Go up
Release Announcement
Posted on Nov 28, 2023 by Admin
Hello readers! We are happy to announce that SimplyAnalytics has successfully migrated to the Census 2020 boundaries on Sunday, November 19th. This blog will talk about what that is, what it means for you now, and what it means moving forward. Let’s get into it.
What is this migration all about?The United States Census Bureau provides updates to location boundaries every 10 years. They do this based on population changes and to ensure fair representation for locations that have changed over time. For example, maybe a Census Tract or Census Block Group has grown in population over time, and once it reaches a certain population threshold, that Census Tract or Block Group will get split up, and new Tracts or Block Groups will be created.
Check out the example below that highlights the same area in Arizona in 2019 (green), and then with updated boundaries in 2020 (orange).
If you’re interested in a more detailed overview of this, feel free to check out the video here: https://vimeo.com/user68002385/simplyanalytics-historical-mode?share=copy
What does it mean for SimplyAnalytics?By default, SimplyAnalytics is now in 2020 boundaries, and with that comes a host of newer data, including 2023 Community Demographics, the complete 2021 ACS (with 2022/23 estimates), The 2020 Decennial Census, and a new 2020 Election dataset - more on that in a future blog.
For returning users: If you are a returning user, you might notice that your views have a historical badge on them or that there’s a note at the top, and it’ll look like this:
This is because all of your work prior to Nov. 19th, 2023, would have been in the older geographies, but as mentioned above SimplyAnalytics now defaults to 2020 Census boundaries.
What if I want to explore the newest data? If you want to use the newest data, simply click on New View at the top-right of the screen and proceed as you normally would. However, if you want to continue using the now older data, you’ll have to go into historical mode - similarly, some datasets are not yet migrated to the new boundaries, and so if you want to access those, you’ll need to use historical mode.
Final NotesFor existing/returning users, we understand that there might be some confusion with accessing some datasets that are not yet available in the newer geographies. But please note that this is temporary. As all future years of the datasets you’ve come to love come online, the only reason you’ll need to go into Historical Mode will be if you want older years of data which is how it has traditionally been.
As always, we are here to help! Please email support@simplyanalytics.com if you are running into any issues.
More from SimplyAnalytics
Posted on May 23, 2012 by Admin
We will be exhibiting at the Special Libraries Association (SLA) annual conference and Info-Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago Sunday June 15th - Tuesday July 17th. Visit us at Booth 124 ...
Posted on Dec 02, 2014 by Admin
Today we take a look at one of the more advanced features in SimplyMap - editing the map legend. Editing the map legend is a great way to not only customize how the data is distributed on...
Posted on Apr 21, 2015 by Admin
In this week’s edition of exploring SimplyMap data, we spotlight the Consumer Buying Power® data package in SimplyMap. What is it? The Nielsen Consumer Buying Power® database incorporates...
Posted on Feb 01, 2009 by Admin
Want to know the top 10 wealthiest ZIP codes in your state? How about the top 25 counties with the most elderly residents? Duke University students can now easily answer these questions a...
Posted on Nov 11, 2013 by Admin
Chad Boeninger, Business & Economics Subject Specialist at Ohio University Libraries has produced some excellent tutorial videos to help students learn how to analyze data and create ...
Posted on Feb 05, 2015 by Admin
In this week’s edition of exploring SimplyMap data, we take a look at America’s coffee drinkers. SimplyMap contains more than 100 coffee related variables, including consumer spending on ...
Posted on Jan 16, 2026 by Admin
We are excited to be exhibiting at the Public Library Association (PLA) 2026 Conference in Minneapolis this April 1-3!
Posted on Dec 30, 2009 by Admin
Skokie Public Library, in Skokie, IL has published a useful overview of SimplyMap on the Mike's Space blog on SkokieNet. The article is filled with examples of research questions that can...
Posted on Sep 10, 2019 by Admin
Hello readers! It’s been a minute since our last tutorial post, but you can expect to see more content on a weekly basis moving forward. “From the Help Desk” is a new feature on the blog ...
Posted on May 28, 2009 by Admin
The Charleston Advisor, which publishes critical reviews of online resources for libraries, published a review of SimplyMap in April. We are very pleased to have received 4 1/4 stars out...