The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey that provides data every year—giving communities the current information they need to make important decisions. The ACS covers a broad range of topics about social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics of the U.S. population.

The ACS 5-year estimates are available for the nation, all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, all congressional districts and metropolitan statistical areas, counties, places (i.e., towns or cities), ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, census tracts, and block groups.

• Detailed Tables contain the most detailed estimates on all topics for all geographies. The data are presented as estimates. Detailed Tables are available down to the block group level.

• Subject Tables provide a span of information on a particular ACS subject presented in the format of both estimates and percentages. Subject Tables are available down to the census tract level.

• Data Profiles contain broad social, economic, housing, and demographic information. The data are presented as estimates and percentages. Data Profiles are available down to the census tract level.

• Comparison Profiles are similar to Data Profiles but also include comparisons with past-year data. The current 5-year data are compared with the preceding non-overlapping 5-year data (e.g. 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates compared to 2014-2018 ACS 5-year estimates) and include statistical significance testing. Comparison Profiles are available down to the places/county subdivisions level.

To create an API call, you must enter a specific URL into the address bar of a web browser. The call will vary depending on the following factors:

• Year of data release

• Dataset (ACS 1-year or 5-year)  

• Table ID

• Geography level

Please review the example API calls for each of the table types listed below and use those examples to build your API calls. API calls are also available for tables found in data.census.gov by selecting the API function in the tool bar. Visit the API Resources page for tutorial videos, workshops and other tools.

The API is one of several ways to access ACS data. Visit the ACS Data page to find all the ways to access ACS data.