The primary objective of the 2010 Census Group Quarters Enumeration operation was to enumerate people who lived or stayed in a group quarters. The purpose of the 2010 Census Group Quarters Enumeration Operation Assessment is to address major aspects of the Group Quarters Enumeration operation that include data on defined group quarters types, added group quarters, the address status of the group quarters, group quarters population counts, and the demographic characteristic distribution of persons enumerated. The assessment will discuss costs, staffing, productivity, quality assurance, data capture, lessons learned, and best practices.

The 2010 Census Group Quarters Enumeration operation included Service-Based Enumeration, Military Enumeration, and Shipboard Enumeration. This assessment report is focused on the overall results for these operations, including results from the enumeration of military installations. Detailed results and analysis for the 2010 Census Service-Based Enumeration and Shipboard Enumeration have been documented in separate assessment reports.

The 2010 Census Group Quarters Enumeration operation supported the Census Bureau’s efforts to enhance the coverage and classification of group quarters by implementing improvements that were tested during the decade. These improvements included applying revised definitions to improve the classification of group quarters, administering a redesigned Individual Census Report and Military Census Report, electronic linking of the Individual Census Reports and Military Census Reports to their respective group quarters, and maintaining the Unit Status Code for each group quarters on the Census Bureau’s Master Address File for future use.

The universe of addresses for the 2010 Census Group Quarters Enumeration operation included addresses that were validated as group quarters during the 2010 Census Group Quarters Validation operation, Group Quarters Advance Visit, and Group Quarters Enumeration operations. In addition, addresses from Phase I and II of the 2010 Census Address List Update Program were also added to the Group Quarters Enumeration universe and supported the 2010 Census enumeration frame development for Group Quarters Enumeration.

The 2010 Census Group Quarters Enumeration operation consisted of three phases: Pre-Enumeration, Enumeration, and Post-Enumeration. The Pre-Enumeration phase included obtaining a list of residents and/or staff from each group quarters as of Census Day, April 1, 2010. The Enumeration phase included distributing, collecting, and reviewing Individual Census Reports and Military Census Reports. The Post-Enumeration phase included obtaining data for incomplete and/or missing Individual Census Reports and Military Census Reports, and returning the completed Individual Census Reports or Military Census Reports along with their associated Enumeration Record to the Local Census Office.

The 2010 Census Military Enumeration was conducted using a new methodology developed after Census 2000. This new methodology included enumerating military personnel by address rather than military unit (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). This assessment will document the procedures, challenges, security concerns, and other issues as well as resolutions in enumerating group quarters on military installations. This assessment will also provide qualitative data on the enumeration of stateside military personnel assigned to group quarters.