Based on the results of the 2018 End-to-End Census Test, prior census tests, and other research, the Decennial Census Programs Directorate determined its approach to using administrative data in many operations of the 2020 Census. Events that occurred during the fielding of the 2020 Census, including the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, required some adjustments to these plans.

In this context, we are using “administrative data” broadly to include:

• Microdata records contained in files collected and maintained by federal, state, and local government agencies (traditionally referred to as administrative records).
• Microdata records contained in files collected and maintained by commercial entities (often referred to as third-party data).

As well as:

• Macro- and microdata from Census Bureau data collections for statistical purposes and address enhancement operations (internal data).
• Macrodata from publicly available sources (public data).

The intended uses of administrative data and the expected sources of data evolved throughout the research and planning for the 2020 Census and their actual use was expanded during 2020 Census fielding. This report documents the final use of administrative data during the 2020 Census. It updates and can replace the similar “intended use” memo made public in 2020 (Deaver, May 2020).