US Population Data - 1969-2004
Release date: January 3, 2007

Note: The 1969-2005 US Populations are now available. The 1969-2004 data files will continue to be available through May 15, 2008.

The county population estimates currently used in the SEER*Stat software to calculate cancer incidence and mortality rates are available for download (see Download US Population Data). They represent a modification of the annual time series of July 1 county population estimates by age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin produced by the US Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program, with support from the NCI through an interagency agreement. The modifications made by the NCI to the Census Bureau estimates are documented in Population Estimates Used in NCI’s SEER*Stat Software and are summarized below.

• The population estimates incorporate new bridged single-race estimates for July 1, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 that are derived from the original multiple race categories in the 2000 Census (as specified in the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards for the collection of data on race and ethnicity). The bridged single-race estimates and a description of the methodology used to develop them appear on the National Center for Health Statistics Web site.
• Another modification only affects population estimates for the state of Hawaii. Based on concerns that the native Hawaiian population has been vastly undercounted in previous censuses, the Epidemiology Program of the Hawaii Cancer Research Center has recommended an adjustment to the populations for their state. The "Hawaii-adjustment" to the Census Bureau’s estimates has the net result of reducing the estimated white population and increasing the estimated Asian and Pacific Islander population for the state. The estimates for the total population, black population, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations in Hawaii are not modified.

Single year of age population estimates by county are available (see Download US Population Data). The methods used to create these estimates are described in Single Year of Age County Populations.

Standard Population Data Files containing age distributions used as weights to create age-adjusted statistics are also available.