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Resource Library
American Community Survey Data via API
The Census Bureau's Application Programming Interface (API) is a tool that you can use to access American Community Survey (ACS) data more efficiently. It reduces the need for data storage and provides users with a set of standard commands to easily access statistics that can be incorporated into their programs and applications. You can also use it to create simple queries to access ACS data through an internet browser. Learn more about how to access ACS datasets via the API, as well as resources to learn more about using the API.
Download Building an API Query for ACS [PDF - <1.0 MB]
Find ACS Data Available in the API
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American Community Survey 1-Year Data (2005-2023)Areas with populations of 65,000+. Covers a broad range of topics about social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics of the U.S. population. -
American Community Survey 1-Year Supplemental Data (2014 - 2023)High-level detailed tables tabulated on the 1-year microdata for geographies with populations of 20,000 or more. -
American Community Survey 3-Year Data (2007-2013)Areas with populations of 20,000+. Covers a broad range of topics about social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics of the U.S. population. -
American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2009-2023)Data available down to the block-group level. Covers a range of topics about social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics of the U.S. population. -
American Community Survey Migration FlowsMigration flows between counties, minor civil divisions, and metropolitan areas using ACS 5-year data. Flows are crossed by selected characteristics. -
Language Statistics: ACS (2013)Counts of speakers for 380 languages/language groups with count in each group speaking English less than “very well.” Geos: counties, CBSAs, states, nation. -
ACS 1-Year PUMSOne year of person and housing records at the nation, state, and Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) levels. -
ACS 5-Year PUMSFive years of person and housing records at the nation, state, and Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) levels.
Take the Intro to the API Course
Video Tutorials on Using the API with the ACS
Using the API to Get All Results for an ACS Table
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to get data for an entire table from the ACS. We will walk you through the steps using DP03 from the 2019 ACS 1-year estimates for all metro areas.
Using the API To Get Results for a Few Estimates
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to get data for only the variables you need from the 2019 ACS 1-Year Data Profiles, using all Congressional Districts in California as an example.
More ACS Resources for API
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Developers' Forum on SlackThe Developers Forum is available to help improve access to public datasets, provide feedback on the API, and to encourage innovative use of data products.
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DevelopersDeveloper portal to access services and documentation for the Census Bureau's APIs.
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Using the Census API with the American Community SurveyIn this webinar, we discuss how to leverage the Census Bureau’s API to access, load and manipulate American Community Survey data using statistical software.
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What Users of the Census Data API Need to KnowThis guide provides an overview of the Census Data API and how it can be used to build custom queries to quickly and consistently access ACS data.
Page Last Revised - January 7, 2025
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