"Hard-to-Count" (HTC) areas are places across the nation that had a high nonresponse rate for the 2000 Census. Using HTC scores from the Census Bureau, local leaders in each community in Pennsylvania can determine where more effort may be needed to ensure an accurate count in 2010. HTC scores are derived from 12 variables that are correlated with high nonresponse rates. These variables are:
1. Vacant units
2. Multi-family Housing Units
3. Renter Occupied Units
4. Occupied Units with More Than 1.5 Persons Per Room
5. Households that are Not Husband/Wife Families
6. Occupied Units with No Telephone Service
7. Adults that are Not High School Graduates
8. People Below Poverty
9. Households with Public Assistance Income
10. People Unemployed
11. Linguistically Isolated Households
12. Occupied Units Where Householder Recently Moved Into Unit
Scores can range from 0 to 132. High scores indicate high concentrations of attributes that make enumeration difficult, which increase the likelihood of an undercount. Hard to Count scores can be found for Census Tracts in Pennsylvania using the Census 2000 Planning Database.
Maps of Hard-to-Count Areas
Census Tracts by Hard-to-Count Score for Pennsylvania
Census Tracts by Hard-to-Count Score for Allegheny County
Census Tracts by Hard-to-Count Score for Philadelphia County