docs/us_demographics/demographics_decennial_baseline_county

demographics_decennial_baseline_county

Census 2020 DHC: full enumeration race/ethnicity counts and housing units (A7). Tier A+. STUB: Decennial 2020 DHC not yet loaded.

tier —censusdemographicsdecennialcensus_2020raceethnicityhousing_unitsbaseline
grain
county
years
2020
cadence
Decennial (next: 2030)
overview

overview

Complete enumeration of all 3,213 US counties + DC. Decennial census is a full count, not a sample.

current vintage — 2020 (released May 2023)

history — Decennial from 1790; DHC format from 2010 forward

provenance

source & licensing

authority
U.S. Census Bureau
dataset
2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC)
license
citation
U.S. Census Bureau. 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC).
schema

fields

nametypedefinition
country_idstringISO alpha-2 country code (always 'US' for domestic tables).
county_idkeystring5-character FIPS code identifying the county.Joins dim.counties on county_id.
county_namestringHuman-readable county name corresponding to county_id.
group_quarters_populationint64 · countNumber of residents living in group quarters (e.g., correctional facilities, nursing homes, college dormitories, military barracks) rather than household units, as enumerated in the 2020 decennial census.
housing_unitsint64 · countTotal number of housing units in the county as counted in the 2020 decennial census, including occupied and vacant units.
pct_aian_nhfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic or Latino, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_aian_nh / total_population_2020 × 100.
pct_asian_nhfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as Asian alone, not Hispanic or Latino, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_asian_nh / total_population_2020 × 100.
pct_black_nhfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as Black or African American alone, not Hispanic or Latino, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_black_nh / total_population_2020 × 100.
pct_hispanicfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as Hispanic or Latino of any race, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_hispanic / total_population_2020 × 100.
pct_multiracial_nhfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as two or more races, not Hispanic or Latino, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_multiracial_nh / total_population_2020 × 100.
pct_nhpi_nhfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic or Latino, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_nhpi_nh / total_population_2020 × 100.
pct_white_nhfloat64 · percent (0–100)Share of total population identifying as White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, expressed as a percentage. Calculated as pop_white_nh / total_population_2020 × 100.
pop_aian_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_asian_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as Asian alone, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_black_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as Black or African American alone, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_hispanicint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino of any race in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_multiracial_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as two or more races, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_nhpi_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_other_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as some other race alone, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
pop_white_nhint64 · countNumber of residents identifying as White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, in the 2020 decennial census.
racial_diversity_indexfloat64 · index (base year=100)A summary measure of racial and ethnic diversity within the county, typically derived as the probability that two randomly selected residents belong to different racial or ethnic groups. Higher values indicate greater diversity.
state_idstring2-character FIPS code identifying the state.Joins dim.states on state_id.
total_population_2020int64 · countTotal resident population of the county as enumerated in the 2020 decennial census. Higher values indicate more populous counties.
relationships

joins

primary key
county_id
common joins
dim.geographies on county_id
demographics_population_county_year for time series
usage

how to use this table

method

Complete decennial enumeration with differential privacy noise injection. STUB - Decennial 2020 DHC not yet loaded.

do not use for

Annual change analysis; current-year estimates (use PEP); small-area racial counts where DP noise is material.

known issues

DHC introduces differential-privacy noise - small-area counts can shift across releases. Currently STUB (not loaded).

last updated · May 5, 2026