About 2020 Census Data Products

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About 2020 Census Data Products

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View 2010/2020 Data Products Comparison

The apportionment results and redistricting data are now available, and there’s much more to come from the 2020 Census.

We are developing the next set of 2020 Census data products and are moving deliberately to ensure that we can produce the high-quality statistics that the public expects. The pandemic delayed our operations, and we’re in the midst of implementing new confidentiality protections.

Below are descriptions of these products, including their planned lowest level of geography covered and release dates. These data products are for public use and may be accompanied by graphs, maps, reports, and results in other forms.

A few notes:

As we develop the data products, we are taking time to balance accuracy in the detailed information with our confidentiality obligations.
We will determine the final content for these products based on data user feedback and disclosure avoidance development and testing. More information is available on the Developing the DAS: Demonstration Data and Progress Metrics webpage.
We will continue to update this webpage as information becomes available.

Apportionment
Redistricting File (P.L. 94-171)
Demographic Profile
Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)
Congressional District Summary Files
Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A)
Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B)
Supplemental Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (S-DHC)
Privacy Protected Microdata Files (PPMF)
2020 Census Data Product Planning
Related Information
2010 Census Data Products

2020 Census Apportionment Results

Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. At the conclusion of each decennial census, the results are used to calculate the number of seats to which each state is entitled.

Subjects: Resident population, overseas population, and apportionment population
Geographic Detail: 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
Access: 2020 Census Apportionment Results
Date: Released April 26, 2021

Redistricting Data Summary File (P.L. 94-171)

Public Law 94-171 directs the Census Bureau to provide the data that may be used for redistricting to the governors and the officers or public bodies having responsibility for redistricting in each of the 50 states.

This product is the first from the 2020 Census that includes demographic and housing characteristics about detailed geographic areas including states, counties and places.

Subjects: Voting age, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, housing occupancy status, group quarters population by major group quarters type
Lowest level of geography: Census block
Access: FTP site in August (links to data files and support materials are available on the Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data Summary Files page); data.census.gov on September 16
Date: Released on FTP August 12, 2021; the same data released on data.census.gov on September 16, 2021

Demographic Profile

This product provides selected demographic and housing characteristics about the nation and local communities.

Subjects: Age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household type, relationship to householder, group quarters population, housing occupancy, and housing tenure.
Access: data.census.gov. Direct links to national and state-level tables are available on the Demographic Profile webpage.
Lowest level of geography: Tracts.
Release date: May 25, 2023.
Data Table Guide: Includes the final list of tables, lowest level of geography by table and table shells.
Equivalent 2010 Census product: The 2020 Census Demographic Profile is very similar to the 2010 Census Demographic Profile. The content is the same except for a few statistics related to household size that are planned for inclusion in the Supplemental Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (S-DHC).

Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)

This product provides detailed demographic and housing characteristics about the nation and local communities. We encourage data users to aggregate small populations and geographies to improve accuracy and diminish implausible results.

Subjects: Age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household type, family type, relationship to householder, group quarters population, housing occupancy, and housing tenure.
Access: data.census.gov. Direct links to popular tables are available on the DHC webpage.
Lowest level of geography: Varies, with many tables available for census blocks.
Release date: May 25, 2023.
Data Table Guide: Includes the list of tables, lowest level of geography by table, and table shells.
Equivalent 2010 Census product: The 2010 Census Summary File 1 is the closest equivalent to the DHC. For information about these differences between these products, visit the DHC webpage.

Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC) Timeline

Congressional District Summary Files

This product retabulates selected summary levels from the Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC) for the 118th Congress and new state legislative districts. If states report additional changes for future congressional sessions (e.g., 119th, 120th, etc.), the Census Bureau will regenerate the summary file using the new boundaries. If no changes for a future session are reported, the previously generated congressional district file is used as both its original and subsequent congressional session product and no re-tabulation is created.

Subjects: Age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household type, family type, relationship to householder, group quarters population, housing occupancy and housing tenure.
Access: data.census.gov.
Proposed 2020 geographies: Congressional districts, state legislative districts and other selected geographies.

Planned release date: August 2023.

Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A)

Subjects: Population counts and sex by age statistics for approximately 370 detailed racial and ethnic groups, such as German, Lebanese, Jamaican, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Mexican, as well as about 1,200 detailed American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages, such as Navajo Nation.
Access: data.census.gov.
2020 geographies: Nation, state, county, places (cities and towns), census tracts, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AIANNH) areas.

Planned release date: September 2023.

Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) Timeline

Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B)

Subjects: Household type and tenure information for the same detailed race and ethnicity groups and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages mentioned for the Detailed DHC-A. 
Access: data.census.gov.
2020 geographies: Nation, state, county, places (cities and towns), census tracts, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AIANNH) areas.
Planned release date: September 2024.

Supplemental Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (S-DHC)

The S-DHC tables reflect especially complex relationships between the characteristics about households and the people living in them. These complex characteristics supplement the data about households and people available in the DHC product. We often refer to these tables as “complex person-household join tables” or “join tables.”  Some tables are repeated by race and ethnicity.

Subjects: Data that combine characteristics about households and the people living in them, including the total population in households, average household size by age and tenure, average family size, household and family type for people under 18 years old, and total population in households by tenure.
Access: data.census.gov.
2020 geographies: Nation, state.

Planned release date: September 2024.

Privacy-Protected Microdata Files (PPMF)

These Privacy-Protected Microdata Files (PPMF) will come from the production run of the DHC, which incorporates all data included in the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File. The PPMF will consist of separate files for people and housing units. The PPMF provide the complete set of privacy-protected records. The precursor to the PPMF – the 2010 Census Public Use Microdata Sample – provided a 10 percent sample of the records.

Subjects: All subjects in the DHC release.
Access: ftp.census.gov
Proposed 2020 geographies: The files will include block geocode identifiers enabling data users to generate custom tabulations for numerous geographic levels.
Release date: To be determined, but it will follow the DHC release.