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University of Maryland to host new Census Research Data Center

New Research Data Center provides social science researchers with secure access to restricted data sets

MPRC Faculty Associates Sandra Hofferth, Judith Hellerstein, John Haltiwanger, and Katherine Abraham have been instrumental in spearheading a project to open a new Census Research Data Center (RDC) on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus in 2015. Currently, there are 15 Census Research Data Centers hosted by major research institutions across the country, and the new facility at the University of Maryland will be the 16th.

At the new RDC, qualified researchers with approved projects will receive restricted access to selected non-public Census Bureau data files. University-subsidized, local access to restricted Census data is a boon for social scientists, who will now be able to conduct research using data on a level that is not available to the general public. For example, economists can access micro-level data about businesses, while sociologists and public health researchers will be able to match specific geographical data with individual information in order to learn more about neighborhood poverty and access to healthcare.

Faculty members from a number of departments, including the School of Business, the Department of Economics, and the School of Public Health, already have approved projects and or/are interested in submitting proposals. The Research Data Center will also be available to researchers from other nearby universities such as Johns Hopkins and George Washington University.

Data will be available only to highly qualified researchers with approved projects, and RDC researchers will be subject to stringent data security and confidentiality requirements in order to make sure that confidential information stays private. The new RDC will be staffed by a Census Bureau employee and will meet all physical and computer security requirements for access to restricted-use data.

The RDC is a joint project of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and the School of Public Health. The new facility is currently under construction at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, and is expected to open in September 2015.

More information about Census Research Data Centers

Census RDC FAQ
The Role of RDCs

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