Income levels and poverty rates were not statistically different for most states from 2012 to 2013, according to statistics released today from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the nation’s most comprehensive data source on American households.
The state and local income and poverty statistics in the American Community Survey and the local-level health insurance statistics complement the national-level statistics released Tuesday from the Current Population Survey and American Community Survey. The American Community Survey has included questions about health insurance coverage since 2008, and today’s release provides statistics for all metropolitan areas and places with a population of 65,000 or more. Of metro areas, Pittsfield, Mass., had among the lowest percentage of uninsured at 2.1 percent.
“The American Community Survey is our country’s only source of small area estimates for social and demographic characteristics,” Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson said. “As such, it is indispensable to our economic competitiveness and used by businesses, local governments and anyone in need of trusted, timely, detailed data.”
The 2013 American Community Survey provides a multitude of statistics that measure the social, economic and housing conditions of U.S. communities. More than 40 topics are available with today’s release, such as educational attainment, housing, employment, commuting, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry and selected monthly homeowner costs.
Also released today are two reports providing analysis on income and poverty for states and large metropolitan areas.
According to the report Household Income: 2013, which compares American Community Survey statistics from 2012 to 2013:
Household Income: 2013 also examined the Gini index for states and large metro areas. The Gini index is a summary measure of income inequality, ranging from 0 — complete equality — to 1 — complete inequality. Among the findings:
According to the report Poverty: 2012 and 2013 which compares American Community Survey statistics from 2012 to 2013:
The 2013 American Community Survey included new questions to produce statistics on computer and Internet access. Mandated by the 2008 Broadband Data Improvement Act, the data will help the Federal Communications Commission measure broadband access nationwide. The data will also help identify communities eligible for available grants to expand access.
Some topline findings:
The Census Bureau is releasing a more detailed report on the new findings in early October.
The Census Bureau also today updated its application programming interface (API) with 2013 American Community Survey statistics. The API, which allows developers to create custom apps with Census Bureau data, now includes 2013 American Community Survey data profiles across geographies, including congressional districts.
On Oct. 23, the Census Bureau will release a set of American Community Survey statistics covering all areas with populations of 20,000 or more, based on data collected between 2011 and 2013. A third set of American Community Survey statistics, available for all geographic areas regardless of population size, down to the block group level, will be released on Dec. 4 covering 2009 to 2013.
The American Community Survey provides a wide range of important statistics about all communities in the country. The American Community Survey gives communities the current information they need to plan investments and services. Retailers, homebuilders, police departments, and town and city planners are among the many private- and public-sector decision makers who count on these annual results. Visit the Stats in Action page to see some examples.
Ever since Thomas Jefferson directed the first census in 1790, the census has collected detailed characteristics about our nation’s people. Questions about jobs and the economy were added 20 years later under James Madison, who said [PDF 3.9 MB] such information would allow Congress to “adapt the public measures to the particular circumstances of the community,” and over the decades allow America “an opportunity of marking the progress of the society.”
These statistics would not be possible without the participation of the randomly selected households in the survey.
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Note: Statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. All comparisons made in this report have been tested and found to be statistically significant at the 90 percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted. Please consult the tables for specific margins of error. For more information, go to <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation.html>.
Changes in survey design from year to year can affect results. See <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/news/data-releases.2013.html> for more information on changes affecting the 2013 statistics. See www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance/comparing-acs-data/2013.html> for guidance on comparing 2013 American Community Survey statistics with previous years and the 2010 Census.