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How researchers get restricted Census microdata: RDC application steps and rules
Summary
Shaheen Davoodpour explained the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (RDC) application process: consult a local RDC admin, submit a Standard Application Process (SAP) proposal via researchdata.gov, obtain special sworn status/background checks, and work in a secure facility where outputs must pass disclosure review before release.
Shaheen Davoodpour, an administrator at the Chicago Research Data Center, presented the process to access restricted microdata through the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (FSRDC). He described RDCs as a national network that provides secure on-site access to restricted microdata for approved researchers after an application and background checks.
"The process to access restricted access microdata is a very involved process," Davoodpour said, describing steps: contact the closest RDC admin, develop an application under the Standard Application Process (SAP) via researchdata.gov, gain approval, obtain special sworn status (security/background check), and then conduct analysis at a Census facility or affiliated RDC site. He cautioned that outputs "cannot leave the RDCs" until they pass disclosure-avoidance review, and that some centers or consortia charge fees or require institutional consortium membership for access.
Davoodpour recommended starting at researchdata.gov to determine whether a dataset is hosted in the RDC network and to coordinate with the local RDC admin for application details and fee structures. He also noted that RDCs have Census staff present for support and that the network is growing beyond the roughly 37 centers he cited.
