2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B)

2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B)
2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B)
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2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B)
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Related Information
About the Detailed DHC-B
Which 2020 Census Data Product Should I Use?
Access Detailed DHC-B Data
Technical Documentation
Understanding Detailed Race and Ethnicity Data
Data Confidentiality
About the Detailed DHC-B
The 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B (Detailed DHC-B) includes detailed data tables on the following:
Subjects: Household type (e.g., family or nonfamily) and tenure (e.g., whether the home is owned or rented) for approximately 1,500 detailed racial and ethnic groups, such as German, Lebanese, Jamaican, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Mexican, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) tribes and villages like the Navajo Nation.
Geographies: Nation, state, county, places (cities and towns), census tracts, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AIANNH) areas.
The amount of data available for the detailed racial and ethnic groups and AIAN tribes and villages depends on their population size within a specific geography. This approach allows the Census Bureau to produce as much detail as possible while ensuring confidentiality protections.
Which 2020 Census Data Product Should I Use?
It depends on the type of data you need and whether you need those data at lower levels of geography such as census track or block level. View a side-by-side overview of some of these differences:
Differences Among Demographic Releases
Do you need data tables on detailed race and ethnicity groups?
If so, use the Detailed DHC-B for data on household type and tenure, including total count of households, for these groups. If you need population counts and sex-by-age statistics for these groups, use the
Detailed DHC-A
Do you need data on demographic and housing characteristics but
don't
need detailed race or ethnicity groups?
Both the
Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)
and
Demographic Profile
provide data on demographic and housing characteristics without including detailed race and ethnicity data. The DHC consists of multiple data tables and provides data on a range of demographic and housing characteristics than the Demographic Profile. Many DHC tables are repeated by major race and ethnicity categories, and many DHC tables can be viewed down to the census block level. The Demographic Profile consists of one data table and provides an overview of demographic and housing characteristics for a specific geography.
Do you need redistricting data?
The
2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File
consists of six tables that together provide demographic and housing characteristics for selected topics: voting age, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, housing occupancy status, and group quarters population by major group quarters type. It provides less demographic and housing characteristic data than the DHC and no data for detailed race and ethnicity groups.
Do you need all the microdata from the 2020 Census?
The
2020 Census Privacy-Protected Microdata File (PPMF)
is the only data product that provides all privacy-protected records from the 2020 Census. The PPMF incorporates all data included in the 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171) Summary File, DHC, and Demographic Profile.
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The 2020 Census provides the
official counts
(including Hispanic origin and race) of the population, and the
ACS
provides
estimates
of additional characteristics, adding rich context for understanding the nation’s population.
2020 Census Detailed DHC-B data on household type and tenure are generally comparable with the ACS estimates.
Data users should exercise caution when comparing 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B data to ACS estimates. There were a variety of improvements to how we collected, coded, and tabulated race data this decade. We implemented these same improvements in the ACS starting in 2020. As a result, use caution when comparing 2020 Census detailed Asian, NHPI and AIAN race data with 2019 or earlier ACS data.
The detailed White, Black or African American, and Some Other Race groups available in the 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B were historically tabulated from the ancestry question on the ACS. There are key differences between the race and ancestry data collection and tabulation that data users should be aware of before comparing data from the ancestry question to data from the Detailed DHC-B. These differences are explained in the
technical documentation
Detailed Hispanic origin data are tabulated from the ethnicity question on the ACS. Caution is not required when comparing detailed Hispanic origin data from the Detailed DHC-A to the ACS regardless of data year.
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The Demographic Profile may provide data in the format you need. Rather than multiple tables like other 2020 Census data products, the Demographic Profile presents an overview of demographic and housing characteristics for a specific geography, all in a single table.
Please note that the Demographic Profile provides less detailed data than the Detailed DHC-B, Detailed DHC-A, and DHC. Access the
Demographic Profile
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The Detailed DHC-B (in combination with the Detailed DHC-A) is the successor to the
2010 Census Summary File 2
and the
2010 Census American Indian and Alaska Native Summary File
Information about key differences between the race and ethnicity data released in the Detailed DHC-B and releases from the 2010 Census is available in the Detailed DHC-B
technical documentation
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Access Detailed DHC-B Data
Each video below is accompanied by a PDF with step-by-step instructions.
Video
How the Detailed DHC-B Adaptive Design Determines Data Availability
August 01, 2024
In this video tutorial, we show you what to expect in data.census.gov when accessing data from the 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B.
Fact Sheet
Household Type and Tenure Data Proposed for 2020 Census
February 07, 2024
The 2020 Census produced data for nearly 1,500 detailed racial and ethnic groups and AIAN tribes and villages - the most in U.S. Census Bureau history.
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Access national level data tables (data.census.gov)
Access the summary file tables (.zip file)
Video
Accessing 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B Data on data.census.gov
August 01, 2024
Learn how to access data on detailed racial and ethnic groups and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages from the 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B.
Video
Accessing 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B Data: Census Tracts
August 01, 2024
Learn how to find 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B data at the Census Tract level on data.census.gov.
Video
2020 Census Detailed DHC-B: Using the Census Data API to Get a Table
August 01, 2024
Learn how to access data from the API to get a table from the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B.
Video
2020 Census Detailed DHC-B: Using the Census Data API to Get Individual Data Points
August 01, 2024
Learn how to access data from the API to find individual data points from the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B.
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Video
Downloading, Exporting, and Sharing 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B Data
August 01, 2024
Learn how to download, export, and share 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B tables you find in data.census.gov.
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Video
Comparing 2020 Census Detailed DHC-B Data to 2010 Census Data
August 01, 2024
Learn how to access data from the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File B and compare it with data from the 2010 Census.
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Technical Documentation and Other Guidance
View Technical Documentation
Information on data collection, confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, subject definitions, and guidance on using the data.
2020 Census Hispanic Origin and Race Iterations List
Complete list of detailed and regional groups available in the Detailed DHC-B.
2020 Census Hispanic Origin and Race Code List
Outlines how the Census Bureau coded responses to the Hispanic origin question and the race question.
Detailed Race and Ethnicity Crosswalk: 2010 to 2020
Outlines which codes were used to tabulate each group in 2010 and 2020.
View Additional Data Guidance
Information about how disclosure avoidance is applied to 2020 Census data products.
Understanding Detailed Race and Ethnicity Data
America Counts Story
Who Lives In Homes They Own
Detailed demographic and housing characteristics data from the 2020 Census released today include household statistics on nearly 1,500 race and ethnic groups.
Data Confidentiality
As with all Census Bureau data products, Detailed DHC-B data use disclosure avoidance methods to protect respondent confidentiality. It works by adding statistical noise—small, random additions or subtractions— to every published statistic to reduce the likelihood that characteristics about a specific person or household can be accurately inferred using any combination of the published data.
The Census Bureau worked closely with the data user community to implement these protections.
The 2020 Census is the first to be able to quantify disclosure avoidance-related variability because it uses a more sophisticated approach for disclosure avoidance. Detailed DHC-B presents disclosure avoidance variability similar to the
2020 Census Detailed DHC-A
How statistical noise affects the data:
Blog: Data Quality for Detailed Race and Ethnicity Groups and American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and Villages in the 2020 Census
What to expect with the Detailed DHC-B:
Blog: Understanding the Detailed DHC-B
How disclosure avoidance protections work on the Detailed DHC-B:
Disclosure Avoidance and the 2020 Census: How SafeTab-H Works
Press Kit
2020 Census Detailed DHC-B Press Kit
Related Information
About 2020 Census Data Products
Information on 2020 Census results, including more detailed population and household statistics.
2020 Census Results
Learn more about the data from the 2020 Census, including detailed demographic and housing data, apportionment counts, and redistricting data.
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Page Last Revised - March 17, 2025
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