borderlines UPDATER                                                   14 May 1998

U.S. Census Bureau Plans Activities in
Colonias for Census 2000

Editor: George Kourous
Guest Writer: Michael Ratcliffe, U.S. Bureau of the Census*

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CONTENTS:

1. Data Gap: Difficulties in Characterizing the Border’s Colonia Population
Editor's introduction

2. Enumerating and Publishing Data for Colonias and Other Small Border Communities for Census 2000
by Michael Ratcliffe, U.S. Bureau of the Census

3. Contacting the Census Bureau & Sources of Additional Information
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DATA GAP: CHARACTERIZING THE BORDER'S COLONIAS

Colonias, unincorporated and often-times infrastructure poor communities found along the U.S.-Mexico border, have become, over the past few decades, a fact of life throughout the region. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that the border states' colonia population is approaching 1.5 million people.

Too frequently lacking access to water sources, sewage lines, and other basic services, the border's colonias present a special kind of planning problem. While dynamic and context-sensitive educational outreach in colonias is perhaps the most essential element of a long-term strategy for addressing the problems particular to these communities, solution-making also requires that planners, health professionals, public officials and policy-makers have access to hard data regarding colonias. Without solid data, the accurate characterization of colonia communities and identification of specific needs is severely inhibited. The 1990 Census, however, didn't make distinctions between colonia populations and nearby non-colonia populations.

For the year 2000 Census, however, the U.S. Bureau of the Census has changed their approach. Michael Ratcliffe, who works for the Bureau, requested that borderlines help him to share the following information regarding the Bureau’s plans for acquiring colonia-specific information in 2000.

I encourage all interested parties to share insights, suggestions, and criticisms with the Census Bureau. Michael Ratcliffe's email address is listed below.

George Kourous, editor

ENUMERATING AND PUBLISHING DATA FOR COLONIAS FOR CENSUS 2000
by Michael R. Ratcliffe* Population Distribution Branch, Population Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census

Data gathering operations designed to collect information about human populations and housing generally consist of two basic phases: collection and tabulation. For the decennial census, the first phase-- enumeration-- involves locating households and delivering a questionnaire by mail or in person. The second phase-- tabulation-- occurs after data are collected and culminates in the reporting of data.

The Census Bureau works with local officials and residents to ensure that collection methods are appropriate to their communities and that census maps are as accurate as possible. Collected data are tabulated and disseminated for a variety of geographic areas, including "places"-- "incorporated places," with legally defined boundaries, and "census designated places," or unincorporated communities, for which local officials provide boundaries to the Census Bureau.

ENUMERATION ACTIVITIES IN COLONIAS

Information gathering for the Census usually occurs using questionnaires. These questionnaires are distributed in one of three ways. One is the "mailout/mailback" method, in which the Census Bureau mails a questionnaire to each household and a resident completes the questionnaire and returns it to the Census Bureau. But for communities like the colonias, for which the Census Bureau lacks a comprehensive address list or in areas that lack city-style addresses, the "update/leave" or the "update/enumerate" methods are more appropriate.

Under update/leave, a local census enumerator, working on foot in the community, updates the Census Bureau's address list, marks the location of each housing unit on a map, and records relevant address or other descriptive information. The enumerator also leaves a questionnaire at each household, which residents complete and mail back to the Census Bureau. Perhaps best suited to the colonias, however, is the update/enumerate method, under which the local census enumerator visits the residence, updates the address list and maps and-- with the residents-- completes the questionnaire.

In the four counties containing most of the colonia population in Texas (Hidalgo, El Paso, Cameron, and Starr), we plan to identify specific areas in which the update/enumerate method should be used for Census 2000. Spanish-language interviewers will be present.

In other colonia areas, we will use the update/leave method. The Census Bureau will work with local officials and local communities to publicize the census and identify efficient and effective methods for ensuring that all colonia residents have an opportunity to be counted. We also will ensure that residents have the opportunity to receive assistance answering questionnaires, and that their participation in Census 2000 is made as easy as possible, with assurances that their responses are confidential and protected by law.

An accurate enumeration depends on participation by residents, community leaders, and local officials. Local residents and community leaders know their communities better than anyone else; it is crucial that the Census Bureau employ local residents as enumerators wherever possible. For areas in which the update/enumerate method is planned, we will work with local residents to determine the best times for enumerators to canvass neighborhoods. For example, we have been advised by people who have conducted surveys and who work or live in colonias that the best time to conduct enumeration activities is in the evening after everyone has returned home from work. We also have received many helpful suggestions from local community leaders, such as establishing local centers residents can go to for assistance in answering questionnaires; hiring colonia residents as enumerators; and improving methods for identifying housing units. It also has been suggested that we inform colonia residents before conducting census activities in their neighborhoods.

PUBLICATION OF DATA FOR COLONIAS AND OTHER SMALL PLACES

Accurate population and housing data are important to describe the numbers and characteristics of colonia residents and their housing, assess their needs, and provide information to effect change. The 1990 census mingled data for colonia and non-colonia populations within individual census blocks or block groups. Researchers, community leaders, and federal, state, and local policy-makers intent on studying and addressing the social, economic, and health problems facing colonia residents have expressed the need for data better related to colonias.

The Census Bureau's Participant Statistical Areas Program provides a mechanism to address this data gap in Census 2000. The Program gives local government and community members the opportunity to review and update census tracts, block groups, census county divisions, and census designated places, and to suggest revisions to boundaries according to criteria developed by the Census Bureau.

The Census 2000 Participant Statistical Areas Program is an open process, requiring that the official participants review and consider suggestions submitted by other individuals and groups. We will provide program participants with materials beginning in Spring 1998.

Statistical Areas Program participants vary from one locality to another, but generally include local and regional planners, academics, community leaders, and others who use or have an interest in census data. Lists of official participants are available from the Census Bureau's regional offices.

In Census 2000, colonias will be recognized by the Census Bureau as "census designated places" if their boundaries are submitted through the Participant Statistical Areas Program.

Census designated places are unincorporated, closely settled areas known locally by name, and cannot be located inside incorporated places. There will be no minimum population requirement to define census designated places for Census 2000 (for the 1990 census, a community needed at least 1,000 persons to qualify as a census designated place). As a result of the elimination of the population threshold criterion for census designated places, we expect to recognize and provide data for more small, rural communities than in the past.

Census designated place recognition will ensure data for colonia areas. This will benefit officials, researchers, and residents of colonias by making data for communities easier to locate and extract from Census Bureau products. As with other census designated places, colonias will be identified by name; it is unlikely, however, that the word "colonia" will appear in Census Bureau tables and products

The Census Bureau and the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) formed a partnership to enhance Census 2000 activities within colonia areas of South Texas. The Texas OAG provided copies of its colonias geographic database, which contains boundary, address, and housing information for individual colonias, to the Census Bureau. The Texas OAG also will make boundary information for colonias available to local officials for use in defining census designated places. Census Bureau officials have discussed the possibility of defining colonias as census designated places with officials in South Texas. The Census Bureau also has contacted officials in Dona Ana County, New Mexico regarding recognition of colonias as census designated places for Census 2000.

CONTACTING THE CENSUS BUREAU

The Census Bureau welcomes any assistance that local municipal and community leaders, businesses, planners, and other interested individuals can provide. If you need more information about how you can help Census 2000 activities, or about our plans for Census 2000, including information about the Participant Statistical Areas Program, please contact the Dallas Regional Census Center (for census activities in Texas) at 214-655-3000; the Denver Regional Office (for census activities in Arizona and New Mexico) at 303-969-6750; the Los Angeles Regional Office (for census activities in southern California) at 818-904 6393; or visit the Census Bureau’s web site at http://www.census.gov for information about Census 2000.

* Editor's note: Mr. Ratcliffe is an employee the U.S. Census Bureau. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of the Interhemispheric Resource Center, whose intent in distributing this article is to foster an awareness of the Census Bureau efforts to survey colonias for Census 2000 and encourage public participation in the process.

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SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

· 'Colonias: Problems and Promise,' borderlines vol. 6, no. 1, February 1998

· INCITRA Action Kit: Colonias
An extensive list of individuals and non-profit, government,
and academic organizations whose work relates to colonias