structure. Instead of having an expert who shares their knowledge in front of an audience, an unconference is based on the interests of the community, encouraging curiosity and learning through conversation. In this informal gathering, attendees talk, brainstorm, and share resources on community-chosen topics. Register here.

Known Errors in the Census Bureau's Vintage 2022 Population Estimates

Guidance for Data Users

Connecticut’s Department of Public Health (DPH) has determined that the Census Bureau’s vintage 2022 population estimates are artificially high for certain Connecticut towns in 2021 and 2022 due to pandemic-related issues with the counts of residents in group quarters facilities. This blog post discusses what happened, explains the impact on population estimates for specific towns, planning regions and the state, delineates which population estimates the state will be using for official purposes and provides some recommendations for data users on which version of the population estimates to use, and where to find these estimates. Read more. 

Geographic Resources for Connecticut's new "County-Equivalent" Planning Regions

This week, the Census Bureau is releasing 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates data for Connecticut’s new county-equivalent planning region geographies for the first time. Earlier this year, population estimates for planning regions were released – you can read more about those estimates and about planning regions in our blog post. This blog post provides a guide to resources for the new planning region geographies. 

Census Bureau releases 2020 Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics-A File

The 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics-A (Detailed DHC-A) file, which provides population counts for 1,500 racial and ethnic groups, was released last week. There are a few methodological changes to be aware of related to Hispanic origin data and differential privacy. Read it here. 

Hartford Data Collaborative signs 75th agency

Governance highlighted in International Journal of Data Science

In August 2023, the 75th agency signed the Hartford Data Collaborative Enterprisewide Memorandum of Understanding (EMOU). This is an important milestone for the Hartford Data Collaborative (HDC), formed four years ago as a trusted, neutral place for linking and integrating data to address knowledge gaps about social services in Hartford. HDC began in 2019 with four key agencies—the City of Hartford, Hartford Public Schools, Capital Workforce Partners, and Our Piece of the Pie. Since then, a growing number of community-based organizations have demonstrated an interest and willingness to participate in data sharing about their program participants and clients through HDC. Each agency that signs the HDC EMOU confirms and signals its commitment to common data principles and its understanding of the governance structure surrounding data sharing through HDC. HDC has gained more credibility and trust for its data sharing and integration services, and is now involved in a number of projects involving data about Hartford residents. Read more here. 

Michelle Riordan-Nold on multigenerational household data on Jon Voket's For the People

Michelle Riordan-Nold had the opportunity to speak with John Voket on our recent data exploration that found an increase in multigenerational households (three or more generations living together) in Connecticut since the 2010 census. Take a listen!

Job alert!

Open Communities Alliance is seeking a Policy and Data Analyst
This position is ideal for a mission- and data-driven advocate ready to assist with the development of research and policy recommendations that promote policies to counter the legacy of housing segregation. The Policy and Data Analyst will also be deeply engaged in outreach and education in urban and suburban areas about the benefits of such policies as OCA continues to develop an urban-suburban interracial coalition to support its work. Access the job description and application information here.

Campaign to Disrupt Negative Bias Against Aging and Disability

The Connecticut Age Well Collaborative is designing a statewide campaign to disrupt negative bias against aging and disability and they need everyone’s input, especially those with lived experience. Please take five minutes to fill out their survey this week. Then please share it with as many people in your networks as you can, especially those who are aging, living with a disability, or living with dementia. Thank you!

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