Census Bureau Maps Its Challenges for 2010

The US Census Bureau has released its map of "hard to count" census tracts in advance of the 2010 count.


The data behind this map were developed by studying factors that might suggest people's response to the Census count:

"We looked at what we considered 12 variables that are behind what makes a (Census) tract hard to count," says Steve Jost, associate communications director at the bureau. "Whether or not more people are living in the same housing, whether or not housing has a telephone, the poverty rate, high school graduation rate, linguistic isolation, mobility, unemployment."

The Census Bureau has been working closely with the State Census Data Center (SDC) network, with Governor's Liaisons for the 2010 Census, and with advocacy and partner groups to identify hard-to-count areas and, more importantly, approaches to overcome those challenges.

State Census Data Center contacts will likely have "hard-to-count" scoring at a smaller than tract level and may need to partner with their state GIS Coordinators to help expand on that data with additional information to help guide state and local efforts to ensure a complete count of the nation in 2010.

On the Participant Statistical Areas Program

The following is a guest-post from Randy Fusaro, of the US Census Bureau, on the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP).

The 2010 Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP) will allow participants, following Census Bureau guidelines and criteria, to review, update, and delineate new census tracts, block groups, census designated places (CDPs) and census county divisions (CCDs). The goal of the PSAP is to define appropriate census tracts, block groups, CDPs and CCDs to obtain meaningful, relevant, small area and place-level statistical data. The updated boundaries for these areas will frame all of the 2010 Census tabulations, and will be used for the American Community Survey (ACS) beyond 2010. Data tabulated to these PSAP geographic entities are used by various local, state, and federal agencies and organizations for planning and funding purposes, as well as the private sector, academia, and the public.

Regional and county level governments and organizations are the primary participants in the PSAP program. These primary participants are required to coordinate among all interested parties so that the resulting 2010 PSAP plan accommodates the needs of all interested governments, organizations and individuals in their area. State governments that would like to contribute to the process should contact the Census Bureau Regional Census Center Geographer to get the contact information for the primary participants in their state.

Local governments, organizations, and interested individuals have been essential in the conceptualization, delineation, review and update of Census Bureau small area statistical geographic entities since the early 20th century. The first census tracts were delineated for the 1910 Census. With each consecutive Census, blocks, tracts and other delineations have been added and updated. Local participation and support is crucial for accurate and meaningful small area delineation.

In April 2007, the proposed criteria for the program were published in the Federal Register. Comments were adjudicated and the criteria revised. Final criteria were published in February and March 2008.

The Census Bureau is currently in the process of identifying PSAP participants. The materials for the program, including editing software and county level data, will be distributed to participants later this year. PSAP Training will be offered by the Census Bureau Regional Census Centers (RCC). The participants are expected to review and update the boundaries, returning the materials during the first half of 2009, after which the Census Bureau will review and verify the boundary information.

In creating the 2010 PSAP plan, PSAP participants review and update census tracts, block groups, CDPs and CCDs (in some states) to accommodate changes in their communities and to meet the 2010 PSAP criteria. The following are examples of types of edits that should be executed by the PSAP participants.

• Census tracts that are above the maximum threshold of 8,000 population and 3,200 housing units should be split, while maintaining the integrity of the historical outer boundary.
• Tracts that are below the minimum of 1,200 population and 480 housing units should be merged.
• It is not recommended that major changes to CCDs occur, but, for example, a name change should be made if it no longer reflects areas within the CCD and the community within the CCD.
  

These are examples of potential changes created during the PSAP process. A full detailed list can be found in the PSAP criteria.

The Census Bureau encourages participation in the PSAP process in order to maintain the most up-to-date and accurate small area boundaries for the most effective tabulation of 2010 Census data. More information is on-line on the Census Bureau site.