American Community Survey Data Overview

These American Community Survey (ACS) data files and the procedures for constructing them were initially developed by the Urban Institute to support DataPlace. The files are provided as a public service, and unfortunately, we are not currently able to provide individual technical assistance on their use. That said, we welcome comments, corrections, and stories about how you are using the data. Please direct any feedback or questions to natdata@urban.org. The Urban Institute procedures and algorithms used to construct these files are available upon request.

Any public use of these data files, or works from the data files, must be attributed as explained below. By using these files, you acknowledge that the Urban Institute is not liable for their use and you agree to the terms of the license described in the ODbL 1.0 license.

Attribution Requirements for Users

If you publicly use or redistribute the data files, or works produced from them, you must prominently display proper attribution.

Required Attribution: These ACS data files (www.metrotrends.org/natdata/acs/acs_download.cfm) and the procedures for constructing them were initially developed by the Urban Institute to support DataPlace (www.dataplace.org). The data are licensed under the Open Database License (http:/www.metrotrends.org/natdata/ODbL.cfm).

The words "ACS data files" must contain a hyperlink to www.metrotrends.org/natdata/acs/acs_download.cfm, and the word "DataPlace" must contain a hyperlink to www.dataplace.org. The words "Open Database License" must be hyperlinked to the text of the ODbL License for these data (http://www.metrotrends.org/natdata/ODbL.cfm). If hyperlinks are not possible, you must include the plain text of the required URL's with the above notice.

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Description

The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing statistical survey run by the U.S. Census Bureau, replacing the long form in the decennial census. The ACS has approximately 250,000 respondents monthly, totaling 3 million per year. Unlike the decennial census, ACS estimates are annual or multiyear averages, rather than point-in-times estimates. Because of the smaller sample size compared to the decennial census, one needs to pay much more attention to standard errors and confidence intervals with the ACS.

The ACS publishes 1-year estimates for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more and 3-year estimates for geographic areas with populations of 20,000 or more. They also release 5-year estimates for all areas including census tracts. If you need special tabulations, ACS also publishes microdata for the Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA) geography. We will be releasing versions of the 1-year and 5-year estimates.

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Analysis Examples/Resources

Handbooks for Data Users from the Census Bureau

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National Data Overview
HMDA
Business Patterns
NCES Common Core of Data
American Community Survey

Cultural Vitality Indicators Overview
Business Patterns
Occupational Employment Statistics
Non-Employer Statistics

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