BRC Census Population Analysis, 2013-2018

The Census is a collaborative research project that started in 2002.

Although the Black Rock City (BRC) Census project is technically a survey and not a literal census (where data is collected from every member of a population), our methodology allows us to report on the entire population of Black Rock City (BRC), not just on the individuals who participate actively in our data collection efforts.

The results in this report are the most reliable estimates we have of the Black Rock City population. The true population values may differ slightly from the presented estimates due to random variation in the sampling process. This report contains data collected in 2018 and, when possible, comparable (weighted) data from 2013 through 2017.

While BRC Census has been producing reports since 2002, it is hard to compare recent data with reports from earlier years (before 2013) because of important differences in methodology — i.e., from a convenience sample of Census Lab visitors on-playa to a weighted online survey conducted post-event.

The BRC Census project is made possible through the extensive collective effort of volunteers, academic researchers, and Burning Man Project. Our thanks to everyone whose contributions went into the creation of this report!

There are two ways to navigate this report. For a full review of all data collected we recommend reviewing the report page by page. The "Next" link at the bottom of each page leads to the next sequential page in the report. For information about specific data points, use the navigation menu (at the left on larger screens, and accessible on smaller screens by touching the menu icon at the top left of the screen.)

If you would prefer to print this report for hardcopy review, a PDF version can be viewed and downloaded here.

BRC Census General Coordination and Scientific Committee: Dana “DV8” DeVaul, Dominic “Hunter” Beaulieu-Prévost, and S. Megan “Countess” Heller

Data Analysis: Dominic “Hunter” Beaulieu-Prévost, Aaron “Murrs” Shev, and Dana “DV8” DeVaul

Report Coordination and Visualizations: Dana “DV8” DeVaul

Report Editing and Proofreading: Meredith Braden, Lisa Donchak, Karen "Sassafras" Goodwin, Netti "Butterfly" Johnston, and Bianca Ruffin

Technical Assistance: Mu, Yusuf

The 2018 Census Lab: The project also involved more than 190 essential volunteers: research collaborators, volunteer coordinators, statisticians, camp builders, gate samplers, keypunchers, Census Lab hosts, graphic designers, and many more!

We would also like to thank the Burning Man Communications Department and the Burning Man Tech Team, especially Erika “Deputy” O’Connor and Mark “Markle” Levitt.

Additionally, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all of the Burning Man participants who have taken the time to provide their data. This project would not exist without our respondents.

Finally, our thanks to Burning Man Project for the resources they provide both on playa and off playa and for believing in the project!

To contact the Census Lab, email census@burningman.org

Census Lab Blog: https://journal.burningman.org/author/census/

Census Lab Data Archive: http://burningman.org/culture/history/brc-history/census-data/

Citation: DeVaul, D.L., Beaulieu-Prévost, D., Heller, S.M., and the 2018 Census Lab. (2017). Black Rock City Census: 2013-2018 Population Analysis. Black Rock City Census. Copyright © 2019 DeVaul et al.

This is an open-access report distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.