The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2024 Planning Database (PDB), which includes updated Low Response Score (LRS) data and new operational information from the 2020 Census. The database is designed to assist with survey and census planning at various geographic levels, such as block groups and census tracts.
The 2024 PDB draws from several sources, including the 2020 Census Redistricting Data Summary File, the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File, and five-year estimates from the American Community Survey covering 2018 to 2022. This collection of housing, demographic, socioeconomic, and operational data can be used for a range of purposes. These include identifying areas that may need special outreach efforts, examining expected survey completion rates across different locations, linking map data to create thematic maps, generating reports or cross tabulations, and supporting interviewer-administered surveys.
A key feature of the database is the Low Response Score (LRS), which predicts how likely residents in a given area are to respond to censuses or surveys. The LRS now incorporates new predictors of low response—such as contact strategy options like “internet first” or “internet choice”—which are also included as variables in this year’s database.
The Census Bureau noted that its interactive tool, Response Outreach Area Mapper (ROAM), will soon be updated with these latest LRS figures and other important variables from the PDB.
For further questions or comments about the release, readers are encouraged to contact [email protected].
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