Ottensmann, John R.2025-04-092025-04-092021-11-01Ottensmann, John R., The Use (and Misuse) of Population-Weighted Density (November 1, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3970248 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3970248https://hdl.handle.net/1805/46926During the past several decades, population-weighted density has come to be used in scholarly papers and other formal reports. It is a weighted average of the densities of smaller subareas that is an alternative to the traditional measure of density, total population divided by total area. The U.S. Census used it in a 2012 report resulting in increased attention in more informal pieces such as blog posts and pieces in popular media. Calculation of population-weighted densities and their reporting and inclusion in datasets occurred. The quality of the treatment of population-weighted density in all of these works has been uneven. Important information has not always been provided. This paper reviews these items and assesses the use of population-weighted density.en-USIU Indianapolis Open Access PolicyDensityPopulation densityWeighted densityArticle