ACCURACY OF THE 1990 CENSUS AND UNDERCOUNT ADJUSTMENTS

In July 1991 the Census Bureau recommended to its parent agency, the D epartment of Commerce, that the 1990 census be adjusted for undercount . The Secretary of Commerce decided not to adjust, however. Those deci sions relied at least partly on the Census Bureau's analyses of the ac curacy of the census and of the proposed undercount adjustments based on-the Post-Enumeration Survey (PES). Error distributions for the nati on, states, and smaller geographic units were estimated with extension s of methods applied to test censuses. To summarize and assess the rel ative importance of errors in different units, the Census Bureau used aggregate loss functions. This article describes the total error analy sis and loss function analysis of the Census Bureau. In its decision n ot to adjust the census, the Department of Commerce cited different cr iteria than aggregate loss functions. Those criteria are identified an d discussed.