Census and Economic Information Center
CEIC MISSION AND PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Mission Statement
The Census and Economic Information Center provides demographic and economic data and analysis, GIS support, technical assistance and training. CEIC assists Montana businesses and communities along with schools and government agencies to access and use this information for decision-making.
Program Description
The Census and Economic Information Center (CEIC), a unit of the Department’s Business Resources Division (BRD), per requirements of 90-1-109, Montana Code Annotated, provides a central comprehensive economic and demographic information resource for the department, public and private agencies, and individuals. The primary focus of CEIC is the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and distribution of data. CEIC staff provide access to data and information, technical assistance and training used for research, planning, decision-making, program administration, economic development planning and projects, and business activities. Local development organizations, individuals, and special interest groups whose goals are to stimulate economic development activities in Montana also are users of the data services.
The mission of the U.S. Census Bureau's State Data Center (SDC) Program is to provide efficient access to Census Bureau data and data products and to provide training through a wide network of SDCs, including lead agencies, coordinating agencies, and affiliate partnerships in each state. CEIC is the State of Montana's lead agency in the U.S. Census Bureau's federal-state cooperative State Data Center (SDC) and Business/Industry Data Center (BIDC) Program, and is a member of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis User Group. CEIC's responsibilities to the SDC/BIDC program, under the Memorandum of Agreement between the Bureau of the Census and the State of Montana, include the coordination of a twenty-nine member state affiliate network.
The CEIC provides research and technical assistance for information requests and special projects, and data access training for a variety of clients. Virtually a one-stop depository of a wide variety of information on Montana, CEIC has data which include detailed population and housing characteristics; income and employment; agriculture; retail and wholesale trade; manufacturing; mining, foreign trade; construction; small area market data; government finances; etc.
CEIC offers a range of services to support geographic information system (GIS) and mapping applications of census and economic data and assists users in identifying, acquiring, and using data in GIS in a variety of ways. CEIC also acts as a clearinghouse of data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other agencies. The data include the TIGER/Line files, Census geography (blocks, block groups, tracts, counties, etc.), Decennial Census, and other demographic and socioeconomic information that may be linked to Census geography or other units of geography. CEIC staff offer technical assistance and training to develop GIS applications related to demographic and socioeconomic needs as well as technical assistance and training for users to prepare and integrate CEIC data into their GIS applications.
CEIC's special library includes a collection of documents and electronic files of both historical and current data; special publications; and annual, quarterly, and monthly statistical reports from federal agencies and other Montana state agencies. CEIC's comprehensive web site allows clients to research and collect these data in an easily accessible, accurate, and timely manner.
Last Modified: April 30, 2007
