Series P-25, No. 32R March 8, 1966 ENTORY OF STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES ARING POPULATION ESTIMATES VEY OF 1965 Sources of Population Estimates and Projections for- Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas Counties Cities BUREAU OF THE CENSUS Ao ROSS ECKLER, Director HOWARD Co GRIEVES, Deputy Director CONRAD T AEUBER, Assi stant Director Population Division HOWARD G. BRUNSMAN, Chief ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was prepared by Meyer Zitter, Chief, and Judith A. Hill, State and Local Population Estimates and Projections Branch, Population Division. The preparation of the report was under the general direction of Henry S. Shryock, Jr., Assistant Chief (Program Development), Population Division. SUGGESTED CITATION U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-25, No. 328, "Inventory of State and Local Agencies Preparing Population Estimates: Survey of 1965," U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1966. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402, 15 cents. Annual subscription (Series P-20, P·23, P·2S, P-27, P-28 s~mmaries, P-60, and P-6S, combined), $4.00; foreign mailing, $5.25. CONTENTS Page Work of State agencies...................................................................... 2 Work of local agencies ...............•........•• ·............................................ 3 Classification of methods............................ It Accuracy of methods...................................................... •. 5 other sources of population estimates..... • . • . 5 Population projections...................................................................... 6 TEXT TABLES Table Page A.--State agencies making population estimates for local areas: Periodic surveys, 1955 to 1965................................................................................... 2 B.--Methods used by State agencies to make population estimates for local areas: Survey of 1965...................................... ........•................... ................. 2 C.--Summary of methods used by State agencies to make population estimates for local areas: Periodic surveys, 1955 to 1965 .............. · .•.. · ........ ·.··.··.····................. 3 D.--Local agencies preparing populatiun estimates: Survey of 1965........ .... ... ....•...... 3 E.--Counties for which special censuses have been taken by the Bureau of the Census between April 1, 1960, and July 1, 1965........................................................ 6 F. --Ci ties of 100,000 or more for which special censuses hav'e been taken by the Bureau of the Census between April 1, 1960, and July 1, 1965..................................... 6 DETAILED TABLES Table Page l.--Population estimates prepared by state agencies: Survey of 1965....... ......... ..... ... 7 2.--Population estimates prepared by local agencies in 100 largest standard metropolitan statistical areas: Survey of 1965..................................................... 12 3.--State agencies preparing population projections •......................•............ , .... 22 It. --Local agencies preparing pcpulation proj ections. .. 23 APPENDIX Page Copy of letter circularized to State and local agencies..................................... 25 INVENTORY OF STATE AND LOCAL AGENCIES PREPARING POPULATION ESTIMATES: SURVEY OF 1965 (For previous surveys, see Current Population Reports, Series p-25, Nos. 244, 178, and 116) This report presents the results of a survey had been reported in prior surveys as preparing and types of current population population estimat.es. In addition, a letter was from state and local (city, sent to the "key administrator" in each state, re­ and regional) agencies. The survey was questing information as to which agencies within cted by mail in April-May 1966, and the re­ the state prepared population estimates. More- reflect work on population estimates in the over, the questionnaire to each agency requested e and local agencies since data from the 1960 it to supply the name of any other agency that of Population became available. prepared population est.imates, so as to assure as of the Census now regularly pre­ complete coverage as possible. current population estimates for the United The survey also covered large metropolitan es as a whole, the States, the outlying areas areas and large cities. QuestionJ1aires were sent the United States, and the largest standard to all regional and count.y planning commissions of politan statistical areas and their constitu- the 100 largest standard metropolitan statistical counties. i areas, asking for information on availability of The Bureau is greatly interested in the avail­ est.imates of t.hese SMSA's and their component ility of population estimates for all areas in parts. Finally, each of the 61 cities with a 1960 In particular, it has been acting as population of 250,000 or more was also canvassed for the exchange of information directly. In these instances, lett.ers were sent small-area estimates. It has been pro­ to city planning commissions and city departments on methods for preparing them and of healt.h. The mayor of each of t.hese cities was participated in the development and testing of also informed of the survey and asked for the This summary report is the fourth in names of any other agencies which prepared esti­ reports designed to provide a mat.es. Each of. these'cit.ies is contained within invent.ory of the availability of popula­ the 100 metropolitan areas covered in the survey. estimates from St.ates and local governmental An told, about 300 St.ate agencies and somewhat the activities in this area at. the more than 200 local agencies were covered in the survey. survey was cond.ucted at the sugges­ The survey covers only the work of ot'ficial of the Public Health Conference on Records State and local agencies; hence, estimates made by St.atistics, which, at its meeting in Washing­ private organizat.ions such as local chambers of i.n Marcll 1954, adopt,ed a mo·tion recommending commerce are not included,. 2 the Bureau of the Census publish a summary of The questionnaire asked for a report on the used by State vital statistics offices areas for which estimates areprepared (e.g., local population estimat.es. Because State, counties, cities, and census tracts) and Ule wi(iespread int,erest in the initial report. t.he characterist.ics for which estimates were pre­ the recommendation of the Public Health Con­ pared (e.g., age, sex, and race) as wen as a de­ and Statistics t.hat the inven­ scription of the methods used in preparing such or biennially, it was estimates. Other questions related to the fre­ to continue ,mch surveys and publish re- quency of publication of such estimates, the pub­ lication source, and whether lmpublished figures represents an expansion were available to t.he public upon request. Fi­ coverage of the earlier surveys. In 1966, nally, the respondents were· also queried on t.he were sent t.o state health depart- availability of populatibn~rojections. A copy of ts, . state employment security offices, state the quest.ionnaire that was used in the survey is development commissions, state planning boards, given in the appendix of this report. aus of business research of State universities, ~~d agricultural experiment. stations, as well as 2 A number of special cases, such as a nongovern­ to a number of miscellaneous state agencies that ment agency serving as a focaL point, in conjunction with other organizations and agencies, for the pro­ vision of population estimates, are indicated in the 1 At present, estimates are prepared for the 38 largest SMSA's. tables. 1 2 WORK OF STATE AGENCIES Table A. --STATE AGENCIES MAKING POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR LOCAL AREAS: PERIODIC SURVEYS, 1955 TO 1965 Sources of estimates.--In all but one State, North Dakota, some state agency reported making Agency 1965 1960 1957-58 1955 population estimates for counties or other local areas. In a number of instances, census counts Total ..................... 66 57 62 46 rather than estimates are available. ThUS, the Department of health .......••.•• 27 27 30 31 state of Kansas takes a State census every year as S-tate university ............. 4.' 21 16 19 9 of March 1. Massachusett,s t,akes one in years end­ Bureau of business research ... lO lO 15 'I O·ther department ....... : ...... 11 6 4 2 ing in 5; the results of the last one, taken as of Plamling commission or economic January 1, 1965, have recently become available. development agency ....•........ 9 3 1 Employment security office ...... 4 2 4 2 The Washington State Census Board counts the popu­ Other ..........•...............• 15 'I 6 lation in selected places and supplements these 1 Includes California State Department of Finance) Kansas counts with estima-tes of the population of other Sta-te Board of Agriculture, Utah Population Committee, Washing_ ton State Censu8 Board, and the Office of the Secretary of the cities and towns. The State of Rhode Island in Commonwealth of' Massachusetts (census every 10 years). 1965 contracted with the U.S. Bureau of t,he Census to conduct 'a special census covering the whole State. (See, Current Population Reports, Spedal In 15 states, more than one agency is involved_ Censuses, Series P-28, No. 1393.) In all other in­ in population estimation work. This apparent dual stances, the data reported here represent popula­ responsibili ty may involve some duplication; at tion estimates derived by various methods. times it, represents supplemental estimates by a p~ in earlier surveys,