Historical analysis traces the development of 1960 public use microdata, highlighting that academic collaboration with census agencies is essential for data usability.
Highlights The Census Bureau invented microdata as a product of the 1960 U.S. Census. The 1960 public use sample revolutionized analysis of the U.S. population and led to an outpouring of new census-based research. Interactions between academics and the Census Bureau at the Population Association of America played a central role in development of the first microdata. Continued collaboration between academics and the Census Bureau is needed to ensure broad accessibility and usability of microdata.
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Magnuson et al. (2026) studied this question.
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