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When comparing ACS estimates with other ACS estimates, there are several points to consider:
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Use Caution. The population continually ages—people enter into older age groups while babies fill the youngest age group. This means that a completely different set of people make up each age group from one time period to the next. Since populations occasionally experience booms/increases (for example, the postwar Baby Boom from 1946-1964) and busts/decreases in births, deaths, or migration, one should not necessarily expect that the population in an age group in the 2010 Census should be similar in size or proportion to the population in the same age group in different data year(s). For example, Baby Boomers were ages 46 to 64 in the 2010 Census while they were ages 58 to 76 in the 2022 1-year ACS, and ages 54 to 76 in the 2018-2022 5-year period. So, the age groups 65 to 69 and 70 to 74 would show considerable increase in population when comparing 2010 Census data with the single year or multiyear ACS data.
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Compare. Differences between the 2022 ACS and Census 2020 may be the result of demographic changes, processing, or methodological differences in the population estimates used as ACS controls. For more information, see the ACS Race User Note: Improvements to the Race Question.
Use caution. Differences between 2022 ACS and 2010 Census may be the result of demographic changes, and/or differences in question wording (the ACS question on race was revised in 2020 to make it consistent with the 2020 Census race question), processing, coding updates, or methodological differences in the population estimates used as controls. For more information, see the ACS Race User Note: Improvements to the Race Question.
Use caution. Differences between 2022 ACS and 2021 ACS may be the result of demographic changes, and/or differences in question wording (the ACS question on Hispanic origin was revised in 2020 to make it consistent with the 2020 Census Hispanic origin), processing, coding updates, or methodological differences in the population estimates used as controls. For more information, see the ACS Hispanic Origin User Note: Improvements to the Hispanic origin question.
Compare. Differences between the 2022 ACS and Census 2020 may be the result of demographic changes, processing, or methodological differences in the population estimates used as ACS controls. For more information, see the ACS Hispanic Origin User Note: Improvements to the Hispanic origin question.
Use caution. Differences between 2022 ACS and 2010 Census may be the result of demographic changes, and/or differences in question wording (the ACS question on Hispanic origin was revised in 2020 to make it consistent with the 2020 Census Hispanic origin question), processing, coding updates, or methodological differences in the population estimates used as controls. For more information, see the ACS Hispanic Origin User Note: Improvements to the Hispanic origin question.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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Use caution. Both the ACS and the 2020 Census used a joint age, sex, and relationship edit. However, the ACS edit also incorporated marital status information into the editing process, while the 2020 Census did not. Differences in weighting schemes between the census and the ACS could produce inconsistencies in comparisons.
Use caution. The ACS used a joint age, sex, and relationship edit and 2010 Census did not. The ACS also has a category for foster children which is not in the 2010 Census. Additionally, the ACS includes separate answer categories for opposite-sex and same-sex spouses and unmarried partners and does not include a roomer or boarder category. Differences in weighting schemes between the census and the ACS could produce inconsistencies in comparisons.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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Use caution. Both the ACS and the 2020 Census used a joint age, sex, and relationship edit. However, the ACS edit also incorporated marital status information into the editing process, while Census 2020 did not. These edits are used to determine categories of family and household types. Differences in weighting schemes between the census and the ACS could produce inconsistencies in comparisons.
Use caution. The ACS used a joint age, sex, and relationship edit and 2010 Census did not. The ACS also has a category for foster children, which is not in the 2010 Census. Additionally, the ACS includes separate answer categories for opposite-sex and same-sex spouses and unmarried partners and does not include a roomer or boarder category. Differences in weighting schemes between the census and the ACS could produce inconsistencies in comparisons.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
Use caution. As ACS data are collected every month of the year, reference months in a calendar year overlap with the reference months in the preceding calendar year. Hence, comparing the 2022 ACS 1-year with the 2021 ACS 1-year estimates is not an exact comparison of the economic conditions in 2022 with those in 2021. For a discussion of this and related issues, see Hogan, Howard, "Measuring Population Change Using the American Community Survey," Applied Demography in the 21st Century, Steven H. Murdock and David A. Swanson eds., Springer Netherlands, 2008. For specific questions and answers about sources of poverty data, see Questions and Answers about Sources of Poverty Data.
The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
Use caution. As ACS data are collected every month of the year, reference months in a calendar year overlap with the reference months in the preceding calendar year. Hence, comparing the 2022 ACS 1-year with the 2021 ACS 1-year estimates is not an exact comparison of the economic conditions in 2022 with those in 2021. For a discussion of this and related issues, see Hogan, Howard, "Measuring Population Change Using the American Community Survey," Applied Demography in the 21st Century, Steven H. Murdock and David A. Swanson eds., Springer Netherlands, 2008. For specific questions and answers about sources of poverty data, see Questions and Answers about Sources of Poverty Data.
The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
Use caution. As ACS data are collected every month of the year, adjacent years will have some reference months in common. Hence, comparing the 2022 ACS 1-year with the 2021 ACS 1-year estimates is not an exact comparison of the economic conditions in 2022 with those in 2021. For a discussion of this and related issues, see Hogan, Howard, “Measuring Population Change Using the American Community Survey,” Applied Demography in the 21st Century, Steven H. Murdock and David A. Swanson eds., Springer Netherlands, 2008. The Census Bureau recommends using R-CPI-U-RS adjustment factors published annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to adjust 2021 median, mean, and per capita income dollar amounts to 2022 dollars by multiplying the 2021 dollar amounts by the R-CPI-U-RS factor of 1.08091182.
The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
Use caution. As ACS data are collected every month of the year, adjacent years will have some reference months in common. Hence, comparing the 2022 ACS 1-year with the 2021 ACS 1-year estimates is not an exact comparison of the economic conditions in 2022 with those in 2021. For a discussion of this and related issues, see Hogan, Howard, "Measuring Population Change Using the American Community Survey," Applied Demography in the 21st Century, Steven H. Murdock and David A. Swanson eds., Springer Netherlands, 2008. The Census Bureau recommends using R-CPI-U-RS adjustment factors published annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to adjust 2021 median, mean, and per capita income dollar amounts to 2022 dollars by multiplying the 2021 dollar amounts by the R-CPI-U-RS factor of 1.08091182.
The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
Compare. Beginning in data year 2019, respondents to the Weeks Worked question provided an integer value for the number of weeks worked. For data years 2008 through 2018, respondents selected a category corresponding to the number of weeks worked.
The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
Use caution. Starting in 2020, respondents who indicated that they had a home equity loan, but no first mortgage, were left as having no first mortgage. These units will still be included in the Tenure ‘with a mortgage’ category but will not have a first mortgage under Mortgage Status.
Use caution. The question was not asked in the 2020 Census; however, mortgage status can be obtained from the tenure question (owned with a mortgage or loan, including home equity loans; or owned free and clear, without a mortgage or loan).
Use caution. The question was not asked in the 2010 Census; however, mortgage status can be obtained from the tenure question (owned with a mortgage or loan, including home equity loans; or owned free and clear, without a mortgage or loan).
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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Do Not Compare. Because the ACS and the Decennial Census differ in their design and data collection methods, users should note that estimates of vacancy rates may also differ. For more information on vacancy rates between the ACS and Census, see Comparing 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates of Occupancy Status, Vacancy Status, and Household Size with the 2010 Census - Preliminary Results.
Do Not Compare. Because the ACS and the Decennial Census differ in their design and data collection methods, users should note that estimates of vacancy rates may also differ. For more information on vacancy rates between the ACS and Census, see Comparing 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates of Occupancy Status, Vacancy Status, and Household Size with the 2010 Census - Preliminary Results.
Use Caution. Starting in 2022 for the ACS 1-year file, the prior year Value of Property data was adjusted to current year dollars in the CP04 tables.
The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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Use caution. The total group quarters (GQ) population in the ACS may not be comparable with Census 2020 because there are some Census 2020 GQ types that were out of scope in the ACS such as maritime/merchant vessels, soup kitchens, regularly scheduled mobile food vans, and shelters for victims of natural disasters. “The exclusion of these GQ types from the ACS may result in a small bias in some ACS estimates to the extent that the excluded population is different from the included population.
Use caution. The total group quarters (GQ) population in the ACS may not be comparable with the 2010 Census. The ACS does not include all the GQ types that are found in the decennial census such as maritime/merchant vessels, soup kitchens, regularly scheduled mobile food vans, and shelters for victims of natural disasters. The exclusion of these GQ types from the ACS may result in a small bias in some ACS estimates to the extent that the excluded population is different from the included population.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
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The question was not asked in the 2020 Census.
The question was not asked in the 2010 Census.
* Each subject area is listed with its 2-digit code identifier. This code corresponds to the second and third characters of the ACS table number. For example, Table B08303 - Travel Time to Work has the second and third digits of "08" which corresponds to the subject Journey to Work; Workers; and Commuting.
Specifically, when comparing the 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates with other non-overlapping ACS 5-year estimates, there are several points to consider:
Data users should use caution when comparing ACS 5-year estimates that include 2020 with other ACS 5-year data. There are multiple challenges to interpreting comparisons, including:
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Use caution. Differences between the 2013-2017 ACS 5-year estimates and 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates may be the result of demographic changes and/or differences in question wording, race reporting, or coding updates. For more information, visit the ACS Race User Note: Improvements to the Race Question.
Use caution. Differences between the 2013-2017 ACS 5-year estimates and 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates may be the result of demographic changes and/or differences in question wording, Hispanic origin reporting, or coding updates. For more information, visit the ACS Hispanic Origin User Note: Improvements to the Hispanic Origin Question.
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Methodological changes to citizenship edits may have affected citizenship data for those born in American Samoa. Users should be aware of these changes when using 2018 data or multi-year data containing data from 2018. For more information, see: American Samoa Citizenship User Note.
Modest changes have been made to the region and country groupings. For the 2014 ACS South Sudan (code 463) was added as an eligible place of birth, please see the 2014 ACS Code List. For the 2017 ACS, St. Martin (code 349) was added as an eligible place of birth, please see the 2017 ACS Code List. These changes do not limit comparing most 2013-2017 ACS 5-year and 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates.
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Beginning in 2019, the Census Bureau implemented changes to selected means of transportation categories based on results of the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) Content Test. While the category labels have changed, the categories are considered comparable. Please refer to the 2019 Changes to the Means of Transportation Question Data User Note for comparability guidance.
Use caution when comparing the 2013-2017 ACS 5-year estimates to 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates. The 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates contained expanded “husband/wife” and “unmarried partner” categories that included separate categories for opposite-sex and same-sex couples. Additionally, the “roomer or boarder” category was removed. For additional information regarding changes to the Relationship to Householder item, please see the Same-Sex Couples page. Further, the 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates used a joint age, sex, and relationship edit, while the 2013-2017 ACS 5-year estimates used a joint relationship/marital status edit.
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Use caution. The 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates contained expanded “husband/wife” and “unmarried partner” categories that included separate categories for opposite-sex and same-sex couples. For additional information regarding changes to the Relationship to Householder item, please see the Same-Sex Couples page. Further, the 2018-2022 ACS used a joint age, sex, and relationship edit, while the 2013-2017 ACS used a joint relationship/marital status edit. These edits are used to determine categories of family types.
Use caution. The 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates used a separate marital status edit, while the 2013-2017 ACS 5-year estimates used a joint relationship/marital status edit.
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Use caution. Some languages need additional steps for comparison. Please refer to the 2016 Language Data User Note for comparability guidance.
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Use caution. To accurately assess changes in income over time, an adjustment for inflation is required.
The Census Bureau uses the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Consumer Price Index Retroactive Series (R-CPI-U-RS, R-CPI-U-RS formerly the CPI-U-RS) to adjust for inflation. The annual average R-CPI-U-RS for 2022 (431.5) is divided by the same for 2017 (360.3) to determine the multiplier to inflation-adjust 2017 dollars to 2022 dollars. Accordingly, dollar value estimates from the 2013-2017 file should be multiplied by 1.19761310 to convert 2017 dollars to 2022 dollars. The exception is the Comparative Economic Characteristics Profile (CP03) where all income and earnings dollar values are presented in 2022 inflation-adjusted dollars. For more information on comparing multiyear estimates from two different time periods, refer to Chapter 10 of the ACS Handbook Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data: What All Data Users Need to Know.
Use caution. To accurately assess changes in income over time, an adjustment for inflation is required. Refer to Income (19) above for guidance regarding inflation-adjusting dollar value estimates.
In 2013, the veteran status question was modified. As a result, we recommend using caution when comparing the 2018-2022 estimates to estimates from 2013-2017 of the veteran population or any earlier ACS 5-year data. For more information, visit the Veterans Statistics webpage.
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The ACS industry data for 2013 to 2017 years was coded based on the 2012 revision of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes. The 2018 ACS industry data and later years are based on the 2017 revision of the NAICS codes. Because of the NAICS revisions and Census industry code changes, we recommend using caution when comparing 2018-2022 industry data with 2013-2017 industry data. For more information on Census industry code changes, please visit the Industry and Occupation website.
The Census occupation codes for 2018 and later data years are based on the 2018 revision of the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). The 2013-2017 ACS 5-year occupation data was based on the 2010 revision of the SOC. There were significant changes to the Census occupation codes as a result of the 2018 SOC revisions. Therefore, the 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 occupation data are not comparable. For more information on the Census occupation code changes, please visit the Industry and Occupation website.
Telephone service data should be compared with caution between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022. In 2017, a consistency check was added to the telephone service edit to better determine households with telephone service. Furthermore, beginning in 2019 the telephone service question was revised in its structure and wording as a result of findings from the 2016 ACS Content Test. For more information on this change, see the following ACS User Note. In general, these changes led to an increase in households with telephone service during the 2018-2022 period compared to the 2013-2017 period.
Mortgage status data compared between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 should be done with caution. In 2020, changes were made to allow those listed without a primary mortgage to have a home equity loan. In previous years, anyone with a home equity loan would have been categorized as having a primary mortgage.
Home value data should be compared with caution between 2013-2017 and 2018-2022 as the differences captured in the tables will represent changes in reported home values. Starting with the 2022 data releases, reported home value collected on the American Community Survey (ACS) will be presented in current year dollars. This adjustment will use the Retroactive Consumer Price Index Research Series (R-CPI-U-RS), formerly known as the CPI-U-RS, which is used to adjust all other dollar-denominated estimates in the ACS. This change will bring the home value data in line with how all other dollar-denominated housing and income items are adjusted to real (i.e., constant) dollars. For more information, see the ACS Home Value User Note.
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Use caution. Changes in 2016 to question wording and the response options resulted in changed response patterns in the data. For more detailed information about these changes, see the 2016 American Community Survey Content Test Report for Computer and Internet Use or the User Note regarding changes to the 2016 questions.
Data were not available prior to 2014. Therefore, the 2013-2017 ACS 5-year estimates are not available.
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