Modified Demographic Characteristics: Using Census 2010 as a Base for the Population Estimates Program in the Coming Decade

Ben Bolender, U.S. Census Bureau
Michele Steinmetz, U.S. Census Bureau
Alexa Jones-Puthoff, U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau recently released the Modified Race Summary File that contains modified counts by race categories based on Census 2010 data tabulated by age, sex, and Hispanic origin categories for counties and county equivalents in the United States and Puerto Rico. The Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program modifies the enumerated race data for use in the production of Census 2010 based postcensal population estimates and projections. The modification reconciles the Census 2010 race categories with race categories that appear, or will appear, in the data from administrative records, which we use to produce population estimates and projections. This paper highlights the methodology used, discusses possible alternatives, and points toward future research on modifications to other demographic characteristics (such as the age distribution).