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Finding fresh data for news stories used to be difficult. With the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), data are now available on a wide range of topics, whenever they are needed. The ACS provides journalists with data they can use to strengthen news coverage and feature stories with up-to-date social, economic, housing, and demographic information about America’s communities. The ACS has become a valuable resource for data-driven journalism—where the goal is to tell compelling stories that are grounded in data.
This guide provides a brief overview of how journalists are using ACS data to make comparisons across geographic areas and population subgroups, support anecdotal evidence by providing a broader context, report on trends and reversals, and conduct research. It also describes some important considerations when working with ACS data—particularly estimates for small geographic areas and small population groups.
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