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Census Bureau outlines how the new disclosure avoidance policy will affect its data products

  • 1.  Census Bureau outlines how the new disclosure avoidance policy will affect its data products

    Posted 16 hours ago
    The Census Bureau just published a director's blog explaining how it plans to implement Commerce Department Administrative Order 216-26, which bans noise infusion and designates coarsening as the preferred disclosure avoidance method.
     
    A few highlights for data users:
     
    • 2030 Census: The CB plans to release a demonstration data product in mid-2027 for public feedback, which will inform census testing and 2030 Census design decisions.
    • ACS: The CB is conducting research into how these methods will be used and expects a gradual transition, completed by 2029. Already-published products, including the 2024 ACS, won't be affected.
    • Other products: Demographic surveys that use noise infusion will undergo disclosure risk assessments. Most economic indicators rely on suppression and won't change, but the Quarterly Financial Report will return to suppression. The CB is exploring alternatives for County Business Patterns, and LEHD products will continue using noise infusion until state data-sharing agreements are updated.
     
    If you'd like a refresher on how these methods work, our interactive Disclosure Avoidance Explorer walks through coarsening, suppression, and noise infusion with hypothetical examples: https://fdf.connectedcommunity.org/blogs/disclosure-avoidance-explorer


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    Mark Mather
    Associate VP
    PRB
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