Using Administrative Records in Official Statistics and Social Science Research

National statistical offices typically rely on census population counts and surveys to estimate social, demographic, and economic changes, as well as program use and other indicators crucial for funding allocation and effective decision-making. These same data are foundational to social science research. However, declining response rates, increasing costs, and societal change outpacing field data collection challenges survey quality. This timely topic lays the groundwork for a new way of thinking about information about our country –people, places, and the economy. To address these issues, statistical offices, state and local governments, and social scientists have been exploring the use of government and private sector-generated administrative data to provide estimates that are timelier, more geographically granular, and less costly.