Did you know that data sharing between the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the U.S. Postal Service is critical to the everyday demographic data we see from the Census?
The Census and much of it’s related data are address based. That is, in order to get accurate, complete, and detailed data on the population, the Census Bureau needs addresses. Where do they come from – you guessed it, for many areas it’s the U.S. Postal Service that is a major partner in the effort. While the Postal Service needs to know how to get mail to you, the Census Bureau needs to know exactly where your physical dwelling unit is. That creates some difficulties for rural areas and areas served by post office boxes. These types of addresses don’t help the Census Bureau much since they don’t identify where you actually reside.
But their cooperation is critical and both agencies are faced with financial issues that argue for greater efficiencies. A recent Government Accountability Office report suggests new ways in which the agencies can collaborate on cost-effective processes. You can read the report here…