This document analyzes demographic changes in Lancaster County, Nebraska from 1970 to 2010 using census data. It focuses on Census Tract 9 in Lincoln, which remained fairly stable in population but became more diverse over time. In 1970, Tract 9 was 98.9% white with low diversity. By 2010, the white population dropped to 78.7% and diversity increased as the Asian and Hispanic populations grew. Overall, the diversity index in Tract 9 rose over 2000% during this period, representing Lancaster County's transition to becoming a more diverse community.

1. Jon Swanson | GIST 1140 | September 22, 2015
The Changing Face of
Lincoln
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN LANCASTER COUNTY,
NEBRASKA 1970-2010
Photo Courtesy of LPS

2. PAGE 1
The City of Lincoln is the Seat of Lancaster County and the Capitol of the State of
Nebraska. Over the last fourty-five years it has undergone a process that has transformed
it from an un-diverse city to one that is home to people of many races, backgrounds and
homelands. This paper will map these changes from 1970 through 2010 by using data
from decennial Censuses at the Tract level for Lancaster County to calculate a Diversity
Index. Particular attention will be given to Census Tract 9, in north-central Lincoln.
The purpose of this study is to
document the process of change and to
locate it spatially. It is also to measure the
rate of change. In short, it is to provide a
baseline of data that can be used for further
studies. Information desired is the
compositions and percentages of
populations in each Tract and the Diversity
Index (DI) for each. The percentage of
change in the DI is also wanted. Spatially,
the location and distribution of Low to
High diversity Tracts is also helpful in future analysis.
The data for this presentation was obtained from the Census Bureau, the National
Historical Geographic System of the Minnesota Population Center, the MapUSA project
of Brown University and ESRI Online.

3. PAGE 2
The difficulties in a study of this sort revolve around the changing
methods of the Census Bureau in its enumeration and shifting Tract boundaries.
For example, Track 36.01, which corresponds to the Nebraska State Penitentiary,
shows zero population in 1980 although it is populated and among the most
diverse in the other four Censuses. Despite extensive research, the author was
unable to determine the reason for this. Another obstacle is the changing way the
Census counts population. In 1970 the Census had three racial categories: White,
“Negro” and Other. In 1980 they added the categories, Other-“Spanish” and
Other-“Non-Spanish”. Later Censuses have other changes and it is something that
the reader should keep in mind while studying the data. Tract boundaries change
over time, as well, because as population increases and shifts, the need to have
relatively balanced Tracts forces changes and increases the challenge of analysis.
The method of analysis chosen was to calculate each group’s percentage
of total population in each Tract. From that data, the DI was calculated for each
Tract and Normalized by percentage of total population. In general, that analysis
shows less diversity in the rural areas of Lancaster County and increasing
diversity as one moves towards the city center. While the entire County becomes
more divers over time, the pattern holds, with the Tracts in the center being the
most diverse. In addition, nearly all Tracts show a decline in the percentage of
White Population.

4. PAGE 3
While several Tracts showed
interesting results, in analyzing these
changes over time it is helpful to
focus on one that is representative of
broader trends. The chosen area is
Tract 9. It is located in north central
Lincoln, roughly bordered on the
south by O Street, on the east by N.
48th Street, in the north by Huntington
Street and on the west by N. 33rd
Street. It was chosen because its total
population has remained fairly stable
while changing more demographically and little spatially from 1970 to 2010.
In 1970, Tract 9 had a population of 3,505, of whom 98.9% were White, 0.54%
were Black and 0.51% were Other. Its DI was 0.020945, or Medium Low by
classification. By 1980, its population was 3,334 with 94.7% White, 1.58% Black, 0.2%
Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0% Hispanic and 0.89% Other. The DI was 0.100683, an
increase of 380.7%, bringing it into the Medium class. While the percentage of Black
population tripled, the major change here seems to be the increase in residents of Asian
ancestry, although it is impossible to say because they were not counted separately in
1970.
By 1990, the trend continued. The Tract had a population of 3,264 with 91.3%
being White, 2.75% Black, 0.42% Native American, 4.19% Asian and Pacific Islander,

5. PAGE 4
1.25% Other and 2.75% Hispanic. The Tract became classified as Medium High with a
Diversity Index of 0.280609, increasing by 178.71%. The largest change here is the
dramatic increase in the Hispanic population of the Tract, although the increase in the
percentage of Asian residents continued.
In the 2000 Census, Tract 9 had a population of 3,946. 84.3% of the population
were White, Blacks constituted 3.8% of residents, Native Americans 0.06%, Asians and
Pacific Islanders were 5.5%, 5.2% claimed Hispanic heritage, 2.7% were Other and in a
new category established by the Census, 3% said they were Multi-Racial. The DI for
2000 had a Medium High classification of 0.354322, an increase of 26.27%. During this
decade, the proportion of Hispanic residents continued to climb, along with the number
of Black inhabitants while Asian representation leveled off. The increase in the DI was
less dramatic, probably because having started out so low; changes in population will
affect it less.
Finally, in 2010 this area of north-central Lincoln had a population of 3,749 with
78.7% of them being White, 3.46% Black, 0.64% Native American, 7.68% Asian, 6.93%
Hispanic, 0.21% Other, 2.34% Multi-Racial, and 0% for the newly established category
of Pacific Islander. It stayed in the Medium High class with a DI of 0.454159, which was

6. PAGE 5
a 28.18% increase since 2000. The trend of Asian and Hispanic growth continued.
Overall, from 1970 to 2010, the Diversity Index rose by 2,064.54% and the percentage of
the White population dropped by 20.45% in Census Tract 9.
This area of Lincoln may have shown more dramatic change than other parts of
the city, but it is indicative of a trend. Lancaster County is becoming more diverse and
less segregated. The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this paper, but it is clear that
this process will continue and require
citizens, neighbors and decision makers
to accept, if not embrace it.

7. PAGE 6
Sources
ArcGIS Online. Map Service. City_Limits. Kurt_Elder. (2015, September 12). Retrieved
September 12, 2015, from https://www.arcgis.com/home/
Geography and Data. (2015, September 5).United States Census Bureau. Retrieved
September 5, 2015, from http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/index.html
MapUSA: Data Download. Brown University. (2015, September 7). Retrieved September
7, 2015, from http://www.s4.brown.edu/mapusa/Default.aspx
Minnesota Population Center. National Historical Geographic Information System:
Version 2.0. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota 2011. Retrieved September 1,
2015, from http://www.nhgis.org
Cover page photo URL
http://wp.lps.org/clinton/files/2012/11/IMG-20121116-00030-300x225.jpg
1970 map photo URL
http://www.southerneddesk.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Segregation_Associated-
Press.jpg
1980 map photo URL
http://static01.nyt.com/images/2010/06/14/us/HALEY-2/HALEY-2-popup.jpg
1990 map photo URL
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2014/05/11/sunday-
review/11KIRPsub1/11KIRPsub1-videoSixteenByNine600.jpg
2000 map photo URL
http://archives.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/cdbg30/wa/lakewood/line.jp
g
2010 map photo URL
http://theredwire.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/1school-700x561.jpg