Educational Attainment Fact Sheet

Skip Navigation

Educational Attainment Fact Sheet

August 24, 2004

Differences between the Educational Attainment Estimates from the American Community Survey and the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey

Why We Ask: Educational Attainment and Bachelor’s Field of Degree [<1.0 MB]

Factsheet for ACS and CPS

The American Community Survey (ACS) is the largest household survey in the United States. Like the decennial census long form it is designed to replace, the ACS provides educational attainment estimates for small geographic areas - most cities, counties, and metropolitan areas of 250,000 or more. Using five-year averages, the ACS provides estimates for all areas down to census tracts/block groups. Estimates for the nation and states are also available. All ACS estimates are updated annually.

Because of its detailed questionnaire and its experienced interviewing staff, the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) is a high quality source of information used to produce the official annual estimate of poverty, and estimates of a number of other socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, including income, health insurance coverage, school enrollment, marital status, and family structure.

The following chart summarizes the key differences between the ACS and the CPS:

Topic	American Community Survey	Current Population Survey
Principal Purpose	Replace decennial census long form by providing annual (or five-year average) estimates of selected social, economic, and housing characteristics of the population for many geographic areas and subpopulations.	Produce specific socioeconomic and demographic estimates for the United States, and estimates for states for selected characteristics and subpopulations.
Geography	Annual estimates for the nation, states, and cities and counties of 250,000 or more. Areas as small as census block groups using multi-year averages.	Nation, regions, and states for selected characteristics.
Sample Size	About 3.5 million housing units per year. Data are collected from about one-twelfth of the sample each month.	Annual sample size is about 100,000 addresses.
Data Collection Method	Mail, Internet, telephone, and personal-visit interviews for the 50 states the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The ACS is a mandatory survey.	Telephone and personal-visit interviews for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The CPS is a voluntary survey.
Residency Status	The ACS includes people at the address where they are at the time of the survey if they have been there, or will be there, more than 2 months, whether or not they have a "usual residence elsewhere."	The CPS sample unit’s householder (one of the people in whose name the unit is rented or owned) must consider the unit to be his or her place of usual residence (where he or she spends most of the time during the year) to be counted as an occupied unit, which is traditional in most censuses and housing surveys. If a family has more than one home, the interviewer has to determine if the sample unit is its usual residence.
Population Universe	The ACS includes both the household and the group quarters populations (that is, the resident population). The group quarters population consists of the institutionalized (such as people in correctional institutions or nursing homes) and the noninstitutionalized (most of whom are in college dormitories). The weighting is controlled to population estimates as of July 1 (e.g., July 1, 2017 for the 2017 ACS).	The CPS includes the civilian noninstitutionalized population. This universe includes civilians in households, people in noninstitutional group quarters (other than military barracks) and military in households living off post or with their families on post (as long as at least one household member is a civilian adult). The universe excludes other military in households and in group quarters (barracks), and people living in institutions. The weighting is controlled to population estimates as of March 1 (e.g., March 1, 2004 for the 2004 CPS ASEC).
Question Detail	The ACS asks for information about the highest degree or level of school completed of respondents 3 years old and older.	The ASEC, asks respondents 15 years old and older about their highest degree or level of school completed. (Those aged 3 to 14 are asked about school enrollment.)

Page Last Revised - December 16, 2021

Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image

Yes

NO THANKS

255 characters maximum

255 characters maximum reached

Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top