A Geographic Analysis of Characteristic Allocation in the 2010 Census

Christine Borman , U.S. Census Bureau

As the U.S. Census Bureau prepares to conduct the 2020 Census, it is useful to review outcomes from the 2010 Census. The 2010 Decennial Census: Item Nonresponse and Imputation Assessment Report provides a detailed review of data quality, specifically regarding item non-response and characteristic imputation, for the person-level and household-level items from the 2010 Census at the national level. Another way to look at data quality is to break down the allocation rates at different geographic levels. In this paper, the 2010 Census allocation rates for the following person and housing-unit items – relationship to householder, sex, age/date of birth, Hispanic origin, race, tenure (if housing unit is occupied), and detailed vacancy status (if housing unit is vacant) – are analyzed at the region, state, and county levels. This paper will present levels and geographic patterns of allocations that will help inform expectations for the 2020 Census.

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 Presented in Session 123. Flash Session: Geospatial Analysis in Applied Demography