The Census Bureau reports that blacks voted at a higher rate than any other race in the 2012 election. Nationally, two-thirds (66.2) of eligible blacks voted, while non-Hispanic whites voted at a slightly lower rate of 64.1%. According to data released Wednesday, this is the first time blacks have voted at a higher rate than whites since the Census Bureau started publishing statistics on voting by the eligible citizen population in 1996.

Overall, the percentage of eligible citizens who voted declined from 63.6 percent in 2008 to 61.8 percent in 2012.

But what about NC? The gap was much greater: 80.2% of black citizens voted in 2012; 66.3% for non-Hispanic whites. In 2008, both groups voted at the same rate, 68.3%. It's not, however, the first time blacks have voted at a higher rate in NC. In 2004, the black voting rate was 64.6% while non-Hispanic whites' rate was 62.3%.

The age group with the highest voting rate in 2012, 79.4%, was ages 65-74. The lowest was ages 18-24 at 50%.

The U.S. Census Bureau is taking population, educational, migration and other data they collect and creating some neat, interactive data visualizations.
One of the best is the Population Bracketology, which tests your knowledge of metro and state populations by using the NCAA basketball bracket method of picking winners. See how well you score.

Last week, we reported that 47 NC counties lost population from 2010 to 2012. But what’s happened since 2000?

Looking at the annual growth rate since the July 2000 estimate to the latest 2012 estimates, only nine NC counties have a negative annual growth rate (Lenoir, Yancey, Jones, Caswell, Mitchell, Northampton, Halifax, Martin, Washington).

Union County, which grew 66%, has the highest annual rate at 4.3%, followed by Brunswick (3.6%) and Wake (3.5%). The state’s annual rate is 1.6%, and population increased overall by 21%.

Here’s how the components of growth in NC last decade compares to 2010-2012:
International Net Migration: 16.1%, 2000-09; 23.3%, 2010-12
Domestic Net Migration: 50.6%; 33.6%
Natural Increase (births minus deaths): 33.3%, 43.1%

See where your county ranks with this interactive map.

With a little less than a year before the detailed 1940 census records are released, you may have already mined the 1930 records for every last tidbit. But if you're new to research, this video stepping you through census records might help you zero in on some grandparents.

When the 1930 records were first released in 2002, Craig Jarvis introduced us to researchers who were waiting (or not) to get their hands on the microfilmed records.  

North Carolina researchers will have to wait until late summer before any copies of the microfilm records show up in this state, unless they want to travel to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., or one of the regional branches where the material will be available today.

That means researchers can look up people in those states by name, using an alphanumeric system. Without indexes, the search has to be based on location. -- The News & Observer, 4/1/2002

A factbox I had in today's Chapel Hill News story did not make it into the online version. Here it is below. You can also read the rest of the story here. The numbers come from the American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau every year between 10-year censuses,

- Median household income in Orange County fell from $55,717 in 2008 to $50,159 in 2009. The median is the point where half the incomes were higher and half lower. The state median household income was $43,674, down from $46,244.

- 69 percent of workers 16 and older in Orange County drove alone to work; 9.3 percent carpooled; 7 percent took public transportation, and 5 percent walked. (The others worked at home or have other means og getting to their job.)

- The average commute for Orange County workers was 21.4 minutes.

- 89.2 percent of Orange County residents had health insurance; 10.8 percent had not health insurance.

- Of the insured, 80.4 percent had private insurance; 19.6 percent had public insurance.

Will the poverty and income stats reported in the latest Orange County census survey make it harder or easier to sell that quarter-cent sales tax referendum this fall? Are you for or against the tax increase. Tell us here or in a letter to editor@nando.com. Please include your name if you want your comments published in the paper. Thanks.

Raleigh is one of the "brainiest" cities in the country, CNNMoney.com reports.

Using Census data released last week, the financial website ranked the top metro areas based on the percentage of people 25 years or older with bachelor's, master's, professional school or doctorate degrees.

Washington comes in No. 1, with 47.3 percent, followed by San Francisco with 43.5 percent, and San Jose, Calif., with 43.2 percent.

Raleigh is No. 4 with 42.2 percent, tied with Boston.

Economists point out that cities with highly educated populations tend to have higher salaries, and attract more "creative class" types.

Read the full report here.

I got a call today from Gene Britt of Princeton. He'd read our story about census participation and wanted to know how he could get a form. Though many of his neighbors get home mail delivery, he gets his through a post-office box and because of that, he didn't get his form in the mail.

"I would like to fill one out, but I don't know how to get one," Britt said.

It's difficult to tell how many folks in Johnston County are in Britt's position, but the U.S. Census Bureau wants to make sure he's counted. Their Web site asks anyone who didn't get a form by Monday (April 12) to pick up and fill out a "Be Counted" form.

Here are some of the places where those forms are available:

Smithfield:

-Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action, 101 N. Fourth St. Forms are available from 8 a.m. till 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; someone's there to help people fill out forms from 2 till 3 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

-Johnston County Board of Elections, 205 S. Second St. Forms are available from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

-Johnston County Mental Health, 521 N. Bright Leaf Blvd. Forms are available from 8 a.m till 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Someone's there to help people fill out forms from 8 a.m. till 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.

Benson:
-Benson Chamber of Commerce, 303 E. Church St. Forms are available from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; someone’s there to help fill out forms from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Wilson’s Mills:
-Wilson’s Mills Town Hall, 101 Railroad St. Forms are available from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. on Fridays. Someone’s there to help from 11:30 a.m. till 2:30 p.m. weekdays.

Princeton:
-Princeton Town Hall, 503 Dr. Donnie H. Jones Jr. Blvd. Forms are available from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. weekdays with help available from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m.

Four Oaks:
-Four Oaks Town Hall, 304 N. Main St. Forms are available from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. weekdays.

Selma:
-Partnership for Children of Johnston County, 1406-A S. Pollock St. Forms are available from 1 p.m. till 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Census Bureau site doesn't list any Clayton locations.

The U.S. Census Bureau are looking to hire a few good people.

They're seeking applications for management positions at 10 census offices that will open this fall in North Carolina, including one in Durham.

The full-time, temporary positions include local census office manager and assistant managers for field operations, recruiting, administration, quality assurance and technology. Pay ranges from $17 to $33.50 an hour. 

To qualify, you must live in the area that the office is based, clear a FBI background check, pass a written management test, complete the application process and meet other requirements. 

Interested? Go to www.census.gov/rocha/www/2010emply.html.