Matching the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to the Decennial Census: Match Rates and Reasons for Not Matching

Alison Aughinbaugh, Jeffrey A. Groen and Donna S. Rothstein

Working Papers from U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies

Abstract: In this paper, we examine linkages between the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) 1979 and 1997 sample members and the restricted version of the 2020 Decennial Census (DC), focusing on the match rate and the reasons for not matching. Match rates between the NLSYs and the 2020 DC differ by sex and race/ethnicity. Men as well as Black and Hispanic individuals are less likely to match to the DC. Differences in match rate are explained in part by differences in rates of death, in the likelihood of being assigned a linking identifier, and in the likelihood of being enumerated in the DC. This is part of a larger project to compare information about NLSY sample members who have missed several rounds with those who respond regularly. The representativeness of the matched samples affects the capacity of the linked data for evaluating nonresponse bias in the NLSY79 and NLSY97.

Date: 2026-09
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https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/ces/CES-WP-26-63.pdf First version, 2026 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cen:wpaper:26-63

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