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Media Guide to Covering the Census Bureau

The U.S. Census Bureau is the federal government’s largest statistical agency. We are dedicated to providing current facts and figures about America’s people, places, and economy. Federal law protects the confidentiality of all the information the Census Bureau collects.

Our Statistical Programs

The decennial census <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html> is the once-a-decade population count required by the U.S. Constitution. The Census Bureau counts all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. The results help determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and how to distribute hundreds of billions in federal funding for public services for the next 10 years.

The American Community Survey (ACS) <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs.html> is an ongoing annual survey that shows what the U.S. population looks like and how it lives. The ACS helps communities decide where to target services and resources.

Demographic surveys <www.census.gov/programs-surveys/surveys-programs.html> measure factors such as income and poverty, education, health, housing, crime, and computer usage.

Economic data <www.census.gov/topics/business-economy.html> is produced monthly, quarterly, and yearly. They cover selected sectors of the nation’s economy and supplement the economic census with more frequent information about the dynamic economy. These surveys yield more than 400 annual economic reports, including principal economic indicators.

The Small Business Pulse Survey <https://portal.census.gov/pulse/data/> provides detailed information on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses as well as their participation in federal programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program. Available on a weekly basis (May 27 – July 22, 2021).

The Household Pulse Survey <www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/hhp/#/> asks questions about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected education, employment, food security, health, housing, Social Security benefits, household spend-ing, consumer spending associated with stimulus payments, intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and transporta-tion. Available on a biweekly basis (May 5 – July 14, 2021).

Visit <www.census.gov/programs-surveys.html> for more U.S. social, economic, and geographic survey data from the Census Bureau.

Helpful Resources

Related Information


Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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