QuickFacts FAQ

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

State and county


Frequently Asked Questions

What is QuickFacts?

QuickFacts tables are summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from various Census Bureau programs. Profiles are available for the nation, states, counties, and large cities.

How do I select an area in QuickFacts?

You may select an area in any of three ways:
  1. You may pull down state, county, or city lists, then select "Go".
  2. You may select the link labeled 'View map', then select the state or county you desire on the map.
  3. You may select the link labeled 'Place search'. There, when you enter the name of a city, town or other place, you will get a link for itself (for cities of 25,000 or more), its county, and its state. If more than one area qualifies, there will be multiple entries from which to choose. If no entry matches the spelling you entered, a list of areas with similar names will be given.

Where can I get data for other levels of geography, like my city, metropolitan area, or ZIP code?

At this time, QuickFacts tables are only available for the nation, states, counties, and large cities. In the future, we may offer QuickFacts for metropolitan areas. While not consolidated into QuickFacts profiles, there are a number of sources on the web for data about:
metropolitan areas
ZIP codes

Where can I get data more detailed than QuickFacts shows?

Select the link labeled "Browse data sets for . . ." in the upper right of the page.

Why were the included data items selected?

These items answer questions people frequently ask and also demonstrate the wide variety of data available. State and US profiles were limited to only those items that could also be shown for counties; additional data sets may be shown via the "Browse more data sets for . . ." Some of the data items available for counties are not available for cities. link.

Why are not all cities listed on the pull-down menu?

QuickFacts includes incorporated places with 25,000 or more inhabitants. Some of the data sets on which QuickFacts depends do not include census designated places and may have population or other minimums. Since Census 2000 data are available for all places regardless of size, the cities menu includes an option for "**other places not listed", which takes you to a search page for Census 2000 profiles.

Why do I come up with more than 100 percent when I add the race groups (White, Black, Asian, and American Indian) and Hispanic origin together.

Hispanic origin is not a race, and persons of hispanic origin may be of any race. For more information, click on the icon next to any of the race or hispanic items.

Can I download the data in QuickFacts?

Yes. You may either download the data one area at a time (using links at the bottom of each page), or download the entire data set in ASCII files.



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