Welcome

Welcome to the Texas Census Research Data Center (TXCRDC)

The TXCRDC is a new facility coming online in the near future.  Its mission is to provide researchers in the State of Texas and beyond access to, non-public versions of datasets in the federal statistical system to benefit basic science research, policy research, and research to improve and effectiveness of the federal statistical system.  A partial list of available datasets includes, non-public versions of: US Decennial censuses and demographic surveys; Economic censuses and surveys; and Health data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  See Datasets Available in Census Research Data Centers for further details.  Please contact our staff to inquire about specific datasets and related issues. 

Contact Us

For information on all matters relating to the TXCRDC, please contact us by email or phone at the following. 

Texas Census Research Data Center
2403 TAMU
College Station, Texas 77843-2403
txcrdc@tamu.edu
979-845-5618

Looking for Census Data?: If you are seeking information about publicly available census data for Texas or the nation, please visit the Texas State Data Center and/or see the Helpful Links page of this site. The Texas Census Research Data Center has a different mission; it exists to support researchers who are using non-public data in the federal statistical system.

News, Progress Reports, and Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

May 2012 Workshops on CRDC-Based Research (May 11 and May 31)

Session I - Identifying Variables in Confidential Data Files
May 11 and May 31

This session will focus on how to identify the variables available in the confidential data files. Specifically, researchers can learn about many confidential census files by examining "zero-case" versions of these data sets that can be examined via Cornell University's Virtual RDC and researchers can scout out many health related data files by examining documentation posted on the web site for the RDC for the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The workshop will provide an overview of how to access the relevant files and documentation.

Click here for a list of datasets currently available in the VRDC

Click here for the workshop slides

Session II - Writing Proposals for Projects Using Confidential Data May 31 ONLY

This additional session will be led by Dr. Zulema Valdez and will review the key elements of successful proposals. More information on this session will be posted in a later announcement.

Click here for the full announcement and program

Click here to RSVP for the May 31 workshop (Sessions I & II)

Please note, we recommend that attendees request Social Science Gateway accounts in order to access the Virtual RDC at Cornell.
Click here to view more information on requesting an account to access the VRDC

The TXCRDC Consortium

The TXCRDC is supported by a multi-university consortium involving Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M University System, Baylor University, and the University of Texas at Austin.  Researchers at TXCRDC Consortium institutions have particularly attractive access to the RDC.  The consortium welcomes other institutions to join and also welcomes researchers at non-consortium institutions to inquire about opportunities for access.  Further information about the consortium and access can be found at TXCRDC Consortium and Access. 

Timeline and Current Activities

The National Science Foundation award to establish the TXCRDC took effect in August 2011.  We are now working with the US Census Bureau to implement a secure computing lab in which researchers with federally approved research projects can perform analyses on restricted access datasets. Our goal is to be operational by early fall 2012. 

Between now and then, we also will be promoting awareness of the TXCRDC and its capabilities.  And we will be supporting researcher efforts to obtain Census Bureau project approval to be in position to use the facility when it comes on line. 

Please be aware that all RDC projects require special review and approval by the Center for Economic Studies (CES), the Division with the US Census Bureau that oversees the national network of Census Research Data Centers.  Contact our staff for information about the approval process.