U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: Median Household Income

LINK to interactive map

Household incomes shrink while number living in poverty increases, census survey shows. (Wisconsin State Journal, 12/8/2011)

Excerpt: In the tony suburb of Maple Bluff on the north shore of Lake Mendota, median household income in 2010 landed at a very comfortable $151,875. Just a few miles east, in a North Side area of Madison near the airport, median income was just $28,542, with about 40 percent of residents living in poverty.

That's according to new census data released Thursday that confirms a trend toward decreased incomes and higher poverty in the last decade but also provides geographic definition to the trends, giving a broad spectrum of demographic information on a nearly neighborhood-by-neighborhood level.

The data show that Madison and Dane County continued to enjoy relative affluence with pockets of poverty interspersed, sometimes in close proximity to high-wealth areas, especially in the city of Madison.

Using the interactive feature.

My current census tract (South of University Avenue).  (1986-present)

Middleton census tract north of University Avenue, which includes a significant  number of multi-family dwellings:  duplexes, apartments, condos.

My Oshkosh census tract.  (1978-1986)

LINK

Greetings from Oshkosh: We Stick Around

In reference to the U.S. Census Bureau Report, Lifetime Mobility in the United States: 2010, the Wisconsin Budget Report refers to a characteristic sometimes referred to as the “stickiness” of the state population.

Rust Belt, Deep South Have Most Homegrown Residents. New census data shows areas of the country with highest concentrations of native residents. (Governing, 11/18/2011)

Excerpt: An analysis of 2010 American Community Survey data showed the following areas have the highest homegrown populations for ages 25 and up:

Cheektowaga, N.Y. (85.8%)
Jackson, Miss. (79.0%)
Macon, Ga. (76.9%)
Birmingham, Ala. (76.9%)
Erie, Pa. (75.8%)
Lafayette, La. (75.8%)
Lake Charles, La (75.0%)
Canton, Ohio (74.9%)
Livonia, Mich. (74.4%)
Oshkosh, Wis. (74.0%)

LINK to 4-page brief

Top 10 "Sticky" States

Top 10 "Non-Stick" States

Speaking of Oshkiosh....

I'm very impressed with their digital collections.  Not that long ago, all of these materials would have been available only onsite, if at all.   In fact, many of them wouldn't have been a part of the library's collection.  The "Picture Oshkosh" project, for example, encourages people to submit photos and videos.  What a great way to enhance the value of the library as a community resource.

During the 8 years (1978-1986) I lived in Oshkosh, and worked at the Oshkosh Public Library, I immersed myself in the city's history, its physical growth and architecture in particular.  A complete collection of city directories was particularly useful in my mapping of corner grocery stores and gas stations.

As you might guess, and as the evidence shows, I'm a huge fan of local history collection development in public libraries.