491 – Methodology and Utilization of Administrative Data
Evaluating the Service Monthly and Annual Sample Maintenance (SMASM) Quarterly Birth Recanvassing Operations
Michael Owen
US Census Bureau
The US Census Bureau’s quarterly birth sampling for Retail, Wholesale, and Service (RWS) sectors is a two-phase process. A sample of newly created EINs is drawn in the first phase and sent the Business and Professional Classification Report (SQ-Class), which collects classification, sales, and structural information. Sampled cases from first phase are then subjected to sampling in second phase, based on the responses from the SQ-Class when available. Selects are added to the current RWS surveys. Not all EINs will receive enough information to be subjected to second phase sampling. These EINs are recanvassed every other quarter until enough information is received to subject them or determine them to be out-of-scope. As a result, EINs that appear to be births in one year may actually have come into existence in prior years. This paper will examine the volume and characteristics of recanvassed cases, their prevalence among second phase selects, the underlying patterns of cases with continuous ineligibility for second phase sampling, the possible impact of these recanvassed cases on the RWS surveys, and mitigation strategies to reduce the number of recanvassable cases each quarter.