2010 Census Data Resources

Hard to Count Data Resources
Federal Funding Allocations Based on Census Data - UPDATED Dec. 2009!

Hard to Count Data Resources

Throughout the history of the decennial census, it has been easier to achieve a more accurate count of certain population groups than others. Since 1940, scientific evaluations have confirmed that the census misses higher proportions of racial and ethnic minorities, low income households, and young children than of other population segments, such as non-Hispanic Whites, affluent households, and older Americans. Some of the latter groups are even subject to overcounting, due to factors such as ownership of more than one home and a higher percentage of children attending college away from home. (This gap in accuracy is often referred to as the “differential undercount.”)

More recently, the Census Bureau has worked to identify the location and characteristics of communities that are at greater risk of being undercounted. The Tract Level Planning Database with Census 2000 Data (Planning Database, or PDB) uses a range of demographic, housing, and socio-economic factors that correlate to low mail response in the census. The Census Bureau designates these low response areas as “hard to count” (HTC) communities.

Factors that contribute to the HTC designations for neighborhoods include demographic indicators such as poverty, low educational attainment, unemployment, complex household arrangements, high mobility, and minority language status, and housing indicators such as high percentage of renters and vacant units, multi-unit buildings, crowded housing, and lack of telephones.

For more information on the Planning Database the Census Bureau is using to guide its 2010 census efforts, and to access to the PDB itself, click here.

To assist funders, the Funders Census Initiative is pleased to offer the following: