"Equally Available to Anyone": The Invention of Public Use Microdata at the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau invented microdata as a product of the 1960 U.S. Census. The 1960 public use sample revolutionized analysis of the U.S. population and led to an outpouring of new census-based research. Interactions between academics and the Census Bureau at the Population Association of America played a central role in development of the first microdata. Continued collaboration between academics and the Census Bureau is needed to ensure broad accessibility and usability of microdata.