If the data you need are not included in a 2020 Census data product release, then the Decennial Census Special Tabulations program may provide an opportunity for you to obtain those data through a special tabulation request for the cost of producing that product.

Note that special tabulations will still undergo disclosure avoidance protections consistent with those used for the published 2020 Census data products and will not include data that are already included or planned to be included in another product. It may not be possible to fulfill some requests because the requested data may exceed disclosure risk limits.

Submitting a Request

Prior to submitting a request, please check data.census.gov to see if the data being requested are already publicly available. When requesting a special tabulation, the requester should provide a preliminary specification of the data needed. We will work with the requester to develop a final, detailed specification that documents data needs and geographic requirements.

The Census Bureau maintains a publicly available list of all special tabulations requested that includes the names of the requesters and a brief description of the products. Once a product is produced, the special tabulation will also be available upon request for the cost of reproduction.

Submit the request via email: pop.decennial.census.special.tabulations@census.gov.
Requester provides preliminary specification via email and should include the following:
- Contact information (name, telephone number, address, and e-mail address)
- Summary description of the request (geographic areas, demographic characteristics, etc.)
- Reason for the request (How will you use these data? Particularly, do you have plans to publish the data, or summaries/calculations based on the data?)
- Format of the output file (e.g., CSV, Excel, SAS, ASCII)
- Requested delivery date
Census Bureau reviews the request and discusses options with the requester.
Census Bureau develops the detailed specification and obtains the requester’s approval.
The agreed upon specification is sent to the Census Bureau’s Disclosure Review Board (DRB) for approval.
After DRB approval, the schedule and cost estimate are created.
The Census Bureau delivers the cost estimate and schedule to the requester.
The contract is in place and finalized by requester.
The data product is produced and delivered to the requester.

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Special tabulations must be scheduled so that they do not interfere with the requirements of Census Bureau work authorized by direct appropriations. The cost and timing of delivery also depends on the level of complexity of the special tabulation. Each program area reviews special tabulation requests on an individual basis to determine what expertise, resources, and technology are needed to complete each tabulation.

Since each special tabulation is reviewed individually, pricing will vary.

Special tabulations cost a minimum of $4,000 and can take several weeks or months to complete.

We cannot begin programming new requests until the request has been approved by Census Bureau’s Disclosure Review Board (DRB), the contract is in place, and payment is received.

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We can accept payment by credit card (non-federal requesters only) or other contractual agreement. Federal requesters must obtain their special tabulation through an Interagency Agreement.

The Census Bureau coordinator assigned to work on the special tabulation will discuss the details of the payment transaction with the requester.

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Protecting Confidentiality

To protect confidentiality, special tabulations must be approved by the Census Bureau’s Disclosure Review Board (DRB). The DRB is a panel of Census Bureau staff chartered to protect the confidentiality of data from individuals (or business establishments). Their role is to review each special tabulation specification and to issue specific rules in addition to standard confidentiality protection measures.

Learn more below.

Title 13 of the U.S. Code authorizes the Census Bureau to conduct surveys and censuses and mandates that any information obtained from private individuals and establishments remains confidential.

Section 9 of Title 13 prohibits the Census Bureau from releasing “any publication whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual under this title can be identified.”

Section 214 of Title 13, as modified by the Federal Sentencing Reform Act, imposes a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years for publication or communication in violation of Section 9.

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Disclosure avoidance is the process of disguising data to protect confidentiality. A disclosure of data occurs when someone can use publicly available statistical information to identify an individual who provided information under a pledge of confidentiality.

Using disclosure avoidance, the Census Bureau modifies or removes all the characteristics that put confidential information at risk for disclosure. Although it may appear that a table shows information about a specific individual, the Census Bureau has taken steps to disguise the original data while making sure the results are useful.

For more information, see the Census Bureau’s policy on data protection.

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Other Sources of Data and Assistance

Special tabulations are available from other Census Bureau programs. These include:

Contact 1-800-923-8282 or visit the Custom Tabulations page for more information about these Census Bureau programs.

The State Data Center and the Census Information Center programs, as well as the Census Bureau regional offices, also provide assistance with 2020 Census data.