Exploring original tables from maps

At Social Explorer, we are well aware of the complexity and range of data that we offer our users. Therefore, we prepare a set of tables with the most popular and used variables that the majority of our users will find useful. However, whenever possible, we include the original, unabridged tables with all the data.

Selecting the variable

As of right now, our users can visualize the original tables for ACS 2016 5-year, ACS 2015 5-year and ACS 2014 5-year estimates. Let’s take a look at the ACS 2017 5-year estimates. 

  1. In the Change data menu, click Change Data.
  2. Click on the All data (by source) tab.

There are two options in the Dataset dropdown: Social Explorer tables and American Community Survey tables. If you want to access the pre-processed tables that we prepared, select the Social Explorer tables. However, let’s assume you want to access the entire original data.

  1. Select American Community Survey Tables: 2014 – 2018 (5-Year Estimates) from the dataset field.
  2. Select the table you’re interested in. 

There are a couple of different ways you can find the right table. First, you can use the search field at the top of the list: simply enter the name of the variable you’re looking for, or since you’re viewing the original tables, enter the code of the table assigned to it. You can also scroll through the list and find the table on your own.

Let’s say we want to explore the Nativity and Citizenship Status in the United States table. If you know the code of the table (in this case, it’s B05001), enter it in the search bar, or enter one of the keywords and select the right table. 

  1. Select the variable you want to visualize. We’ll go ahead and select U.S. Citizen by Naturalization for this example.

Manually selecting geography levels

Social Explorer automatically displays the data on the map according to the active zoom level. As you zoom in, the data will be displayed for the next lower level by default. To turn off this feature and manually select the level you want to display the data for, follow these steps:

  1. Click Change geography level in the Change data menu.
  2. Select the geography level you’re interested in.

You can save all the maps you're working on as projects and access them easily from your Social Explorer dashboard.

  1. In the upper right corner of the screen, click Save as…
  2. Enter the name of the project and a short description if you like.
  3. Click Save.

You can access all your saved maps by heading over to the My Maps page.