Crating a Custom Table - Essay Example

Data Analysis The raw data is presented below:   Colorado Alamosa County, Colorado Boulder County, Colorado Costilla County, Colorado Denver County,Colorado Hinsdale County, Colorado       Estimate Margin of Error Estimate Margin of Error Estimate Margin of Error Estimate Margin of Error Estimate Margin of Error Estimate Margin of Error Total: 4,685,920 +/-1,872 14,462 +/-108 280,494 +/-432 3,467 +/-44 551,108 +/-778 470 +/-123 Enrolled in school: 1,293,504 +/-4,636 5,247 +/-273 90,986 +/-1,287 872 +/-94 137,251 +/-1,911 27 +/-15 Enrolled in nursery school, preschool 84,840 +/-2,033 205 +/-103 5,453 +/-436 48 +/-29 9,325 +/-711 16 +/-13 Enrolled in kindergarten 66,831 +/-1,564 389 +/-114 3,244 +/-368 34 +/-30 7,324 +/-653 4 +/-6 Enrolled in grade 1 to grade 4 265,749 +/-2,381 737 +/-121 14,127 +/-664 185 +/-56 26,618 +/-996 0 +/-123 Enrolled in grade 5 to grade 8 255,943 +/-2,597 685 +/-162 13,589 +/-558 195 +/-56 22,858 +/-884 7 +/-8 Enrolled in grade 9 to grade 12 266,442 +/-1,820 815 +/-109 14,032 +/-440 295 +/-63 24,383 +/-669 0 +/-123 Enrolled in college, undergraduate years 285,922 +/-3,290 2,220 +/-261 33,144 +/-1,217 71 +/-54 33,742 +/-1,447 0 +/-123 Graduate or professional school 67,777 +/-2,209 196 +/-96 7,397 +/-675 44 +/-34 13,001 +/-1,058 0 +/-123 Not enrolled in school 3,392,416 +/-4,698 9,215 +/-243 189,508 +/-1,316 2,595 +/-82 413,857 +/-1,957 443 +/-123 The information presents school enrollment by level of school for persons aged 3 years and over in five counties in Colorado state.

The counties are Alamosa, Boulder, Costilla, Denver, and Hinsdale. The raw data has been transformed into percentages so that counties with large populations such as Denver and Boulder do not eclipse the other three smaller counties when making visual presentations of the data. Using percentages makes it easier to compare enrolment rates among the different groups and among all five counties. The graphs represent enrolment rates for different categories with all five counties bundled together.

The raw data indicates that Boulder and Denver have the highest population among the five counties sampled. Boulder has a population of 280,494 while Denver’s population is 551,108. Hinsdale has the lowest population at 470 persons. Overall, Colorado State has a total population of 4,685,920 persons. 72.4% of these (3,392,416) are not enrolled in school while the rest are enrolled in school at various levels. A preliminary analysis of the data as shown in the graph indicates that the largest proportions of residents of the five counties are not enrolled in school as compared to those in school.

Hinsdale and Costilla have the highest rates of persons not enrolled in school while Alamosa County has the lowest value. Alamosa County also leads in the proportion of persons in school followed by Boulder and Denver counties. Among school going persons in the selected counties, those enrolled in kindergarten have the lowest proportion followed by those enrolled in nursery school/pre-school and those in graduate or professional school. Persons enrolled in college/undergraduate take up a significant proportion of the total population in school in Alamosa, Boulder and Denver counties.

Costilla and Hinsdale have very low proportions in school. Correspondingly, as earlier noted, Hinsdale and Costilla have the highest proportion of persons not enrolled in school. Consequently, efforts by education stakeholders and state offices must implement policies to ensure an increase in enrolment rates in this county. However, this could also imply that the population in the two counties is aging and hence education policies will not be effective. It must be noted that Hinsdale has the lowest population among the five counties hence a small difference in the various categories makes a significant contribution to the final tally (Chambers & Skinner 43; Gelman 63).

Uses of Census Data This data can be used to forecast future populations and matched against available resources; The information can also be used by governments to make budgetary allocations to core sections of the economy; It is known that education status affects income and wealth status of the household and this goes on to promote the well-being of the citizenry. Therefore, education statistics from census data can be used to model trends in economic growth and examine the relationship between socioeconomic indicators and certain societal issues (Chambers & Skinner 114); Governments and other institutions can also use socioeconomic data to determine whether specific communities or groups of people are marginalized with regards to employment or exposure to certain environmental and economic risks (Cox 79); The data can also be used in implementing policies to avail educational institutions in certain marginalized areas or to determine whether the education system requires amendments to improve literacy levels in a country.

Works Cited US Census Bureau. School Enrollment by Level of School for The Population 3 Years and over - Universe: Population 3 years and over. United States Census Bureau. August 2012. Web. December 4, 2012. Chambers, Ray L., and Skinner, Chris J. Analysis of Survey Data. NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2003. Print. Cox, David R. Principles of statistical inference. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print. Miller, Gelman. Beyond ANOVA: Basics of Applied Statistics. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall, 1997. Print.