Analysis

Data Disaggregation and Asian Americans in the U.S. Census

May 16, 2017

Without accurate data by detailed race group, some of the most disadvantaged in our communities are rendered invisible to policy makers.

In the context of our census work, data disaggregation refers to the collection and reporting of data by detailed Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander subgroups. By producing disaggregated data for detailed groups, you can always combine the data to produce summarized data on the entire group. However, the reverse is not true. You cannot get detailed data from aggregated data. And without accurate data by detailed race group, some of the most disadvantaged in our communities are rendered invisible to policy makers, leaving their critical needs unmet.