UNDERENUMERATION IN THE CENSUS AS INDICATED BY SELECTIVE SERVICE DATA.

In the article by researcher, Daniel O. Price in the February 1947 issue of "American Sociological Review," there is contained an analysis indicating that on the basis of Selective Service data there was underenumeration in the 1940 Census for the age group 21-35 amounting to about 3% for total males and 15% for negro males. The analysis was made on the basis of projecting the 1940 Census for the six and half months to the date of the First Selective Service Registration. Price made his analysis by States which, has certain limitations because of differences in procedure in Census enumeration and Selective Service registration. In the comparison by States for negro males, only the 24 States with the largest negro populations were shown. For 8 such States, mostly northern urban ones, the negro registrants exceeded the negro "census" population by more than 20% and for the southern States the figures in general ranged between 10 and 15%, although being as low as 5% for Mississippi. This article's purpose is to present further data on "census" population versus Selective Service registrants, bringing into consideration the important factor of age.