2020 Census data releases

Supplemental Demographic and Housing Characteristics File

The Supplemental Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (S-DHC) provides tables that combine the characteristics of households and the people living in them. These tables supplement the data about households and people released in the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC). Some tables are repeated by race and Hispanic origin groups.

Counts are available at the national and state level. No statistics are available at the substate level.

Subjects: Average household size and counts of people living in certain types of households:

• Average household size by age (PH1) *
• Household type (e.g. family or nonfamily households for the population in households) (PH2).
• Population under the age of 18 years, by relationship and household type (PH3).*
• Population in families by age (PH4).*
• Average family size by age (PH5).*
• Family type and age for own children under the age of 18 years (PH6).
• Total population in occupied housing units by tenure (e.g., whether the home is owned or rented) (PH7).*
• Average household size of occupied housing units by tenure (PH8).*

Tables marked with an asterisk (*) are also available by the following race and Hispanic origin groups: White alone; Black or African American alone; American Indian and Alaska Native alone; Asian alone; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone; Some Other Race alone; Two or More Races; Hispanic or Latino; White alone, not Hispanic or Latino. Tables by race and Hispanic origin are similarly named as those for the total population. For example, Average housing size by age for the total population is listed in table PH1 and for the race and Hispanic origin are listed in tables PH1A-PH1I. You can search for those race and Hispanic tables directly or use the link to the total tables above to modify your selection.

For more information, see the S-DHC webpage.

Privacy Protected Microdata File

The 2020 Census Privacy-Protected Microdata File (PPMF) provides the complete set of privacy-protected records used to create the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File, Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC), and Demographic Profile.

The PPMF consists of separate files for people and housing units. It is the successor to the Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files released in previous decades and is made possible by the new disclosure avoidance methodology used for the 2020 Census.

Subjects: Age (including single year of age), sex, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household type, family type, relationship to householder, group quarters population, housing occupancy (e.g., family or nonfamily) and housing tenure (e.g., whether a home is owned or rented).

Washington State Population | Housing

If you need a county or another substate geography, please contact Erica Gardner.

Technical documentation for the PPMF files is available on the Census Bureau’s PPMF website.

Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B

This release contains housing characteristics such as household type (1, 2, 6 or 8 categories) and whether the household owns or rents (1 or 3 categories) for approximately 1,500 detailed racial and ethnic groups, such as German, Lebanese, Jamaican, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Mexican, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) tribes and villages like the Navajo Nation.

Counts are available at the national, state, county, places (cities and towns), census tracts, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AIANNH) areas. The level of detail released by each racial/ethnic group depends on the geography, detailed or regional race/ethnicity group, and the size of their population within the geography. For more details on the population thresholds for each table, see Chapter 3 in the technical documentation. Data users will also want to review the published margins of error in Chapter 2 of the technical documentation.

To better understand which tables will be available at a given geography, it can be helpful to check the population by detailed race/ethnicity from the Detailed DHC-A release. For your convenience, OFM has the state and county level Detailed DHC-A population posted on this page under the Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A.

State

• T03001: Household Type (universe) (This file is too large to display. You will need to download it to view.)
• T03002: Household Type (2 categories)
• T03003: Household Type (6 categories)
• T03004: Household Type (8 categories)
• T04001: Tenure (universe) (This file is too large to display. You will need to download it to view.)
• T04002: Tenure (3 categories)

Note: You can modify the filters to add geographies of interest and/or to narrow down the race/ethnicity categories.

For more information, see the Detailed DHC-B webpage.

Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A

This release contains population counts and sex by age statistics for approximately 1,500 detailed racial and ethnic groups, such as German, Lebanese, Jamaican, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Mexican, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) tribes and villages like the Navajo Nation.

Counts are available at the national and state level. For substate geographies, including counties, places, census tracts, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian areas, the counts must meet minimum population thresholds to be shown. Depending on the population size of the racial or ethnic group in a given geography, age and sex data may be available for 4, 9, or 23 age categories. Please see the Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristic File A release page and 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) Technical Documentation for more details.

The full Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A can be accessed from data.census.gov. State and County level data are also available in the Detailed Race and Ethnicity in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census visualization. You may find the following How to Find Population counts for Detailed Race and Hispanic Origins helpful to learn how to use this visualization.

Below we have aggregate race and ethnicity data from the DHC release and the detailed race and ethnicity data from the Detailed DHC-A release for the total population. Keep in mind there are many more tables available from the DHC release and age and sex detail available from the Detailed DHC-A release that are not shown here.

Demographic and Housing Characteristics File

Access the DHC data through data.census.gov or Explore Data by Topic from the Demographic and Housing Characteristics File release page.

The lowest level of geography varies by table, with many tables available for census blocks.

Data Table Guide: Includes the list of tables, lowest level of geography by table, and table shells.

Demographic Profile

This release has data tables including age, sex race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household type, family type, relationship to householder, group quarters population, and housing tenure.

Access demographic profile data by geography here:

• State
• County
• Place of Census Designated Place (note: table size is too large to view so you will need to download or select fewer places.)
• Census Tracts (note: table size is too large to view so you will need to download or select fewer census tracts.)

Redistricting data will be released in legacy format on August 12. OFM plans to post data in easy to use excel or csv formats within a few days of its release.

The redistricting data includes counts of population by race, ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino origin), voting age, housing occupancy status, and group quarters population down to the census block level. This data will be used to redraw legislative boundaries and boundaries of other jurisdictions that elect representatives using internal districts (counties, cities, schools, ports, and fire districts). Census data will also be used to distribute more than $1.5 trillion in federal funds to states, counties and cities, and to influence public and private decision-making related to education, healthcare, transportation and many more issues.

Data tables

The tables included herein have been created by the Washington State Redistricting Commission, ESRI and CityGate GIS. They are based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Redistricting Data Summary File, also known as the Public Law 94-171 file. In accordance with RCW 44.05.140, the population, race and ethnicity data were adjusted at the Census block level in a manner that reflects the last known place of residence of inmates incarcerated in state adult correctional facilities, persons committed to receive involuntary behavioral health treatment, and persons residing or placed in juvenile justice facilities.

RCW 44.05.140 adjusted Census block, county and voting districts.

2020 Census apportionment data

The apportionment population represents the first official 2020 Census numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The apportionment counts are used to distribute the 435 seats of the House of  representative among the 50 states based on each state’s population. The apportionment population includes the resident population plus the overseas population consisting of military and federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them who could be allocated to a state.

Summary for Washington state

• The apportionment population for Washington state is 7,715,946.
• Based on the apportionment population, Washington will have a total of 10 seats in the House of Representative, the same as the past decade.
• The resident population for Washington state is 7,705,281 making Washington the 13th most populous state in the country.
• Washington’s resident population increased by 14.6 percent or 980,741 people between 2010 and 2020 outpacing the national growth rate of 7.4 percent.
• The overseas population for Washington is 10,665.
• More on 2020 Census apportionment.

Operational metrics from the 2020 Census

• Introduction to the Quality Indicators: Operational Metrics
• Quality Metrics Release

2020 Census geographic files

Washington’s updated TIGER/Line Shapefiles, containing geographic entity codes (GEOIDs) that can be linked to the Census Bureau’s demographic data, were released on February 2, 2021, and can be found here.

Due to the numerous changes to the census timeline that have led to questions about the quality of the enumeration process, a number of independent groups and advisory bodies have issued reports and recommendations on indicators that the Census Bureau could release in order to help establish confidence in the accuracy of the data. Below are some of those reports.

• Assessment of 2020 Census Data Quality Processes, JASON (independent scientific advisory group) report – February 23, 2021
• Reports from the Government Accountability Office
  • December 9, 2020: The Bureau Concluded Field Work but Uncertainty about Data Quality and Accuracy, and Protection Remains
  • December 3, 2020: Census Bureau Needs to Assess Data Quality Concerns Stemming from Recent Design Changes
  • August 27, 2020: Recent Decision to Compress Census Timeframes Poses Additional Risks to an Accurate Count
• Testimony from House Oversight and Government Reform Hearing, December 3, 2020
  • Christopher Mihm, Managing Director, Strategic Issues, Government Accountability Office
  • Robert L. Santos, Vice President & Chief Methodologist, Urban Institute
  • Joseph J. Salvo, Chief Demographer, New York
  • Jeff Landry, Attorney General, Louisiana (Minority Witness)
• Evaluating the Accuracy of the Decennial Census: A Primer on the Fundamentals of Census Accuracy & Coverage Evaluation, Georgetown Center on Poverty & Inequality (November 2020)
• Other 2020 data for Washington state
  • OFM’s 2020 Estimates using 2010 Census as a base
    • April 1, 2020 population estimates
    • Estimates of April 1 population by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin
  • Census Bureau’s Vintage 2020 Population Estimates for the United States and States

The Census Bureau has developed a new disclosure avoidance system referred to as Differential Privacy. Intended to protect the privacy of individual responses as required by Title 13. A number of data scientists have raised concern about the new system’s effect on data quality and usability. In a series of analyses, OFM has registered its concern about the bureau’s plan and is also closely following reports from other entities addressing data quality concerns.

• Data, information and feedback
  • April 28, 2021 Privacy-Protected Microdata Files
  • OFM Feedback on April 28, 2021 Release of Privacy-Protected Microdata File – May 27, 2021
    • Washington state excel comparison files for global privacy loss budget 12.2 (10.3 persons and 1.9 for housing units) [zip file: 22 MB in 11 files]
    • Washington state CSV census block comparison files for privacy loss budget 12.2 (10.3 persons and 1.9 for housing units) [zip file: 20 MB in 12 files]
    • Washington state excel comparison files for global privacy loss budget 4.5 (4.0 for persons and 0.5 for housing units) [zip file: 22 MB in 11 files]
    • Privacy-Protected 2010 Census Demonstration Data | IPUMS NHGIS
      • Excel comparison files [zip file: 16 MB in 11 files]
  • FSCPE Letter to Biden-Harris Transition Team – Nov. 24, 2020
  • FSCPE Letter to the Data Stewardship Executive Policy Committee – Nov. 23, 2020
  • OFM Feedback on May 27, 2020 Release of Privacy-Protect Microdata File – Aug. 20, 2020
    • Supporting charts [zip file]
      • Excel comparison files [zip file: 84 MB in 15 files]
      • Variables: differs by geodatabase size denoted below:
        • Small: population, housing, occupancy and group quarters population [files size: 103 MB]
        • Medium: same as “small” with the addition of population by race, population by total races tallied and population by sex by 5-year age group [file size: 131 MB]
        • Large: same as “medium” with the addition of population by sex by 5-year age group by race and sex by 1-year age group (tract level only) [files size: 163 MB]
      • Age sex charts
      • Data sets for statistical analysis: SAS summary files (SF1 and DDP)
• Census Bureau: Data Protection and Privacy Program website
• Other places to find Census Bureau’s 2020 Demonstration Files
  • IPUMS and NHGIS website

Given the challenges from the 2020 census, a number of counties and cities have asked if there are mechanisms for requesting a correction to census data after results are released. The Census Bureau describes the generic procedure for requesting corrections across all of its data products per OMB guidelines.

In terms of the decennial census, the most frequent methods that cities and counties use are described below. The links refer to procedures and timelines as deployed in the 2010 census. Once information about these processes directly connected to the 2020 census is released, OFM will update the links.

• Count Question Resolution Program – State, local and Tribal area elected officials can challenge their jurisdiction’s 2020 Census counts through the Census Count Question Resolution (CQR) Program, which will accept challenge submissions from October 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. The Bureau’s goal is to complete and adjudicate all challenges by September 30, 2023. The Census Bureau will not collect additional data during the challenge process, but the challenge could correct a geographic boundary, coding of a housing unit and housing units for a local area, or address processing errors. If a challenge results in a change, the Census Bureau issues official revised counts, which the Bureau and OFM will use in their subsequent estimate series.
  • More information about how this program worked after the 2010 Census
• Request a Special Census – The Census Bureau may conduct a basic enumeration of population, housing units, and group quarters at the request of, and at the expense of, a governmental unit under the Special Census program. Local officials might request a Special Census when there has been a significant population change in their community due to growth or annexation. The Special Census program typically suspends operations two years before and two years after the decennial census.
  • More details on the 2010 Special Census operation