Census 1990/2000

The map titled “Number of People, 2000” shows the numbers of people present in the United States in the year 2000. The various population values are broken up according to amount which is represented by several different colors. The values for this map were calculated by the census of that year. The color ramp selected to represent the kind of data shown in this map was best because the colors are all in the same color family, each just a slightly darker or lighter color then the color above or below it. The darkest color represents the highest value and the lightest color represents the lowest value which makes sense to the map reader.

The map titled “Difference, 1990 to 2000 Number of People” shows the amount the population changed by in the United States from 1990 to 2000. The various population change values are broken up according to amount which is represented by several different colors. The values for this map were calculated by subtracting the number of people present in the year 1990 from the number of people present in the year 2000. The color ramp selected to represent the kind of data shown in this map was best because it is logical to the map reader. The three highest values of the data are all colors of the same color family. The highest of these three values is the darkest color, while the lowest is the lightest. The two lowest values of the data, which are both negative, are lighter and darker versions of the same color as well. The color that represents the first values that aren’t negative in the data is a dark gray color, which is a good representation because it’s a sensible way to let the audience know the values are no longer negative.

The map titled “Percent Change, 1990 to 2000 Total Population” shows the percentage the population changed by from 1990 to 2000. The various values are broken up according to amount which is represented by several different colors. The values for this map were calculated by subtracting the number of people present in the year 1990 from the number of people present in the year 2000, dividing that by the number of people present in the year 1990, and then multiplying it by 100. The color ramp selected to represent the kind of data shown in this map was best because it is logical to the map reader. The highest values of the data are represented by dark colors, while the lowest values are represented by light colors which makes sense to the map audience.

The map titled “Population Density, 2000” shows the density of the total population in the year 2000. The values for this map were calculated by dividing the total number of people living in the given area by the total land area. The color ramp selected to represent the kind of data shown in this map was best because it is logical to the map reader. The highest and lowest values of the data are in dark contrasting colors. The lowest middle values of the data are in similar light colors which represent a large majority of the map. The highest and lowest values of the data are easy to spot on the map because they greatly contrast the lightly-colored majority of the map.