The Community Resilience Estimates are different for several reasons.

1.      The Community Resilience Estimates use restricted microdata housed at the U.S. Census Bureau. In the interest of privacy protection, microdata never leaves the Census Bureau and is not available to the public. With microdata, we are able to go down to the person-level and flag individuals living with a social vulnerability risk factor. The lowest level available in public data is block, for the decennial census, and block group for a select number of geographies in the American Community Survey 5-year dataset.

2.      Because the Community Resilience Estimates use microdata, it allows us to cumulatively flag persons living with a social vulnerability risk factor. Typically, with public data you can find information at the aggregate level such as the percentage of persons in a tract that do not have a high school diploma, the percentage of persons in a tract that are living with a disability, or perhaps the percentage of persons in a tract that are living with a communication barrier. With microdata, we cumulatively flag persons meaning we can identify if a person does not have a high school diploma, and that same person is living with a disability, and that same person is also living with a communication barrier. In that example, the person is living with three cumulative risk flags.

3.      The Community Resilience Estimates use small area estimation[1] and combines American Community Survey microdata with Population Estimates Program data to produce estimates with lower margins of error thus making the estimates more reliable than direct estimates.

4.      The Community Resilience Estimates use 1-year American Community Survey data whereas other measures of social vulnerability and resilience use 5-year American Community Survey data. This difference makes the Community Resilience Estimates more timely, meaning that only the year of interest is included in the dataset. For example, 2021 American Community Survey 1-year data will only have data for 2021 whereas 2021 American Community Survey 5-year data will have data from 2017 thru 2021.

5.      The Community Resilience Estimates are the only social vulnerability and resilience data product to use 1-year American Community Survey data while also having complete tract coverage for the U.S.

[1] For more information about small area estimation at the Census Bureau please visit https://www.census.gov/topics/research/stat-research/expertise/small-area-est.html

Since the Community Resilience Estimates use microdata and small area estimation, we are unable to release the indicators that are impacting a tract or county from the model. However, users can use the Community Resilience Estimates alongside American Community Survey data to identify a number of social vulnerability risk factors that may be impacting a community.[2]

[2] For more information about comparing Community Resilience Estimates data with American Community Survey data please visit our Equity Supplement webpage https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/community-resilience-estimates/data/supplement.html

No, you cannot add or remove indicators being used to calculate the Community Resilience Estimates.

The Community Resilience Estimates were first released as an experimental data product in mid-2020. During the experimental data product phase, the Community Resilience Estimates team received feedback from subject-matter-experts and several Federal agencies on what indicators need to be included in an official release. The indicators were suggested based on research, theory, and need. On August 2021, a redesigned Community Resilience Estimates was released to the public.

Yes, the Community Resilience Estimates is an official program at the Census Bureau and will have regular updates with annual releases of the American Community Survey. 

No, the Community Resilience Estimates do not have statistical noise. Since the Community Resilience Estimates use small area estimation it is not necessary that noise be injected into the estimates prior to public release.

All Census Bureau products must come with measures of precision so that data users can determine the reliability of the estimate. The margin of error describes the precision of the Community Resilience Estimate at a 90 percent confidence level. It is imperative that estimates and indexes come with a margin of error otherwise data users are unable to determine the accuracy and reliability of an estimate.[3]

[3] For more information about precision and margins of error please see Chapter 7 of the American Community Survey Handbook

If you would like to get in touch with the Community Resilience Estimates team please reach out to Census Bureau Customer Service at census.askdata@census.gov.