The population and housing census is part of an integrated national statistical system, which may include other censuses (for example, agriculture), surveys, registers and administrative files. It provides, at regular intervals, the benchmark for population count at national and local levels. For small geographical areas or sub-populations, it may represent the only source of information for certain social, demographic and economic characteristics. For many countries the census also provides a solid framework to develop sampling frames. This publication represents one of the pillars for data collection on the number and characteristics of the population of a country.

Includes subject area sections that describe all pertinent census data products available, i.e. "Business--trade and services", "Geography", "Transportation," etc.

"The introduction describes the census process, the various types of errors that occur in a census and the fundamentals of census editing. Subsequent chapters present procedures and techniques for editing census data at various stages of processing. Although this handbook focuses on editing for population and housing censuses, many of the concepts and techniques also apply to survey operations."--Introd.

In 1982 the Census Bureau requested the Committee on National Statistics to establish a panel to suggest research and experiments, to recommend improved methods, and to guide the Census Bureau on technical problems in appraising contending methods with regard to the conduct of the decennial census. In response, the panel produced an interim report that focused on recommendations for improvements in census methodology that warranted early investigation and testing. This report updates and expands the ideas and conclusions about decennial census methodology.

This publication provides an overview of census and survey data editing methodology. It reviews the advantages and disadvantages of manual and computer-assisted editing, and presents, in detail, procedures and techniques for editing census data at various stages of processing. Technical considerations, particularly those pertinent to programming, are covered in the annexes.