Why is there no data for my area in the Map Room?


The Map Room uses a variety of resources to fill our map room with the most up-to-date data indicators. However, there are certain situations where a source will not have data for more granular data sets such as census tracts, block groups, or ZCTA. Those instances include:

  • No Data
  • No People 

No Data

Specific areas may be colored grey to indicate that:

  • No data has been collected for that area
  • The data has been suppressed. Data are suppressed in areas with low populations, due to a small sample size, or because displaying the data could violate privacy.  

No People

The Census Bureau leaves unpopulated blocks and water features out of ZCTA (i.e. ZIP code) shapes. This creates gaps in the map. For example, in the southern part of ZIP 48629, there is the "Rosecommon State Forest Area". This is left blank on the map. 

Here's what the shapefiles from the Census Bureau look like (note the white "gaps"): 

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