Administrative Records and the 2010 U.S. Census Coverage Measurement Estimates: A Comparison

• Activity Number: 524
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Leah B. Marshall*+
• Companies: U.S. Census Bureau
• Keywords: Administrative Records ; Census ; Coverage Measurement

Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau has initiated substantial research efforts to determine operational uses of administrative records for the 2020 decennial census. This paper examines administrative records coverage of the U.S. from the unique perspective of comparing it to 2010 Census Coverage Measurement estimates which were produced to assess and measure the quality of the decennial census. For this evaluation, an administrative records universe was researched and designed so as to be directly comparable to the 2010 Census counts and the 2010 Census Coverage Measurement estimates. By comparing the coverage of administrative records to these two universes at various levels of geography, by demographic group, and by census operational variables, this paper assesses the quality and utility of administrative records. These findings will help inform 2020 Census research projects evaluating how administrative records can be used in frame development, imputation, and improving quality control.