Social Explorer

Step 1: Go to libraries.olemiss.edu.

Scroll past the image until you see the UM Libraries search box. At the bottom of the box, the third option from the left is "Databases." Click on "Databases." 

Step 2: The database A-Z page.

Now that you are on the database A-Z page, click on "S" and scroll down the list of "S" databases until you find Social Explorer.

Step 3: Explore Maps.

On the Social Explorer landing page, look at the list on the top left of the page. Explore Maps is the default view, this page lists several popular maps. Most people begin by exploring the basic United States map at the top center of the page. Click Explore below the United States map.

Step 4: The map.

The default map displays population density. You can change this default by selecting "Change Data" in the top right of the Population Density box.

Step 5: Decide what content to show on the map.

You can change both the type (categories) and date (years) of the data. Different data categories are available based on the years you select. Social Explorer provides data on the United States back to the 1790s. To see older data, select "Show All Years".

Step 6: Education data.

The map displays the percentage of the population (over 25) who obtained a bachelor's degree or higher. This data comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) of 2018.  Social Explorer allows the user to zoom in and out on the map, displaying statewide data as well as countywide data. In the example below, the data is displayed at the county level.

Step 7: Health data.

This particular variable displays the percentage of persons with limited access to healthy foods.

Step 8: Underlying data.

To learn more about the underlying data, click on the "i" icon. For further information, click on the "Open Data Dictionary."

Step 9: Data Dictionary.

In this example, the Data Dictionary provides additional information on the "Persons with limited access to healthy foods" variable.

You are welcome to share any of this information with others. If you are a librarian or educator, you are welcome to use this guide and its contents for your own purposes.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.