Access and View Data Analyses
NVRC Regional Data Analysis
Data analyses of 2020 and prior censuses for the Northern Virginia region overall and each of its counties, cities, and towns are posted under the People section of this dashboard.
Census Bureau Nationwide Data Analysis
The Census Bureau published 2020 Census analyses through a series of data visualizations, America Counts stories, and videos to help illustrate and explain the Census results and the country's demographic characteristics.
Access and View U.S. Census Bureau Products
Decennial Censuses are released in multiple phases through multiple products. Starting with the 2020 Decennial Census, the Demographic Profile, Demographic and Housing Characteristics, and redistricting data products all are injected with random statistical “noise” using the differential privacy approach to prevent disclosure of personal information. Caution should be utilized when using this data. The larger the population size of a geographic area, the more accurate the data and the diminished likelihood of having implausible data. Statistical noise is infused to protect confidentiality. The impact of statistical noise decreases with larger geographies. For more information, on the statistic noise injected, privacy, and accuracy, see the information under Privacy and Accuracy of 2020 Census Data.
Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics
The 2020 Census Demographic Profile and Demographic and Housing Characteristics were released in May 2023. These files contain 2020 Census data on characteristics of the population (i.e. age, sex race), characteristics of households (i.e. household size, rent/own, families).
Access and view Northern Virginia regional data:
County/City
Incorporated Towns
Redistricting Demographic Data
Redistricting demographic data released to the public in August and September 2021. This release contains population, race/ethnicity, age, housing units, and housing tenure data for counties, cities, and geographies as small as census blocks. The second product set will contain more detail demographic and housing characteristics data.
Access and view Northern Virginia regional data:
County/City
Incorporated Towns
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Not Available
Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics DHC-A
The Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics file were released in three phases, with the first one being the Detailed DHC-A released September 2023. Included in this release are detailed population counts, sex, and age for approximately 370 racial and ethnic groups and places of origin, such as German, Lebanese, Chinese, and Mexican.
Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics DHC-B
The Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics Detailed DHC-B released August 2024. The Detailed DHC-B includes detailed household type (e.g., family or non-family) and tenure for approximately 370 racial and ethnic groups and places of origin, such as German, Lebanese, Chinese, and Mexican.
Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics S-DHC
The Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics Supplemental DHC (S-DHC) was released September 2024. It includes complex relationships between the characteristics about households and the people living in them, including average household size, average household size by age and tenure, and household and family type for people under 18 years old.
Privacy and Accuracy of 2020 Census Data
The Demographic Profile, Demographic and Housing Characteristics, and redistricting data all are injected with random statistical “noise” using the differential privacy approach to prevent disclosure of personal information. For the Demographic and Housing Characteristics, the Census Bureau released statistical error metrics (Excel File) to help users understand the variation in the data introduced by using differential privacy. Additional guidance to users is provided by the U.S. Census Bureau in the blog post, What to Expect: Disclosure Avoidance and the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File.
For decades, the U.S. Census Bureau has used different techniques to protect individual privacy through their Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS). Differential Privacy (DP) is the latest technique. This technique was chosen because enhanced privacy protection is needed due to advances in technology that enable the ability to identify individuals when combined with other information. DP impacts data accuracy more than any other technique previously applied to decennial census results. DP will add random data (“noise”) to counts for geographic areas below the state level, to prevent identification of individuals. The amount of noise added to the data will be greater than any prior decennial census technique. The impact of statistical noise decreases the larger the population size of a geographic area.
From 2019 through 2022, Northern Virginia jurisdictions, through the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), participated in the U.S. Census Bureau’s DP demonstration data review and provided feedback to the U.S. Census Bureau. The following document is a brief overview of DP and the impacts it has on data quality. Click on the image to download. For an in-depth description of DP go to the Census Bureau's DP website.
Download a copy of the
Differential Privacy Fact Sheet
