New Publication
2020 Census Data Products: Demographic and Housing Characteristics File
The U.S. Census Bureau’s Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC) file is an important source of data for local governments – particularly those with small populations – as well as many other data users in the federal, state, academic, and business sectors. Importantly, DHC data have ramifications for measuring diversity because it provides age, sex, race, ethnicity, and household characteristics.
To assist the Census Bureau with its new disclosure avoidance system for 2020 Census data products, the Committee on National Statistics convened a public workshop on June 21-22, 2022 focusing specifically on the DHC. The disclosure avoidance system implements a new approach to protect the confidentiality and privacy of respondents. The workshop garnered feedback from users on the usability of the privacy-protected data by evaluating DHC demonstration files produced with the TopDown Algorithm for 2010 Census data. Participants included demographers; academics; and local, state, and federal government officials, who provided feedback on the parameters of the TopDown Algorithm for the 2020 DHC.