Me, I swear by Census products. As an empirical economist, I use Census Bureau-provided data almost every day of the week, even without a frequent user program. We'll post the most interesting comments. While I am devout in my admiration for the work of the Census Bureau, none of its regular customers are unaware of the huge problems inherent in large databases. Entering the world of massive data collection means entering a world of half-truths and mismeasurement.
Homeowners overstate their housing values.
Single cohabitants list themselves as married. Many people get counted twice, and there are some people that the Census misses altogether. Of course, the undercounting in the Census matters much more than the mismeasurement of other data. As the Census determines the distribution of congressional representatives, errors in the Census are a national issue. If some groups are disproportionately undercounted, then areas where these groups live will get less representation than they deserve.