Population Data Description

Name of the Study/Data Set: Population Data.

Sponsor: Tennessee Department of Health.

Contact:
Division of Health Statistics, Tennessee Department of Health
425 Fifth Avenue North, Cordell Hull Building 4th Floor
Nashville, Tennessee 37243
Phone: (615)741-4861; FAX: (615)253- 7904

Source: Tennessee Department of Health.

Description: Population estimates for the state of Tennessee for the years 1990 - 2006, by race, sex, age, and county. [Note: the 1990 and 2000 data are the actual Census counts for that year.] Data are available by single year of age through age 79. Ages 80-84 are grouped together into one category and ages 85 and over are represented by 85+. Race categories are white, black, and other.

Sample: Not applicable

Methods of Data Collection: Starting with the 1990 Census, estimates were made for the remaining intracensal years.

Scope/Geographic Scale: County-level population estimates for every county in Tennessee. Regional as well as State-wide estimates can be obtained from these county-level data

Target Population: Not applicable

Duration (Number of Years Covered): 1990-2006

Variables Included: Age, sex, race, county, and region.

Uses of the Study/Data Set: Denominator data for rate calculations for every other data set.

Strengths: Individual yearly estimates are available for the intracensal period. This allows for more precision in rate calculation than, for example, taking the mid-decade (1995) estimate to represent the entire 10-year period or basing all intracensal rate calculations on the 1990 Census data.

Limitations or Biases: The data are estimates and as such, reflect the limitations of the assumptions upon which they are based. Any major demographic events may not be accurately reflected in such estimates, such as dramatic increases or decreases in county or regional populations due to economic conditions impacting migration patterns, sudden health events which could differentially affect mortality/morbidity, etc.