Hey--- question for some of the US Census gurus out there....
I'm trying to figure out how the US Census bureau covers Migrant and Seasonal FarmWorkers (MSFW) and their families/Dependents....
In many agricultural producing and processing counties and communities this is a significant population, and I'm grappling with how to examine this data using US Census bureau sources combined with political and social demographics....
Anyone have any background or has looked into this subject in greater detail?
These are the proposed standards for 2020. This is from the Federal Register in June 2016, with a comment period for ending in September. These will be finalized in 2017.
Proposed 2020 Census Residence Criteria and Residence SituationsThese provide an understanding how/why the Census Bureau interprets "usual residence" as the place where people live and sleep "most of the time".
There were two major changes that commenters had sought for 2020.
(1) Many had wanted the Census Bureau to count prisoners where they had resided prior to incarceration. They argue that counting prisoners in rural prisons leads to over-representation. But the Census Bureau says that is where prisoners sleep and live most of the time. They instead will offer a product where states can submit pairs of addresses for inmates (where incarcerated and some other address) and the Census Bureau will produce information that will permit adjustments. This will avoid requiring the Census Bureau to establish alternative addresses, and adjusting apportionment populations for prisoners not incarcerated in their home state.
(2) Many had wanted military
deployed overseas counted where they are
stationed, which would be more consistent with how naval personnel on ships are treated. The Census Bureau agreed to this change. This could have an impact on areas around military bases, who may have 1000s of persons deployed in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and reduce the Overseas Population (the Census Bureau only counts persons overseas who are associated with the federal government, military and civilian). Military personnel are counted for apportionment purposes at their residence of record, which in some cases is where they lived prior to enlistment.
The American Community Survey (ACS) counts persons at their
current residence, which may be as short as two months long. Since the ACS is conducted in monthly, year-round samples, it may be better at capturing seasonal residents.
A 91-YO Maine elector, who resides part year in Florida, missed a flight, and had to be replaced. He had previously served in 1964, the first election since 1912, in which a Democrat had carried the state. I suspect at his age, that he actually spends more than 6 months of the year in Florida. June through September would be OK in Waterville, but May and October would have some days where it would be risky to be outside.
The usual residence rule has several levels of interpretation:
(1) Where you usually sleep and live;
(2) Where you sleep and live most of the time;
(3) Where you sleep and live more than any other;
(4) Where you were on April 1.
For many migrant worker (4) might be most applicable, but by the time the Census Bureau figures this out the migrant worker will be three states away. Anybody the Census Bureau could contact would have no idea whether (2), (3), or (4) applied.
