Relative standard error (RSE)

A measure of an estimate’s reliability. The RSE of an estimate is obtained by dividing the standard error of the estimate, SE(r), by the estimate itself, r. This quantity is expressed as a percentage of the estimate and is calculated as:

$$RSE=100[SE(r)/r]$$

Estimates with large RSEs may be unreliable. In the past, Health, United States suppressed statistics with large RSEs or footnoted them with an asterisk. A National Center for Health Statistics multistep presentation standard replaced RSE in the identification of unreliable estimates for proportions for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey starting with the 2013–2014 cycle and the National Health Interview Survey starting with 2016. For more information on the multistep approach, see National Center for Health Statistics Data Presentation Standards for Proportions.

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(Also see Sources and Definitions, Statistical reliability of estimates.)