Research Matters Blog

In the latest annual income report, the Census Bureau tabulates the national income distribution using survey responses collected as part of the 2024 CPS ASEC.

Supplemental Poverty Measure

How Updating Annual Poverty Thresholds Impacts Poverty Rates

September 10, 2024

The U.S. Census Bureau released updated estimates of the official poverty measure and the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).

Income

How Inflation Affects Income and Earnings Estimates

September 04, 2024

On Sept. 10, 2024, a new report will be released comparing estimates of median income and earnings between 2022 and 2023 and historical income and earnings.

Emergency Preparedness

Vulnerable Populations Exposed to Hurricane Debby

August 09, 2024

Hurricane Debby made landfall as a Category 1 (74-95 miles per hour) hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida at 7 a.m. EDT Monday, August 5.

Research

Census Bureau Economists to Present at AEA-ASSA Annual Meeting

January 03, 2024

U.S. Census Bureau economists and social scientists are set to present their research findings at the annual meeting of the AEA-ASSA on January 5-7, 2024.

Administrative Records

Using Administrative Data to Evaluate Nonresponse Bias - CPS ASEC

September 12, 2023

In the annual income report, Income in the United States: 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau tabulates the national income distribution using survey responses.

Information and Communication Technology

Results From Recent Research on Advanced Technology Use and Automation

September 11, 2023

Using robots to automate tasks is becoming increasingly common, even outside of manufacturing — for example, in fast food restaurant kitchens and hospitals.

Income

How Inflation Affects the Census Bureau’s Income and Earnings Estimate

September 06, 2023

On Sept. 12, 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau will release a new report comparing estimates of median income and earnings between 2021 and 2022.

Agency (History)

How Technology Is Making it Possible to Build the Largest Dataset in History About the United States and the People Who Live Here

April 20, 2023

Linking data sheds light on where and why people move, and generational changes in social class and family structure.

Research

Census Bureau Economists to Present at AEA and ASSA Annual Meetings

January 03, 2023

U.S. Census Bureau economists are set to present research findings at the annual meeting of the AEA and ASSA January 6–8.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Survey

Technology Transformation at the Census Bureau: Building a Modern, Data-Centric Ecosystem

October 05, 2022

The U.S. Census Bureau has historically helped answer both simple questions like "What’s the population of Utah?” and more complex questions like “How are declining business start-up rates related to living standards?”

Income

How Has the Pandemic Continued to Affect Survey Response? Using Administrative Data to Evaluate Nonresponse in the 2022 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement

September 13, 2022

The U.S. Census Bureau tabulates the national income distribution using survey responses collected during February through April 2022.

Income

Unanticipated Benefits of Compensating Survey Respondents

August 03, 2022

This blog summarizes and discusses findings on how earnings nonresponse compared across groups.

Income Inequality

Census Bureau Economists to Present at the American Economic Association and Allied Social Science Association Annual Meetings

January 03, 2022

U.S. Census Bureau economists are set to present at the annual meeting of the AEA and ASSA scheduled to be held virtually Jan. 7–9.

Research

Four Cooperative Agreements: Census Bureau Research on Record Linkage and Entity Resolution

October 26, 2021

These cooperative agreements constitute a mechanism for the Census Bureau to engage with the research community to encourage and promote methodological research and technology development.

Administrative Records

How Did the Pandemic Affect Survey Response

September 14, 2021

This blog discusses whether response rates have rebounded to prepandemic levels and the extent of nonresponse bias in 2021.

Health Insurance

Transitions in Health Insurance Coverage: A Look Inside Annual Health Coverage Statistics

September 13, 2021

As a result of a redesign in 2014, the CPS ASEC questionnaire includes questions that probe whether respondents had continuous coverage.

Business and Economy

Census Bureau Economists to Present at American Economic Association and Allied Social Science Association Annual Meetings

December 29, 2020

U.S. Census Bureau economists will present the results from their research at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association and the Allied Social Science Associations.

NAICS Sector 31-33 Manufacturing

2018 Data Measures Automation in U.S. Businesses

November 03, 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI), robots, and other automation types are dramatically changing the way production occurs in U.S. businesses.

Research

Three Cooperative Agreements: Research on Statistical Information

September 17, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau, in conjunction with several agency partners, is delighted to announce the award of three cooperative agreements.

Disclosure Avoidance

ACS Updates on Disclosure Avoidance and Release Plans

August 20, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau is on track to release the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates as scheduled Sept. 17, 2020.

Data Collection & Processing

Tech Stats Centralizes Data, Research and Measures Technology's Impact

July 31, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau has recently released Tech Stats that will centralize the location of data and research products that focus on advanced technologies, their use, and their impact on the U.S. economy and workforce.

Employment

The Impact of 2010 Census Hiring on the Unemployment Rate

June 30, 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau hires hundreds of thousands of temporary workers to conduct the decennial census.

Disclosure Avoidance

Modernizing Disclosure Avoidance: A Multipass Solution to Postprocessing Error

June 18, 2020

In our last blog, we discussed the feedback we received from the data user community about demonstration data released last fall that were produced using the interim version of the 2020 Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS).

2020 Census

Modernizing Disclosure Avoidance: What We've Learned, Where We Are Now

March 13, 2020

We want to highlight some of the feedback we have received and how we are using it to improve the Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS) that will be used for the 2020 Census.

Disclosure Avoidance

Census Bureau Works With Data Users to Protect 2020 Census Data Products

February 12, 2020

The Census Bureau’s mission is “to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.” As an agency, we take this responsibility seriously.

Disclosure Avoidance

Balancing Privacy and Accuracy: New Opportunity for Disclosure Avoidance Analysis

October 29, 2019

Today, the Census Bureau is releasing demonstration data products designed to help our data user community better understand the disclosure avoidance system.

Income

Fourth Wave of 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)

October 08, 2019

In March 2017, we released the first version of the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Wave 1 data.

Health Insurance

Current Coverage, Calendar-Year Coverage: Two Measures, Two Concepts

September 10, 2019

Analysis of the new current health insurance coverage estimates in the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

Income

CPS ASEC Redesign and Processing Changes

September 04, 2019

The U.S. Census Bureau has been engaged in implementing improvements to the CPS ASEC income, health insurance and demographic content.

Disclosure Avoidance

Disclosure Avoidance and the 2018 Census Test: Release of the Source Code

June 06, 2019

The 2020 Census marks the first time that any federal government statistical agency applied the rigorous rule of differential privacy.