A digital map of Public-Use Microdata Areas in the 1990 U.S. census

Area of Science:

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Demography
• U.S. Census Data Analysis

Background:

• Public-Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) are essential for accessing granular U.S. Census data.
• Traditional PUMA maps are paper-based and state-specific, limiting national analysis.
• 1990 Census microdata is restricted to PUMA, metropolitan area, state, and region aggregation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive, national digital base map of 1990 PUMAs.
• To facilitate the use of 1990 U.S. Census microdata for research.
• To overcome limitations of paper-based, state-specific PUMA maps.

Main Methods:

• Digitization of paper maps from the U.S. Census Bureau.
• Geographic Information System (GIS) software for map construction.
• Aggregation of state-level PUMA data into a national dataset.

Main Results:

• A unified digital base map of 1990 PUMAs was successfully created.
• The digital map covers all PUMAs used in the 1990 U.S. Census 5% microdata files.
• This resource enables national-level spatial analysis of 1990 Census data.

Conclusions:

• The developed digital map significantly enhances accessibility to 1990 PUMA data.
• This tool supports broader research applications using historical U.S. Census microdata.
• Digital mapping of PUMAs is crucial for modern demographic research.