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Technical Documentation

Valassis Lists Data as an Indicator of Population Recovery in the New Orleans Area.
Ortiz and Plyer. 2008.
In this rapidly changing post‐Katrina environment, standard estimates of population are insufficient. Valassis data offers a new indicator of population that is timely and available for small geographic areas. But this data is quite experimental. Users should be well aware of the available research about this data. This report provides a description of the Valassis Lists data and the methodology we used to create our counts. Over the next year, we will continue our analysis of the Valassis Lists data and document our findings in updated or additional versions of this technical document. Download the PDF.

Related research...

Using U.S. Postal Service Delivery Statistics to Track Population Shifts Following a Major U.S. Disaster. Plyer and Hodges. 2008.
This paper examines the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on U.S. Postal Service monthly residential address counts for parishes in Louisiana. Pre-hurricane comparisons between USPS counts and Census estimates establish a baseline. Then, starting with August 2005, month by month address counts are examined to assess their effectiveness in reflecting population displacement and recovery at the parish level. Click here to access this paper.

Using U.S. Postal Service Delivery Statistics To Track the Repopulation of New Orleans & the Metropolitan Area. Plyer with Bonaguro. 2007.
This Research Note explains why U.S. Postal Service Delivery Statistics are needed and useful for tracking repopulation in a post-disaster context, and documents some of the limitations of the data as a measure of repopulation. It provides initial comparisons of indicators based on this USPS data and census estimates for the New Orleans metro area, along with sub-parish analyses for Orleans and St. Tammany parishes. Download the PDF.

UPCOMING! The accuracy of USPS data on residences actively receiving mail as a measure of neighborhood repopulation following a catastrophic U.S. disaster
Allison Plyer of the Data Center will be conducting research in the summer of 2008. The objectives will be to:

• assess the correspondence between USPS counts of active residences by carrier route and on-the-ground counts of occupied housing units in post-disaster neighborhoods;
• explore the reason for any observed differences between these two data sets, including differences in operational definitions;
• assess the extent to which group quarters are included in USPS counts of active residences.