Why We Ask Questions About...
Age and Date of Birth

graphical representation of a scene in public park depicting people of different ages

We ask questions about age and date of birth to understand the size and characteristics of different age groups and to present other data by age.

Local, state, tribal, and federal agencies use age data to plan and fund government programs that provide assistance or services for specific age groups, such as children, working-age adults, women of childbearing age, or the older population. These statistics also help enforce laws, regulations, and policies against age discrimination in government programs and in society.

We use your confidential survey answers to create statistics like those in the results below and in the full tables that contain all the data—no one is able to figure out your survey answers from the statistics we produce. The Census Bureau is legally bound to strict confidentiality requirements. Individual records are not shared with anyone, including federal agencies and law enforcement entities. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including companies, other federal agencies, and law enforcement.

We ask one question that covers age and date of birth to understand the characteristics of different age groups.

The results from the question on age are compiled to provide communities with important statistics to help target services and funding to specific age groups. You can see some of these published statistics here for the nation, states, and your community.

United States

Provide Assistance to Older Americans

We ask about age to help local officials provide programs and services for adults aged 60 and older to:

Remain living safely in their homes and communities (Older Americans Act).
Receive services and assistance, such as financial assistance with utilities (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).

Provide Assistance to Children and Families

We ask about the number and age of children in families, health insurance status, and income to help communities enroll eligible families in programs designed to assist them such as:

Medicaid
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

Educate Children and Adults

School districts make long-term building, staffing, and funding decisions based on how many children and adults depend on their services. We ask about age, disability status, language spoken at home, and income to assist schools in understanding the needs of their students and qualify them for grants that help fund student programs (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965).

Ensure Equal Opportunity

We ask about age, housing, employment, and education to help government and communities enforce laws, regulations, and policies against discrimination based on age. For example, age information is used to analyze the employment status of workers by age (Age Discrimination in Employment Act).

History of age question

The age question originated with the 1790 Census. It was added to the ACS in 2005 when it replaced the decennial census long form.

Why We Ask Questions About...
Age and Date of Birth

Why We Ask Questions About...
Age and Date of Birth

Your privacy concerns

Question as it appears on the form