Dear IPUMS User,

The Census Bureau has announced new rules for disclosure control in public use data products, including both ACS microdata and small-area data from the 2020 census. The new policies will have a large impact on public use data products, and could severely limit the utility of microdata and small-area data. I fear that scientists, planners, and the public may lose the free access we have enjoyed to reliable public Census Bureau data describing American social and economic change. Although in the immediate future this will apply only to ACS and decennial census data, the Census Bureau plans to use the same approach for other data products. In the long run, the new rules could also lead to new restrictions on access to data from other agencies.

We have prepared a new report on this issue, and I urge you to read it. You may also wish to read the Census Bureau Chief Scientist's perspective on this issue, in a forthcoming article. We are in conversations with the Census Bureau about their timeline for these changes and about their plans to engage the research community. We will keep the IPUMS community informed through our social media and a dedicated webpage.  

We will continue to update you as we learn more.
 

Thank you,

Steve