Methodology · Building Permits Survey
Reported vs. imputed (total)
Published totals combine reported permits with imputed estimates for non-reporters.
Not every jurisdiction reports every month. For states, counties, and metro areas, the Census imputes the missing activity, so the published total equals reported permits plus an imputed estimate of the unreported ones.
PUMSdata uses these published totals. Place-level figures, by contrast, are essentially reported-only, which is part of why small cities can read zero in a month they simply didn't report.
Also known as: imputation, reported only.
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Reported vs. imputed (total) — FAQ
What is reported vs. imputed (total) in building permits data?+
Published totals combine reported permits with imputed estimates for non-reporters. Not every jurisdiction reports every month. For states, counties, and metro areas, the Census imputes the missing activity, so the published total equals reported permits plus an imputed estimate of the unreported ones.
Why does reported vs. imputed (total) matter?+
PUMSdata uses these published totals. Place-level figures, by contrast, are essentially reported-only, which is part of why small cities can read zero in a month they simply didn't report.
Where does this building-permit data come from?+
All figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey (BPS), a monthly census of permit-issuing jurisdictions. PUMSdata is an independent product that makes it easy to map and compare, and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.