American Community Survey Data Products

1
American Community Survey Data Products
1
2
What do I need to know before using ACS data and
data products?
3
Estimates

• ACS data are estimates
• ACS data are not counts of the population or
  housing
• Population counts are produced from the decennial
  census
• Counts are updated throughout the decade through
  the Population Estimates Program

4
Period estimates

• ACS estimates are period estimates
• Period estimates describe the average
  characteristics over a specific time period
• Contrast with point-in-time estimates that
  describe characteristics as of a specific date

4
5
Sampling Error

• The uncertainty associated with an estimate that
  is based on data gathered from a sample of the
  population rather than the full population
• Margin of error (MOE) measures the precision of
  an estimate at a given level of confidence
• MOEs at the 90 confidence level for all
  published ACS estimates

6
What data products are available?
6
7
ACS Data Products

• Profiles
• Data Profiles
• Narrative Profiles
• Comparison Profiles
• Selected Population Profiles
• Tables
• Detailed Tables and Collapsed Tables
• Subject Tables
• Ranking Tables
• Geographic Comparison Tables
• Thematic Maps
• Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files

8
Data Profiles
9
Narrative Profiles
9
10
Comparison Profiles
10
11
Selected Population Profiles
11
12
Selected Population Profiles
12
13
Detailed TablesExamples

• Sex by Age by Race and Hispanic Origin
• Means of Transportation to Work by Travel Time to
  Work
• Median Number of Rooms in Housing Units
• School Enrollment by Level of School
• Poverty Status in the past 12 Months by Sex and
  Age

13
14
Detailed Tables
Table Name
Table Number
Universe
Data Source
Collapsed Version
Margin of Error
14
15
Detailed Tables Collapsed Version
15
16
Detailed Tables
17
Detailed Tables for Quality Measures
18
Subject Table List
18
19
Subject Tables
19
20
Ranking Tables
20
21
Ranking Tables
21
22
Geographic Comparison Tables
22
23
Thematic Maps
23
24
Public Use Microdata Sample
25
How do I access ACS Data Products?
25
26
U.S. Census Bureau Home Page
26
27
American FactFinder
27
28
ACS Data Products
28
29
Select Your Geography
29
30
Select the Subject of Interest
30
31
Geographic Comparison Table
31
32
Help from American FactFinder
32
33
ACS File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Site
http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Special/acsftp.html
34
DataFerrett
35
DataFerrett
http//dataferrett.census.gov/
36
For more information

• Subscribe to ACS Alert
• http//www.census.gov/acs/www/Special/Alerts.htm
• Visit the ACS/PRCS website
• http//www.census.gov/acs/www
• Contact by telephone
• 1-800-923-8282
• Contact by email
• acso.users.support_at_census.gov

36
36