Since browsers cache some of the web tier files (*.js; *.css) by name, whenever an updated or new version of AFF is released, the content of these files changes but some browsers do not always detect the change to get a fresh file. Instead, they continue to serve the files from the local cache, creating a confusing and error-prone mix of new and old files. As a result, some American FactFinder User Interface elements (buttons, text boxes, etc.) may not function correctly.

To correct this issue and properly display American FactFinder, you can clear the browser cache as follows:

(Note: IE 8, 9, and 10 users may also need to set the Compatibility View, see instructions below)

In FireFox 10:

Tools -> Advanced -> Network -> Clear Now.

In IE 8 or 9:
Tools -> Delete Browsing History -> Have Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, and History checked -> Deselect Preserve Favorites website data -> Delete.

Compatibility View for IE 8, 9, and 10

If you are using IE 8, 9, or 10, and American FactFinder still does not display properly, you can set your browsers Compatibility View as follows:

Tools -> If Compatibility View is not greyed out, click on Compatibility View so that it is checked; If it is greyed out, click on Compatibility View Settings, and enter “http://factfinder2.census.gov” to the ‘Add this website:’ textbox -> Add -> Close.

In IE 7:
Tools -> Delete Browsing History -> Delete files… -> Delete cookies… -> Delete history… -> Close -> OK.

In Firefox 3.5 and above for Windows or Mac OS X:
Tools  -> Clear Recent History (OR for Windows – Select the History menu from the orange Firefox button in Firefox 4 and above) -> From the Time range to clear: drop-down menu select the desired range to clear; To clear your entire cache, select Everything -> Click the down arrow next to "Details" -> check Browsing & Download History, Form & Search History, Cookies, and Cache -> Clear Now.

In Chrome:
Enter:  chrome://settings/clearBrowserData in the browser bar -> Select the items you want to clear (e.g., Clear browsing history, Clear download history, Empty the cache, Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data) -> Select the period of time to clear your cache in the Obliterate the following items from: drop-down menu (Note: to clear your entire cache, select the beginning of time) -> Clear browsing data.

In Safari:
Safari menu -> Reset Safari... -> Select the items you want to reset -> Reset. (Note: As of Safari 5.1, Remove all website data will include both cookies and cache).

Keywords:

Troubleshooting, browser

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From the Main Page (factfinder2.census.gov):

• Enter the name of your state, county, city, town, or zip code in the text box located under Community Facts.
• Click Go.
• The population for your area will be displayed.
• To find other popular facts about your area select one of the blue boxes located on the left.

Note: If the city, town or county displayed is not the one you are looking for you can either modify your entry (i.e. instead of Atlanta; type Atlanta, GA) or click the link “We found more results for your geography search” located under the geography name.

Additional tools are available such as Population Finder and Quick Facts on http://www.census.gov.

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• Select Advanced Search.
• Click the Geographies button located below Topics (left side of page).
• On the top of the window select the Name tab.
• In the text box, type "All Census Tracts within___" (Fill the blank with the name of a County Subdivision or a Place for the blank.) Click "Go".
• If your town is a County Subdivision, select the geography labeled "All Census Tracts (or parts) within City, County, State" from the Geography Results. If your town is a place select the geography labeled "All Census Tracts (or parts) full-or-partially within City, State" from the Geography Results.
• Close the Geographies Search window.
• Use the Topics on the left side of the page to further refine your search or to select a table(s) from your Search Results.
  

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The information that was previously found on the FactSheet is now available through Community Facts:

• From the Main page (factfinder2.census.gov) use the text box under Community Facts:
• Type in your city, town, county, state, or zip code.  Click GO
• The total population for your area will be displayed
• To find out more information about your area click the blue tabs on the left or click the blue popular table links.

Quick Facts is also available for communities with a population over 5,000. A link for Quick Facts is located in Community Facts on the bottom right of the page. Here you can select a state, city or county to find information.

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From the American FactFinder Main Page:

• Using Community Facts, type in your Zip Code and click “Go.”
• The total population is displayed in the blue box.
• To find more information about a Zip Code, use the blue boxes on the left side or select one of the popular tables.
  

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Download from Search Results (without viewing table):

• Up to 10 tables at one time
• Up to 50,000 geographies for a table
• Up to 500,000 rows of data

Note:

1. The sum of all cities or towns in the USA is less than 50,000 geographies.
2. For downloads larger than 50,000 geographies or 500,000 rows, please use the ftp site.
3. To download a table for only one geography or population group at a time, such as the Data Profiles, you can calculate the total number of rows in that table by multiplying the number of geographies or population groups by the number of rows in the table.  For example, a table that has ten rows and ten geographies is equivalent to 100 total rows.
   

Download from Table View:

• Tables can be downloaded in
• database-compatible (.csv) and
• presentation-ready (.pdf, .rtf & .xls) formats.

Note:  Using the csv format, your Geographies will be on the “Y” Axis, i.e. left side of the table.

• Limits for .pdf & .rtf formats are:
• 5,000 columns and
• 5,000 data rows.
• Limits for .xls are:
• 230 columns and 5,000 rows.
• If the table has more than 230 columns, and fewer rows, select Modify Table to transpose rows and columns to conform to the .xls requirements.
• Using the "View All" option, you can download up to 3 tables at one time in a pdf format.  The row and column limits are the same as above.
• Using the Download button, you can only download the table you are viewing.  If the table is too large to download in a presentation-ready format, you will be prompted to download in a database-compatible (.csv) format.
  
  
  

Please check back for updates, as we upgrade download capabilities frequently.

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• Click  the “Advanced Search” button.
• Click  the Geographies button (left side of the screen).
• In the dropdown box select the smaller geography (for instance, counties)
• In the second dropdown box select the state.
• Select “All Counties within ‘State’” and then click Add to Your Selections.
• Your search results will update.
• Close the Geographies window by clicking the close button on the top right.
• Select a table by clicking on the blue hyperlink or by placing a check in the checkbox and clicking View. 

Learn how to use the Geographic Search method by viewing the Geographic Search Tutorial or the Geographic Search Help Content. 

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Dynamically generated tables, maps, and files from American FactFinder:
(Use semicolons to separate elements)

1. U.S. Census Bureau;
2. Name of the database or other data repository/source (e.g., American FactFinder), set off by quotation marks, or follow publication citation style;
3. The name of the person who generates the tabulation, etc., e.g., "generated by John Smith;"
4. The name of the software package used to generate the tabulation, if known, e.g., "using American FactFinder;"
5. The URL of the application software's main or first page set off by angle brackets, e.g., <http://factfinder2.census.gov>;
6. The date, within parenthesis, when the user generated the tabulation, e.g., (7 January 2012).

For a reference map in American FactFinder:

• U.S. Census Bureau; generated by Jane Smith; using American FactFinder; <http://factfinder2.census.gov>; (12 February 2012).

For a thematic map in American FactFinder
(Find the specific survey or census, data set and matrix number under the map image):

• U.S. Census Bureau; Census 2000, Summary File 1, Matrix P7; generated by Joe Smith; using American FactFinder; <http://factfinder2.census.gov>; (15 February 2012).

Examples:

• U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Table GCT0101; generated by John Smith; using American FactFinder; <http://factfinder2.census.gov>; (7 January 2012).
• U.S. Census Bureau; Census 2000, Summary File 1, Table P001; generated by Jane Jones; using American FactFinder; <http://factfinder2.census.gov>; (20 February 2012)
• U.S. Census Bureau; 2010 Census Summary File 1; Tables P1 and QT-P1; generated by John Smith; using American FactFinder; <http://factfinder2.census.gov>; (12 December 2011).

Other Sources for Citation Styles:

• Library of Congress
• Internet Public Library

Keywords: reference, citation, credit, source,

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There are over 11 million geographies available in American FactFinder for the different Census Bureau Programs, including the Demographic (Decennial Census, American Community Survey, etc.) and the Economic Programs (Economic Census, County Business Patterns, etc.). You can narrow your search for data in American FactFinder to only those with Economic Program specific geographies by selecting an Economic Progam dataset from Topics before you select a specific geography.

Example: To search for data for geographies included in the 2009 Business Patterns:

• Select “Advanced Search” from the American FactFinder Main page.  If prompted, click “Show Me All;”
• Next, click  the blue Topics option located on the left side of the page.  A list of Topic categories will display.  Expand the dataset category and select 2009 Business Patterns.
• Business Patterns will move to "Your Selections." The Topics, Geographies, Industry Codes, and Search Results will update and will only display items that are applicable to the 2009 Business Patterns.
  
  
• Close the “Topics” Search;
• Click  the “Geographies” option located just below “Topics”
• Use the Geographies, List, Name, Address, or Map tab options to select geographies that are available for the 2009 Business Patterns.
• The Geography Results will be limited to only those geographies available for the 2009 Business Patterns dataset.  Once you make your geography selections, close the Geographies search option.
• Select the data products/tables you would like to “View” or “Download” from the search results.
• Note: You can download individual tables from the “View” option in various formats.  Downloads from the Search Results are limited to 10 data products at one time and are only available in a .CSV (comma-delimited) format.

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You can modify the view of a table by using the Modify Table button located in the Actions menu above the table.  With the Modify Table options, you can:

• Collapse or expand data rows with the  ‘+’ or ‘-‘ options available for tables that have multiple data rows;
• Filter to select which columns to display with the Filter icon located in the table’s boxhead;
• Filter columns on a value with the Filter icon for a column in a table;
• Reorder (rearrange) rows of a transposed table up or down with the arrow icons in a row of a table.
• Reorder (rearrange) columns left or right with the arrow icons in a column of a table;
• Select (show) or unselect (hide) rows and columns with the checkbox option in a table row or column header;
• Sort rows by columns (by up to 3 multiple columns in ascending or descending order) with the ascending or descending arrow icon in a column header;

Transpose rows and columns with the Transpose rows and columns button located in the Table Tools menu above a table.  Note:  Table tool options depend on a table’s format.  All tools may or may not be available for any particular table.  To learn more about table modifications, view the Modify a Table Tutorial or visit Table Tools in the Help section.

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Beginning with the 2005 American Community Survey data release, detailed tables may be displayed in two versions.  This is denoted by the “B” or “C” in front of the table number.

• A “B” is used for base tables. These tables provide the most detailed estimates on all topics and for all geographies.
  
  
• A "C" is used for a collapsed version of a "B" table. A "C" table is very similar to a "B" table with the same number (e.g., C07001 and B07001), but two or more lines from the "B" table have been collapsed to a single line in the "C" table. For example, the lines "75 to 79 years", "80 to 84 years", and "85 years and over" from a "B" table may be collapsed to a single line of "75 years and over" in a "C" table.
  
  
• Not every "B" table has a collapsed version.

For more information on how the ACS tables are numbered, please see FAQ # 1687.

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To find a city with the  same name as its state (for example,  New York City, New York; Delaware City, Delaware; Iowa City, Iowa), you should specify that it is a "city" in your search.  If you do not specify “city” and there is a county in the state with the same name, that county will be returned instead of the city you are looking for.

A valid search would look like this:

• New York City, NY
• Delaware City, DE
• Iowa City, IA

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Database compatible format (.csv) downloads sometimes include geographic codes such as the GEO ID2 code, or FIPS codes in the G001 downloads.   When the download is imported into certain external programs, such as Microsoft Excel, leading zeros will be omitted by default, for instance for IDs that contain a two-digit number from 01 through 09. In Microsoft Excel, the leading zeros can be replaced as follows:  
 

1. Highlight the cells in the GEO ID2 column that need the leading zeros added.
   
   
2. Select the Format / Format Cells option in the Cells menu located under the Home tab options.
   
   
3. In the Format Cells window, select the Number tab and then the Custom category. 
   
   
4. In the textbox under the word "Type:" replace the word General with the appropriate format/combination of 0 and # symbols, where 0 will represent each leading 0 and  # will represent each  numeric digit in the GEO ID.  For example: 
• A State level GEO ID will be 0#, such as 01 for Alabama
• A County Level GEO ID will be 0####, such as 01001 for Autauga County, Alabama
• A FIPS  county code will be 00#, such as 001 for Autauga County, Alabama in the G001 table
  
  
5. Verify the number format code you want displayed is correct by looking at the format code sample box located just above the “Type:” textbox.  Make any changes to the number format code until the sample that is displayed is the correct format.
   
   
6. Click OK and the highlighted cells will update with the new number format code.  
   

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American FactFinder works best with Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox 3.6.

Please note that other browsers may not perform as expected and could result in various issues such as pages or links not working or displaying properly.  The following is a list of issues that you may encounter when using specific browsers:

Internet Explorer 8 & 9, Mozilla Firefox 9 & 10, and Chrome 18

• American FactFinder Feedback
• Cancel Link on the Feedback form is broken.
• Spanish American FactFinder Site
• English Footer is present

Internet Explorer 8 Only

• Geographies
• Map search tab – Point selection tool takes a long time to work

Internet Explorer 9 Only

• Browser Tabs
• Browser tabs for American FactFinder and Census.gov turn yellow
• Geographies
• Map search tab – Polygon selection tool does not work

Mozilla Firefox 9 & 10

• Glossary 
• A URL is displayed at the bottom of the page that should not be
• Help
• Quick Start Help Window main page hyperlink does not work
• Search Using Topics – hyperlinks in first paragraph do not work
• 'Get Email Updates'
• When clicking ‘Cancel,’ the site will redirect to the Census Main Site.

Mozilla Firefox 9 Only

• Geographies
• Name search tab – About ‘i’ icon takes some time to open
• Map search tab – Some selection tools do not work

 Chrome 18

• Search & Navigation
• Topics – Dataset filter has word wrapping errors
• Geographies – Various word wrapping errors
• Messaging – Incorrect messaging briefly displayed at times
• Glossary 
• Table of Contents does not display
• Help
• Table of Contents does not display
• Topics Overlay Help – Table of Contents does not display
• Quick Start Help – Table of Contents does not display
• 'Get Email Updates'
• When clicking ‘Cancel’ or ‘OK,’ the site will redirect to the Census Main Site.
• Geographies
• Address search tab – Incorrect address search results may be displayed
• Map search tab – Some selection tools do not work
• Mapping Find a Location – State and County Selections are not displayed

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To find data for American Indian Area, Alaska Native Area, or Hawaiian Home Land (AIA/ANA/HHL) areas follow these steps:

• Click Advanced Search.
• Open the Geographies Search, located on the left  side of the Main Page.
• Select American Indian Area/Alaska Native Area/Hawaiian Home Land - 250 from the dropdown list
• Highlight the American Indian Area, Alaska Native Area, or Hawaiian Home Land you are interested in.
• Click – ADD TO YOUR SELECTIONS.
• Close the Select Geographies overlay by clicking  the "x" in the upper right corner.
• The search results are organized by year starting with the most recent table.
• Click the blue hyperlinked table title to open the table.

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The 2010 Census Redistricting Data Summary File for Puerto Rico provides access to census blocks within a geographic hierarchy in two different ways:

1. Summary level 750: State-County-Voting District/Remainder-County Subdivision- Place/Remainder-Census Tract-Block Group-Block
2. Summary level 755: State-County-Voting District/Remainder-County Subdivision-Subminor Civil Division (Subbarrio) -Census Tract-Block Group-Block

When selecting tables that contain the block level data for either of these summary levels, American FactFinder displays the correct data for the block(s) in each geographic hierarchy, but labels the block(s) as follows:

Block, Block Group, Census Tract, County (Municipio), State (Puerto Rico)

The 750 Summary Level record is displayed in the results.  Code information for Summary Level 750 is available in detailed table G001.

Users of the Redistricting Data Summary File for Puerto Rico who need the block level code information for Summary Level 755 must download the Puerto Rico Redistricting Data Summary File using the FTP site.  

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Most likely, your selections were removed because:

• You used the “Back” button on your browser to return to the Search Results page;
• You have been inactive on the site for more than 30 minutes.

As noted at the top of each table view page, you must use the "Back to Search Results" button to return to the Search Results page. At the Search Results page you can update/modify "Your Selections."  Since the Table Viewer page is based on "Your Selections" and is not a static web page, using your browser's "Back" button will likely result in items being removed as it returns to the previous static page you visited in the American FactFinder site.

If you have been inactive on the site for more than 30 minutes a pop up will appear and your session will restart which will result in items being removed from “Your Selections.” 

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For security purposes, American FactFinder times out after 30 minutes of browser inactivity.

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To change the year, click Advanced Search and use the Topics on the left. On the Topics window, click to expand  the word YEAR, then select a year to use in your search.

Note: by selecting a year, all available search criteria will be based on the year you selected. For example, if you select 2010, you will not find information for the County Business Patterns program since these data are linked to the year 2007 and not 2010.

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This happens when there is more than one place with the same name.  For example, as you type “Arlington,” a type-ahead list of suggestions will display.  If you don’t select from the type-ahead list, FactFinder will display data for “Arlington County, Virginia” by default.  If this is not what you were looking for you can retry your search by either:

• Clicking the “We found more results for your geography search” link located under the Geography name.
• Adding additional information to your text search (Arlington, TX instead of just Arlington); or
• Selecting one of the suggested options from the type-ahead list.

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You should choose the ZCTA label that applies to the dataset or year for which you want data.  There are two ZIP Code or ZCTA years, 2000 and 2010.

• Census 2000 uses the 2000 ZCTA which looks like this: “00601 5-Digit ZCTA, 006 3-Digit ZCTA.” 
• 2010 Census and the 2011 American Community Survey use the 2010 ZCTA which looks like this: “ZCTA5 00601.”

These are the only demographic datasets that contain data for ZCTAs. 

Here’s the practical explanation for the label change:

The Census Bureau changed the labeling of ZCTAs between 2000 and 2010.

• In 2000, the full 5-digit ZCTAs labels included their 3-digit group (i.e., the first 3 digits of the ZIP Code) as a part of the full label.  Using our earlier example, ZCTA 00601 was a part of the 006 ZCTA grouping. The 2000 ZCTA label for 00601 is “00601 5-Digit ZCTA, 006 3-Digit ZCTA.”  
• In 2010, the 3-digit ZCTAs were not used as a grouping.  Therefore, for 2010 data, the individual ZCTAs do not include the 3-digit ZCTAs as a part of the label. The 2010 ZCTA label for ZIP Code 00601 is “ZCTA5 00601.”

NOTE:  You cannot pick both 2000 and 2010 ZCTAs for the same data search because there is no single table on AFF that has information from both 2000 and 2010. If you select both “00601 5-Digit ZCTA, 006 3-Digit ZCTA” and “ZCTA5 00601” from the Select Geographies listing, you will get a message that there are no tables matching your selections.  To find data results, remove one of the ZCTAs from Your Selections.

NOTE: ZCTAs are only used in demographic data.  The ZIP Code Business Patterns dataset from the Economic Survey use ZIP Codes, and they are labeled as ZIP Codes, not ZCTAs.  Click here for more information on the differences.

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You can select groups of geographies from the Reference Map or Geographies Map Tab in Advanced Search by using the selection tools located in the Select Geographies Menu as follows:

• Select a geographic type from the drop down.
• Select a drawing tool to make your geography selections.
• Select the geographies you are interested in from the map.
• Review the geographies listed in the Select Geographies box.
• Remove any geographies that you are not interested in by clicking the blue ‘x’.
• Click the “Add to Your Selections” button to add the listed geographies to “Your Selections.”

If you are searching for a specific group of geographies (also known as “pseudo geographies”), such as “All Counties within Tennessee,” it is best to select them from the Geographies List or Name Tab options in Advanced Search.  For example, you can search for “all census tracts within Calvert County MD” or “all Counties within TN” by entering the name of the geography in the Geographies Name tab text search.  A list of Geography Results will display so that you can make “Your Selections.”

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There are over 11 million geographies available in American FactFinder for the different Census Bureau Programs, including the Demographic (Decennial Census, American Community Survey, etc.) and the Economic Programs (Economic Census, County Business Patterns, etc.). You can narrow your search for data in American FactFinder to only those with Economic Program specific geographies by selecting an Economic Program dataset when you start your Guided Search.

Example: To search for data for geographies included in the 2009 Business Patterns:

• Select “Guided Search” from the American FactFinder Main page.  If prompted, click “Get Me Started;”
• In Step 1: Start, click on the option that states: “I'm looking for information from a specific dataset.” Click Next to move to Step 2: Dataset;
• Follow the prompts to select a Program and Dataset:
• Select a program: Business Patterns;
• Select a dataset:  2009 Business Patterns;
• 2009 Business Patterns will move to "Your Selections" and Guided Search will update and will only display items that are applicable to the 2009 Business Patterns.
• Click Next to move to Step 3: Topics.  Select the topic(s) you're interested in. Click Next when you are done to move to Step: 4 Geographies.     Note: The number in parenthesis next to each topic represents the number of Search Results that are available for a topic.
  o Select the geographies you are interested in by using the text search or filtered geography search options.  If you use the filtered search option, be sure to click on the Add To Your Selections button before clicking on Next to move to the next Step.
  o Select the industry codes you are interested in, if applicable, by using the text search or filtered search options.  Click the Add to Your Selections button when selecting codes from the Industry Code Results with the checkboxes.
• Click Next to see a list of the Search Results that are available for Your Selections.
• Note: Guided Search Results are limited to display the top 10 Search Results available for Your Selections.  Click the Advanced Search link under the Search Results (or at the top of the page) to see all the Search Results that are available for Your Selections.
  

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You will get this message when American FactFinder does not have the spatial data for the geographic level(s) you selected to map; therefore, those geographies cannot be mapped.

For example, census tracts are mappable at the county level whereas census tracts within a place (city) are not mappable.  The reason for this is that census tracts can cross place boundaries whereas census tracts are wholly contained within counties.  For more information on census geography, please see the Standard Hierarchy of Census Geographic Entities.

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The county boundaries and labels are already included in American FactFinder maps.  These are only visible at the zoom levels that display the counties.  

• To display the boundaries and labels:
• Zoom to approximately 50 miles or less for boundaries.
• Zoom to approximately 10 miles or less for labels.

Note:  Please refer to the map legend to guide you to the appropriate zoom level.  Items in grey are not visible on the map.

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