Benefits and Challenges of Administrative Records for Small-Area Estimates

Beth Jarosz, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)

As a tool for fulfilling data needs for small area (i.e. subcounty) analysis, demographers are increasingly turning to administrative records such as building permits, tax assessor records, school enrollment data, and detailed vital registry records as a source of data for use in producing small area population estimates. Administrative records provide a fine level of spatial detail and a valuable source of information for periods of time and levels of geography for which census enumerations are not available. This paper will discuss the benefits and challenges of working with administrative records, including housing inventories and vital events records, for small area estimation purposes.