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Measuring US fertility using administrative data from the Census Bureau

Author

Listed:
  • Katie Genadek

    (United States Census Bureau)

  • Joshua Sanders

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Amanda Stevenson

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

Abstract

Background: Longitudinal data available for studying fertility in the United States are not representative at the state level, limiting analyses of subnational variation in US fertility. The US Census Bureau makes available restricted data that may be used for measuring fertility, but the data have not previously been described for a scholarly audience or used for fertility research. Objective: This paper describes and analyzes restricted-use administrative birth data available through the Census Numident for nearly all US births for more than the last century. Within these data, most births since 1997 are linked to parents through the Census Household Composition Key (CHCK). These analyses are designed to illustrate the scope and limitations of these data for the study of US fertility. Methods: We describe the creation and content of the Census Numindent and CHCK data sets and compare the data to published US vital statistics. We also analyze the geographic coverage of both data sets and compare the demographic composition of the new data sources to national demographic composition. We further illustrate how these novel data sources may be used by comparing them to survey responses at the individual level. Contribution: This paper describes an underutilized source of national US data for studying fertility, shows the quality of these data by performing analyses, and explains how scholars can access these data for research.

Suggested Citation

  • Katie Genadek & Joshua Sanders & Amanda Stevenson, 2022. "Measuring US fertility using administrative data from the Census Bureau," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(2), pages 37-58.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:47:y:2022:i:2
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2022.47.2
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    6. Kryštof Zeman & Eva Beaujouan & Zuzanna Brzozowska & Tomáš Sobotka, 2018. "Cohort fertility decline in low fertility countries: Decomposition using parity progression ratios," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(25), pages 651-690.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jennifer Bernard & Kelsey Drotning & Katie R. Genadek, 2024. "Where Are Your Parents? Exploring Potential Bias in Administrative Records on Children," Working Papers 24-18, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    2. Gloria G. Aldana, 2024. "Comparison of Child Reporting in the American Community Survey and Federal Income Tax Returns Based on California Birth Records," Working Papers 24-55, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fertility; census data; administrative data; United States of America;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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