December 18, 2017
The U.S. Census Bureau is continually evaluating its operations to determine how we can efficiently measure the nation’s people, places, and economy. After a thorough evaluation of American Community Survey (ACS) program operations, we have decided we will no longer collect ACS Nonresponse Follow Up (NRFU) information from respondents through our Computer- Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) operation. The last month of ACS CATI NRFU was September 2017. This message is to inform you of this change to the ACS program.
As a result of the elimination of the ACS CATI NRFU operation, we estimate that we will be making approximately 10 million fewer telephone calls per year to ACS respondents, thereby significantly reducing respondent burden.
Based on cost and performance data, we determined that ACS CATI was no longer a viable option for NRFU data collection. Program data over the last few years have shown that the cost per interview for ACS CATI NRFU was exceeding the cost per interview for ACS Computer-Assisted Personal Interview NRFU. Also, response rates for the ACS CATI NRFU operation have dropped over the past several years. The data quality impact of cutting ACS CATI NRFU will be negligible, a very low percentage of survey responses were coming from this mode.
The Census Bureau will continue to conduct the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance and Failed Edit Follow Up operations for the ACS. We will also have a Census Questionnaire Assistance program for the 2020 Decennial Census.
December 7, 2017
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2012-2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. The ACS is the most relied-on source for up-to-date social, economic, housing, and demographic information every year. These statistics cover all geographic areas regardless of size, down to the block-group level.
The ACS is the only source of local statistics for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as educational attainment, occupation, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry, and selected monthly homeowner costs.
Visit the Census Bureau's American FactFinder or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates.
For more information, visit the links below:
November 30, 2017
We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of the 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-year estimates scheduled for release on Thursday, December 7, 2017. This documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data release.
New and updated information related to this release is available now on the 2016 Data Release page.
Highlights include links to the following:
October 19, 2017
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files, and 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Supplemental Estimates.
The PUMS files show the full range of population and housing unit responses collected on individual ACS questionnaires for a subsample of ACS housing units and group quarters persons (approximately one percent of the United States population).
The PUMS files allow data users to conduct a custom analysis. Working with PUMS data generally involves downloading large datasets onto a local computer and analyzing the data using statistical software such as R, SPSS, Stata, or SAS.
PUMS data can be accessed via the ACS FTP site, American FactFinder, or via the Census Bureau's DataFerrett tool. DataFerrett is particularly useful for researchers who need a quick statistic or do not have access to statistical software.
For more information, visit the links below:
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Supplemental Estimates.
The ACS is the most relied-on source for up-to-date social, economic, housing, and demographic information every year. Supplemental Estimates provide these data for geographies with populations of 20,000 or more, compared to the 65,000 population minimum for the standard ACS 1-year estimates. They are available for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 20,000 or more.
Visit the Census Bureau's American FactFinder or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates.
October 12, 2017
We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of the 2016 ACS 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files and 2016 ACS 1-year Supplemental Estimates scheduled for release on Thursday, October 19, 2017. This documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data releases.
The 2016 tab of the PUMS Technical Documentation page now includes code lists, subject definitions, the data dictionary, and top and bottom coded values:
More documentation will be released on October 19th along with the 2016 ACS 1-year PUMS files.
New and updated information related to this release is available now on the 2016 Data Release page. Highlights include links to the following:
September 14, 2017
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year estimates, the most relied-on source for up-to-date social, economic, and housing information every year.
The ACS is the only source of local statistics for most of the 40 topics it covers, such as educational attainment, occupation, language spoken at home, ancestry, and selected monthly homeowner costs.
The ACS 1-year estimates are available for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 65,000 or more. To find out if these estimates are available for your county or city, please consult our Reference Materials.
Visit the Census Bureau's American FactFinder or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates.
For more information, visit the links below:
September 7, 2017
We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of the 2016 American Community Survey 1-year estimates scheduled for release on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. This documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data release.
New and updated information related to this release is available now on the 2016 Data Release page.
Highlights include links to the following:
July 13, 2017
We are pleased to announce the release of new American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for detailed race, Hispanic Origin, ancestry, and tribal population groups. These statistics, available from the 2011-2015 ACS 5-year Selected Population Tables and 2011-2015 ACS 5-year American Indian and Alaska Native Tables, provide the greatest level of statistical information for detailed population groups.
The ACS is the most relied-on source for up-to-date social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics every year. Estimates from today's release provide these characteristics for detailed population groups using lower minimum population requirements compared to the standard ACS 1-year release. Highlights include:
Today's release is the first update to the data since the previous tables based on the 2006-2010 American Community Survey.
Visit the Census Bureau's American FactFinder and search for a detailed population group to start exploring these estimates.
For more information, visit the Race/Ethnicity and American Indian & Alaska Native Documentation page. Documentation has been posted to browse the available tables, population groups, geographies, comparison guidance, and accuracy of the data.
July 6, 2017
We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of new American Community Survey (ACS) estimates for detailed race, Hispanic Origin, ancestry, and tribal population groups. These statistics, available from the 2011-2015 ACS 5-year Selected Population Tables and 2011-2015 ACS 5-year American Indian and Alaska Native Tables, are scheduled for release on Thursday, July 13, 2017.
The new documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data release by exploring the available:
Estimates from these tables provide the greatest level of statistical information for detailed population groups. This is the first update to the data since the previous release based on the 2006-2010 American Community Survey.
May 31, 2017
The Census Bureau has released Agility in Action 2.0: A Snapshot of Enhancements to the American Community Survey. This document describes the efforts we are undertaking to create a positive customer experience while maintaining the high quality of American Community Survey (ACS) data. It provides background on the issues facing the ACS, methods to address the issues, and the path forward. This is the next version of the Agility In Action plan for the ACS (Versions 1.2, 1.1).
Research activities are described in the following subsections:
January 19, 2017
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2011-2015 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files.
The ACS 5-year PUMS files show the full range of population and housing unit responses collected on individual ACS questionnaires for a subsample of ACS housing units and group quarters persons (approximately five percent of the United States population).
PUMS files allow data users to conduct a custom analysis, though the files also tend to be more complicated to use. Working with PUMS data generally involves downloading large datasets onto a local computer and analyzing them using statistical software such as R, SPSS, Stata, or SAS.
PUMS data can be accessed via the Census Bureau's FTP site, American FactFinder, or via the DataFerrett tool. (This tool is particularly useful for researchers who need a quick statistic or do not have access to statistical software.)
For more information, explore the new 2011-2015 ACS 5-year PUMS Technical Documentation:
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2011-2015 ACS Variance Replicate Estimate Tables. These tables include estimates, margins of error (MOEs), and 80 variance replicate estimates for selected ACS 5-year Detailed Tables. With the replicate estimates, advanced users can calculate MOEs when collapsing data within a table or across geographies. This method provides a more accurate MOE than available approximation formulas.
To access these estimates, visit the Variance Replicate Estimates page or through the Census Bureau's FTP site.
For more information, visit the Variance Replicate Estimate Tables documentation page:
January 12, 2017
We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of the 2011-2015 ACS 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Estimates. The data will be released on January 19th, 2017 . This documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data releases.
2011-2015 ACS 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Documentation
The 2015 tab of the PUMS Technical Documentation page now includes code lists, subject definitions, the data dictionary, and top and bottom coded values:
More documentation will be released on January 19th along with the 2011-2015 ACS 5-year PUMS files.
New and updated information related to this release is available now on the 2015 Data Release page.