Using the American Community Survey ACS

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Using the American Community Survey (ACS)

• Kerri L. Rivers Jean DAmico
• Population Reference Bureau

Presented at the 2003 Annual KIDS COUNT
Conference Baltimore, Maryland September 2003
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American Community Survey (ACS)What it is
Annual nationwide survey conducted by the U.S.
Census Bureau Effort to provide data users with
timely data every year Will replace the long form
of the Decennial Census in 2010
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American Community Survey (ACS)Process for Data
Collection
Mail out / mail back self-enumeration Computer
Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) Computer
Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)
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American Community Survey (ACS)Data
Dissemination When and How
Goal is to release data within 6 months
Prefabricated tables on American FactFinder

• http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Tables/core
  .htm
• http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Tables/nonc
  ore.htm

PUMS
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American Community Survey (ACS)Data
Dissemination What will be released

• Single year estimates
• Nation, states, geographies where population gt
  65,000

• Three year averages
• Geographies where population is between 20,000
  and 65,000

• Five year averages
• Geographies where population is below 20,000
  (small counties, small towns, census tracts, etc.)

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American Community Survey (ACS)Status
ACS in 31 test sites since 1999 Supplementary
Survey in an additional 1200 counties since
2000 Full implementation beginning July
2004 Congressional approval of funding to
continue full implementation in FY05 is pending
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American Community Survey (ACS)What full
implementation means to you
First full calendar year of data will be 2005
Data for nation, states, and places of 65,000
may be released in mid-2006
Data for places of 20,000 64,999 will be 3-year
averages and may be released in mid-2008
Data for smaller places and census tracts will be
5-year averages and may be released in mid-2010
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American Community Survey (ACS)Data Profiles
(Core Tables)
Summary tabulations
Subset of the basic tables of housing and
population characteristics
Data profiles include ACS and Supplementary
Survey sites for years 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/index.htm
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American Community Survey (ACS)Data Profiles
(Core Tables)
Step 1 Select a year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
Step 2 Choose an individual state or the United
States (from a list or on a map of the United
States)
Step 3 See the profile in a tabular or narrative
form (In 2002 can download the tabular profile
as an excel document)
Step 4 Select a table TABLE 1. GENERAL
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS TABLE 2. SELECTED
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS TABLE 3. SELECTED
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS TABLE 4. SELECTED
HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS
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American Community Survey (ACS)Data Profiles
(Core Tables)

• TABLE 3. SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
• EMPLOYMENT STATUS
• COMMUTING TO WORK
• OCCUPATION
• INDUSTRY
• CLASS OF WORKER
• INCOME AND BENEFITS (IN 2002 INFLATION-ADJUSTED
  DOLLARS)
• NUMBER BELOW POVERTY IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS
• PERCENT BELOW POVERTY IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS
•  
• TABLE 4. SELECTED HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS
• UNITS IN STRUCTURE
• YEAR STRUCTURE BUILT
• ROOMS
• YEAR HOUSEHOLDER MOVED INTO UNIT
• VEHICLES AVAILABLE
• SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS
• OCCUPANTS PER ROOM
• VALUE

• TABLE 1. GENERAL DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
• SEX AND AGE
• RACE
• HISPANIC ORIGIN AND RACE
• RELATIONSHIP (householder, spouse, etc.)
• HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE (family, married couple,
  non-family etc.)
• HOUSING OCCUPANCY
• HOUSING TENURE
•  
• TABLE 2. SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
• SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
• EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
• MARITAL STATUS
• FERTILITY
• GRANDPARENTS
• VETERAN STATUS
• DISABILITY STATUS OF THE CIVILIAN
  NONINSTITUTIONALIZED POPULATION
• RESIDENCE 1 YEAR AGO
• PLACE OF BIRTH, CITIZENSHIP, AND YEAR OF ENTRY

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American Community Survey (ACS) Change Profiles
Depicts change for core tables
Include 2001-2002 Change Profiles 2000-2002
Change Profiles2000-2001 Change Profiles
Notes statistically significant differences
http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/index.htm
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American Community Survey (ACS)Ranking Profiles
Subset of the core tables
Tables with rank order for States Counties Pl
aces
http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/ind
ex.htm
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American Community Survey (ACS)Ranking Profiles
Demographic D01. Percent of Owner-occupied
Housing Units   Social S01. Less Than a
High School Diploma S02. Percent of
People with a Bachelor's Degree or More
S03. Speaking a Language Other than English
S04. Speaking Spanish at Home S05.
Percent of High School Graduate or Higher
S06. Percent of Population that is Foreign
Born S07. Percent Veterans Civilian
Population 18 Years and Over   Economic E01.
Median Household Income E02. Percent of
People Below Poverty Level E03. Average
Travel Time to Work (In Minutes) E04.
Median Family Income E05. Percent of
Related Children Under 18 Years Below Poverty
Level E06. Percent of 65 Years and Over
Below Poverty Level E07. Percent
Population in Labor Force 16 Years and Over
E08. Percent of Children Under 6 Years Old With
All Parents in the Labor Force   Housing H01.
Median Housing Value H02. Median Monthly
Housing Costs for (Specified) Renters
H03. Median Monthly Housing Costs for
(Specified) Mortgaged Owners   No ranking
tables were produced in 2000
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American Community Survey (ACS)American
Factfinder
American Community Survey
Summary tables for years 1996 through 2002
1997-1998 Combined Summary Tables 1996-1998
Combined Summary Tables 1996-1997 Combined
Summary Tables
1997 to 1998 Percent Change Summary Tables 1996
to 1998 Percent Change Summary Tables 1996 to
1997 Percent Change Summary Tables
Decennial Supplementary Surveys
Summary tables for Census 2000 Supplementary
Survey (C2SS) Summary tables for 2001
Supplementary Survey (SS01)
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American Community Survey (ACS)American
Factfinder
Includes Core and Noncore tables for years
1999-2001 2002 noncore tables due out in
November 2003 http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Prod
ucts/index.htm
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American Community Survey (ACS)Public Use
Microdata Sample (PUMS)
Show the full range of responses made on
individual questionnaires for the household and
each individual
Records are a sample of the households that
received the questionnaires
Available for 1996 through 2001 data
2000, 2001 (http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products
/PUMS/index.htm) 1998 (http//www.census.gov/acs/w
ww/Products/PUMS/PUMS98.htm) 1997
(http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/PUMS/PUMS9
7.htm) 1996 (http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Product
s/PUMS/PUMS96.htm)
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American Community Survey (ACS)Public Use
Microdata Sample (PUMS)
1996 1998 download as .dat files
To download 2000-2001 PUMS
choose data type (housing or population) choose a
state or the U.S. choose year (2000, 2001) choose
data format (CSV, PC SAS data, UNIX SAS data)
PUMS population files include a PUMA field
(equivalent to the state) Can merge population
and housing data files using PUMA in combination
with SERIALNO.
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American Community Survey (ACS)CD-ROM
Summary Tables ACS test sites 2000, 2001 - for
the 22 sites with populations of 65,000 or more
Census 2000 Supplementary Survey (C2SS) and
2001 Supplementary Survey (SS01) - country -
50 states, Washington, D.C. - areas of 1 million
or more population - single-year profiles for
areas of 250,000 or more population
Public Use Microdata Sample files (PUMS) 2001
Supplementary Survey - state level
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American Community Survey (ACS)CD-ROM

• Enhancements to the 2000-2001 CD-ROM
• Data for 2000 and 2001 are available in the same
  table
• A Quick Open and Search feature
• The ability to drill down through geographies
  and create custom profiles from user-specified
  sets of geography
• Updated mapping functions, including the C2SS
  and SS01 geographies
• Revised tutorials incorporate screen shots
•  
• Call 301-763-INFO (4636) to request your free
  copy

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American Community Survey (ACS)Strengths and
Caveats

• Strengths
• More current than Decennial Census data
• More precise estimates than CPS
• Have comparable data from 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003

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American Community Survey (ACS)Strengths and
Caveats

• Caveats
• Multi-year averages for smaller areas
• Limited indicators
• Not yet fully funded may not have comparable
  data for years beyond 2003

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American Community Survey (ACS)For more
information
To stay informed about the ACS, sign up for ACS
Alerts at www.census.gov/acs/www/index.html Also
visit www.census2000.org
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PRB Contact Information
Jean DAmico jdamico_at_prb.org 202-939-5437 Mark
Mather mmather_at_prb.org 202-939-5433 Kelvin
Pollard kpollard_at_prb.org 202-939-5424 Kerri
Rivers krivers_at_prb.org 202-939-5474