Coming Soon: DHC Demonstration Data; Webinar
March 2, 2022: With development of the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC) progressing, we are providing a status update to keep you informed and help with your planning.
Although we released DHC demonstration data based on the 2010 Census in October 2019 and May 2020, we are releasing two additional rounds of demonstration data. These will be the first to include all proposed 2020 DHC tables and will have separate comment periods. For the upcoming release, data users can expect release of "person" tables on March 16, with "housing" tables released shortly thereafter. Please join us for a webinar March 22 at 3:00 pm ET to walk through the information and answer questions (log-in information to follow).
The DHC is the successor to Summary File 1 from previous censuses and includes a range of demographic and housing characteristics information. Following completion of the DHC, we’ll prepare demonstration data for the Detailed DHC, the successor to the former Summary File 2 and the American Indian and Alaska Native Summary File (AIANSF).
The Detailed DHC will include data on detailed racial and ethnic population groups, such as German, Lebanese, Jamaican, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Mexican, and detailed American Indian and Alaska Native tribal and village population groups, such as Navajo Nation. In addition, it will include complex household composition and characteristics tables, which provide the number of people living in certain household types.
Recall that in September 2021, we solicited feedback on proposals for both the DHC and Detailed DHC tables. The feedback you submitted will help shape the scope and granularity of these products. All final release dates are still to be determined.
What to Expect for Round 1 of the DHC Demonstration Data:
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As in the past, the DHC demonstration data apply the current iteration of the Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS) to 2010 Census data. This allows a side-by-side comparison of the impact of this version of the DAS against the tables published after the 2010 Census. Keep in mind that the comparison is imperfect; the 2010 data reflect the impacts of swapping.
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Separate release of “person” and “housing” tables. Our progress on tuning the “person” tables is further along than the “housing” characteristics tables. “Person” tables include sex, age, Hispanic origin, race, relationship to householder, and group quarters. Some person and housing tables are repeated by race and ethnicity. Housing characteristics tables include content on tenure, vacancy, household type, family type, couple type, and household characteristics. Rather than delay the person tables, we will release those first and follow up with a separate release of the housing tables. You’ll have at least 30 days to evaluate and provide feedback on both.
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Based on your feedback so far, we are proposing additional tables and geographical granularity, but those will be included in the second round of demonstration data. The tables released as part of this first demonstration data product will reflect tables included in the September 16, 2021, 2020 Census Data Product Planning Crosswalk. The scope and granularity of those proposed changes are dependent on ongoing analysis.
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Detailed Summary Metrics. The release will include performance metrics using the same format included in previous releases. Tables that had been included as placeholders in the Detailed Summary Metrics documents released during development of the 2020 Census (PL. 94-171) Redistricting Data Summary File will now include data providing performance metrics.
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Produced in summary file format only. The demonstration data will be published in table format only; there will not be a Privacy-Protected Microdata File (PPMF) published with this release. While microdata is used to generate the tabular data we’ll publish, it includes details at geographic levels we are not planning to publish for certain tables. Forgoing PPMF creation for the demonstration data allows us to achieve greater accuracy for the published tables for the same level of confidentiality protection.
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Tuning is ongoing. Tuning the settings and parameters for the algorithm that allocates privacy-loss budget to each query and geographic level is an iterative and ongoing process that will continue through and beyond the comment period. To produce the demonstration data, the Census Bureau team is analyzing the outcomes of multiple algorithm variations and privacy-loss budget allocations. Each successive iteration aims to improve upon the previous one. When we release the demonstration data, we will identify known issues that we are actively working to address and may resolve during the comment period.
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The privacy-loss budget allocation will reflect a range of accuracy. Subject matter experts in the Census Bureau’s Demographic Programs Directorate have established an array of accuracy targets for the demonstration data based on external stakeholder feedback and internal program requirements. When we speak about the accuracy of data, we are speaking about statistical accuracy. Consistent with the Office of Management and Budget’s Statistical Policy Directive #1 (as codified in Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act of 2018), statistical accuracy means that our publicly released data products meet established information quality guidelines while also protecting the confidentiality of respondents’ information and, when appropriate, providing information on limitations of the data that may assist data users in determining the suitability of the data for their purposes. We continue to tune the DAS to meet those targets, but not all tables in the first round of demonstration data will meet those marks. Data user feedback on these demonstration data will enable further tuning and optimization of these privacy-loss budget allocations. Your feedback throughout this process will also inform the setting of the privacy-loss budget used for the production (final) settings.
As always, we welcome your questions via our email: 2020DAS@census.gov.
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