Three Key Midwest States
September 10, 2020
PUMA data and the American Community Survey
A “PUMA” — Public Use Microdata Area — is a regional area within a single state with a population of about 100,000. The Census designs each PUMA so that it can sample about 1% of the population each year and use those responses to estimate key attributes and demographic data about each PUMA. Each year the Census staff releases the latest PUMA American Community Survey (“ACS”), and also combines the results from the most recent five years into a five-year ACS.
Statewide 2018 Survey Data
Here are some basic stats about the 2018 American Community Survey results and the Public Use Microdata Areas in these three states:
| attribute | Michigan | Pennsylvania | Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|---|
| population | 9,995,915 | 12,807,060 | 5,813,568 |
| # households | 4,614,552 | 5,713,136 | 2,710,718 |
| # PUMAs | 68 | 92 | 40 |
| population > 17 | 7,834,652 | 10,166,077 | 4,542,563 |
| School achieved: | |||
| no HS diploma or GED | 9.4% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| HS or GED | 29.1% | 35.0 % | 30.9% |
| some college | 25.1% | 18.2% | 22.5% |
| associate’s degree | 9.2% | 8.0 % | 10.4% |
| bachelor’s | 17.1% | 18.2% | 18.9% |
| graduate degree | 10.2% | 11.5% | 9.3% |
| Veteran status | |||
| all eras | 7.9% | 9.0% | 8.8% |
| post 9/11 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 1990 - 2001 | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 1975 - 1990 | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| 1964 - 1975 | 2.6% | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| pre-1964 | 1.6% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
Where the Veterans Live
These two maps show the PUMAs where at least 10% of the population over 17 are veterans in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin:
