Hello, I'm Mary Leisenring from Census Academy, and I'm here with Vicki Mack
from the American Community Survey office.
Today we will provide a brief overview of the American Community Survey,
or ACS for short.
This video will be useful to you if you're new to the ACS,
if you're preparing to attend
another workshop, webinar, or event
to learn how to access ACS data,
or if you're a survey respondent
who's curious about this survey.
Hi, I'm Vicki Mack from the American Community Survey office.
After today's video, you will be able to describe what the ACS is,
who uses ACS data,
when it began,
how ACS data are collected,
why one should participate in the ACS,
and where you can find more information about the ACS.
What is the ACS?
The ACS is the nation's most current reliable
and accessible data source for local statistics
on critical planning topics such as age,
children,
commuting,
education,
and employment.
It's a household survey
conducted by the Census Bureau that samples about
3 1/2 million addresses each year.
These data are collected throughout the year
and are used to inform the distribution of
hundreds of billions of dollars in federal government spending each year.
Our estimates covering more than 40 topics support
more than 300 federal uses and countless non-federal uses.
The American Community Survey content can be grouped
into four main types of characteristics.
Social, demographic, economic, and housing.
Social characteristics include topics such as
disability status, education, and language spoken at home.
Demographic characteristics include topics such as
sex,
age, race,
and Hispanic Origin.
Economic characteristics include topics such as
commuting to work, employment status and income.
And housing characteristics include topics such as
computer and Internet use,
housing costs, and vehicles available.
We have a link to resources to learn more about the topics below the video.
Who uses the ACS?
Local planners,
businesses,
policymakers, grant writers,
researchers, and many more use ACS data.
Most people probably never think about how local planners
use data to know where to target new development
or where businesses get the data they need to plan for expansion.
Most probably don't think about where
policymakers get the objective data they need
to make sure programs are on track,
or that local services are keeping pace
with their communities changing demographics.
Most people don't know that nonprofit organizations
use ACS data in their grant applications.
ACS data served the needs of these groups and a variety of other types of data users.
When did the ACS begin?
The first census of the United States was conducted in 1790
and occurred every ten years, with one form being used
to collect data from all households through 1930.
From 1940
to 2000,
the decennial census,
which is the name for the census conducted every ten years,
contained a short form
to collect data from all households.
And the long form that was used
to collect data from a sample of households.
In the early 1990s,
demand from a wide variety of users
for current nationally consistent data
led federal government policymakers
to consider the feasibility of collecting social,
economic,
and housing data continuously throughout the decade.
After a period of testing, the ACS was
fully implemented in 2005
and began collecting data every year.
The Puerto Rico Community Survey
(PRCS) is the equivalent of the ACS in Puerto Rico.
SInce 2010;
the decennial census is now only a short form
that households can complete by mail and now online
because the ACS now collects information
each year that was once collected by the long form each decade.
Now the ACS is part of the decennial census program,
but it's also different from the census.
ACS estimates are based on a sample of the population,
whereas the census is based on the official count of the population.
The ACS
collects social,
economic,
housing,
and demographic information,
whereas the census collects basic demographics.
The ACS produces population and housing characteristics,
whereas the census produces housing and population totals.
The ACS occurs
annually,
reflecting a period of time
averaging data for 12 months
or 60 months.
Whereas the census occurs every ten years
and reflects a point in time
census day which is April 1st.
Time for a knowledge check.
When was the ACS fully implemented?
Was it 1790?
1996?
2004? Or 2005?
If you said 2005, you are correct.
The ACS was fully implemented
after a period of testing from 1996 to 2004.
How are ACS data collected?
ACS data are collected throughout the year
through the Internet,
paper questionnaires
and in-person visits from census field representatives.
Why should you participate in the ACS?
People who received the ACS have the responsibility of responding
so that the statistical portrait of their community
is as complete and accurate as possible.
Information from the ACS is critical to state and local agencies.
Planners and policymakers use the up-to-date estimates
to evaluate the need for new roads,
hospitals, schools, senior services, and other basic services.
Also, you can rest assured that your information is kept private and protected.
Where can I find more information on the ACS?
If you have questions about the ACS,
start with the ACS web page.
You get there by going to census.gov/ACS.
On the left, navigation
are the various links to more information about the survey,
how to respond to the ACS,
ways to access data,
data user stories,
and sample questionnaires.
Now let's go to the data link.
When you access the various data from the data link,
you can access popular tables.
Or go directly to the data.census.gov
platform to select data on many different topics.
And a variety of geographic levels
like states,
counties,
or cities.
But before you start searching for statistics, you need to know
what data are available for your geographic area of interest.
Our data release page informs data users about when
and where ACS data are released every year.
The main ACS data products are released
about one year after the data are collected.
They include the one-year estimates,
one-year supplemental estimates, and five-year estimates.
ACS one-year estimates,
with combined data collected over 12 months,
are available for geographic areas with a population
of 65,000 or more.
ACS one-year supplemental estimates,
which are simplified versions of popular ACS tables,
are available for geographic areas with populations
of 20,000 or more.
And the five-year estimates with combined data
collected over 60 months are available for geographic areas
of all sizes down to the granular
census tracts and block group levels.
You can access the latest release schedule and information
for prior years' releases on our website's data
release page linked below.
ACS data are available at many geographic levels.
ACS data are most commonly needed
at the state, county,
place,
census tract
and block group geographic levels.
In this visualization,
you can also see the smallest geographic
building block is the block group for ACS.
You can learn more about the geographic areas
for which ACS data are available
in the next module of this course
at the geography in ACS page linked below
or through videos and webinars on Census Academy.
Time for another knowledge check.
When is the ACS conducted?
Is it every month?
Every two months?
Every five years?
Or every ten years?
If you said every month,
you are correct.
The ACS is conducted every month,
and the data are released every year.
Here is what you've learned today!
Today you've learned that the ACS is the nation's most current
reliable and accessible data source for local statistics.
That the 40-plus topics available in the ACS
include: demographic data,
commuting, employment, income, housing costs, fertility, and more.
The ACS releases one-year estimates,
one-year supplemental estimates,
and five-year estimates.
And that you can access data
from the nation-level geography down to the block group-level geography.
We want you to know that we're here to help.
Don't forget about the resources at your fingertips.
If you find yourself in need of help or information,
you can go to the ACS website
email acso.users.support@census.gov
or visit Census Academy to watch related data gems,
courses, and webinars.
Thank you to all those who have responded to the ACS,
which help our communities thrive!