The U.S. Plans To Stop Releasing Its Most Detailed Census Data

The Census Bureau is concerned about privacy. Maybe a little too concerned. As a data-focused journalist who writes about economic and demographic trends, I use census data a lot. Specifically, I rely on the individual-level microdata that is released by the bureau and turned into an easily usable format by the Minnesota Population Center. I am among tens of-of thousands (pdf) of data analysts who rely on this data to study American poverty, health, and population patterns. The Census announced this week that, because of privacy concerns, this microdata will no longer be made widely available.