LibGuides: Community and Demographic Research: Home

Using this Guide & Finding Census Data

This video (13:21) introduces the basics of this guide as well as using Census QuickFacts and data.census.gov.

Cedar Valley Nonprofit Association
Cedar Valley charitable, civic, & community organizations
Grow Cedar Valley (formerly Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber)
211 Iowa
211 is a free, comprehensive information and referral system linking Iowa and Nebraska residents to health and human service programs, community services, disaster services and governmental programs.
GuideStar
National database of nonprofits. Free login may be required.
Charity Navigator
Ranking and financial information for nonprofits. Free login may be required.

Google Maps
Search for particular categories, such as churches, to see locations mapped.
The Opportunity Atlas
Maps children's chances of social mobility based on where they grew up and other factors.
PolicyMap
Make customized maps with demographic data as well as data related to incomes, housing, education, health, etc. Local/county/city, national, and international levels.
Use "Open" free version.
Social Explorer mapping tool
U.S. demographic, environmental, health, and crime maps. Also includes world development indicators.
Community Health Needs Assessment
Mapping tool for wellbeing indicators. Free account required.

QuickFacts
Searching by ZIP code will result in city-level data, so keep in mind that statistics shown may include more or less geographic area than the ZIP code you entered. Use data.census.gov to see results only for smaller areas, such as Census tract.
Data.Census.gov
Main place for searching Census data (replaces American FactFinder as of July 2019)
Data.gov
Search for specific data sets or browse by topic (education, health, public safety, etc.)
Kids Count Data Center
Browse by topic or by county.
Economic Census
U.S. data about businesses & industries. Conducted every five years. Included in some other search tools.
Census Tract lookup
Search by address to find out Census tract (narrower than ZIP code or city, similiar to neighborhood).
ZIP code map
Unfortunately the U.S. Postal Service doesn't have a ZIP code map (only a lookup by city or address). To see ZIP code boundaries, zoom in on this map or search for a known address.
Census Glossary

Locate government agencies by Google searching topic, limiting to .gov sites
- Example: health statistics site:.gov
Locate nonprofit organizations by Google searching topic, limiting to .org sites
- Example: abuse prevention site:.org
Resources by social issue
This guide provides resources on about 30 social topics, with a focus on topics addressed by UNI service-learning courses/projects. Each box includes key sources from government agencies and nonprofit organizations, but they are not designed to be comprehensive. Topics are arranged alphabetically & include a wide variety of topics, ranging from poverty to domestic violence and elderly to refugee resettlement.

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic)
Indexes articles in news, business, legal, medical, and reference information. Some full text articles available online.
Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCO)
Newspaper Source Plus includes more than 1,000 full-text newspapers, providing more than 38 million full-text articles. The database contains comprehensive full text for major newspapers such as The New York Times (from January 1985 to present), Christian Science Monitor, San Francisco Chronicle, The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), The Times (UK), Toronto Star, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Washington Times (DC) and others.

Cedar Falls-Waterloo Courier
Rod Library subscription. CatID required off-campus. Search for specific topics.
Select Newspaper Source Plus for issues 2002-current (1 day delay).
Use Courier webpage for selected issues (has online ads & article limit).
Des Moines Register
Rod Library subscription. Valid CatID required off-campus. Search for specific topics.
Local newspapers
Access to local/city newspapers through Rod Library will vary. Search here by newspaper name to determine if Rod Library has online and/or in print.

Many online newspapers will also allow viewing a limited number of articles free.

Government Information
by Gretchen Gould Last Updated Jan 5, 2021 2 views this year

Community Toolbox
Free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change.