The information, collected all over the United States by the ACS and throughout Puerto Rico by the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS), serve as an impartial measuring stick used as the basis for decisions that affect nearly every aspect of our lives. People who receive the ACS are responsible for responding so that the statistical portrait of their community is as complete and accurate as possible. The ACS generates data that help inform how trillions of dollars in federal funds are distributed each year. Therefore, each completed survey is a building block used to create statistics about communities and an opportunity for a respondent to help affect what their community receives. Our flyer titled "ACS How it Works for Your Community" shows how ACS data helps communities. 

Most people probably never think about how local planners know where to target new development or where businesses get the data they need to plan for expansion. Most probably do not think about how policymakers get the objective information they need to make sure programs are on track or that local services are keeping pace with community needs. ACS estimates are an extremely useful tool for many data users to make important decisions for communities nationwide. Visit the ACS Data Stories page to discover examples of how ACS data are being used.

Who uses ACS data?

The ACS is unique in its ability to produce estimates on a wide range of geographies, including low geographic levels such as census tracts and block groups. Geographic areas are organized in a geographic hierarchy. Larger units, like states, include smaller units, like counties and census tracts. Block groups are the smallest geographic building block for the ACS. To learn more about how geography plays an important role in the ACS visit our Geography & ACS page.

The ACS website has a variety of resources to support data users with learning more about ACS data, tools, and about the survey overall. Please find resources below:

Respondents and data users have many questions about the ACS. One of those important questions is, "Is my information and privacy protected when responding to the ACS?"

The answer to that question - YES! The Census Bureau is legally bound to strict confidentiality requirements. Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.) prohibits the Census Bureau from giving or selling your personal information to anyone, including companies, other federal agencies, and law enforcement. 

When processing the information collected on the ACS questionnaires, individuals’ names and other personal identifiers are deleted from the files used to tabulate the information. Additionally, we employ statistical methodologies to ensure that the statistics we release do not identify individuals or businesses.

If you have further questions please find our Top Questions About the Survey.

Conducting the ACS is covered by the constitution. The U.S. Constitution states that “[An] Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct.” Pursuant to this constitutional directive, Congress passed separate laws for each decennial census and specified the information to be collected. In 1954, Congress codified earlier census acts and all other statutes authorizing the decennial census as Title 13, U.S. Code. From the very first census act, Congress sought the collection of more information than just a headcount.

The current legal authority for collecting this information resides in Title 13 of the U.S. Code or the “Census Act.” The Census Act provides the Census Bureau with legal authority to conduct the decennial census and delegates broad discretionary authority to the Secretary of Commerce for determining the manner of conducting the census. This authority has been redelegated by the Secretary to the Director of the Census Bureau.

Courts routinely have upheld the constitutionality of collecting census data, characterizing as unquestionable the power of Congress to require both an enumeration and the collection of statistics in the census. The courts have held that the Constitution, including the fourth and fifth amendments, does not prohibit the gathering of other statistics in addition to the enumeration every 10 years.

• Title 13, U.S. Code, §141(a). “The Secretary shall, in the year 1980 and every 10 years thereafter, take a decennial census of population as of the first day of April of such year, which date shall be known as the “decennial census date,” in such form and content as he may determine, including the use of sampling procedures and special surveys. In connection with any such census, the Secretary is authorized to obtain such other census information as necessary.”
• Title 13, U.S. Code, §193. “In advance of, in conjunction with, or after the taking of each census provided for by this chapter, the Secretary may make surveys and collect such preliminary and supplementary statistics related to the main topic of the census as are necessary to the initiation, taking, or completion thereof.”

Need help responding to the ACS or have questions about using and finding ACS data?

Our Contact Us page provides information to help respondents and data users. Respondents will find telephone assistance and regional office contact information for help with completing the survey. Data users will find customer support contact information, specialists who can help data users locally, and information on the ACS Data Users Group.

Did the Census Bureau contact you? If so, Verify a Census Bureau Survey, Mailing, or Contact. Most Census Bureau calls originate from these contact centers:

• Jeffersonville, IN: (812) 218-3144
• Tucson, AZ: (520) 798-4152