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Dataset: American Community Survey (ACS)

Basic Information
Dataset Full Name	American Community Survey
Dataset Acronym	ACS
Summary	The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that collects information on a sample drawn from the U.S. institutionalized and non-institutionalized populations and Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Community Survey – PRCS) The survey covers a broad range of topics including: age, sex, race, family and relationships, income and benefits, health insurance, education, veteran status, disabilities, as well as housing characteristics. The ACS surveys approximately 3 million addresses in the United States annually, as well as a 2.5 percent sample of the population living in group quarters and 36,000 addresses in Puerto Rico. In 2010, pooled years of the ACS replaced the decennial Census long form. The objective of ACS is to provide federal, state and local governments with up to date information help to plan investments and services.
Key Terms	Nationally representative, Institutionalized population, Census Bureau, Survey, Local data
Study Design	Cross-Sectional
Data Type(s)	Survey
Sponsoring Agency/Entity	U.S. Census Bureau
Health Conditions/Disability Measures
Health Condition(s)	NA
Disability Measures	ACS 6 question disability series: Visual disability, Hearing disability, Ambulatory disability, Cognitive disability, Self-care disability, Independent living disability, Veterans service connected disability (and rating)
Measures/Outcomes of Interest
Topics	Employment, Income, Poverty, Occupation, SSA program participation, Housing & household characteristics, Transportation (commuting), Health insurance
Sample
Sample Population	Households, Institutionalized & Non-Institutionalized Group Quarters
Sample Size/Notes	Annual Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) contains approximately 3 million person records (since 2005)
Unit of Observation	Individual & household
Continent(s)	North America
Countries	United States
Geographic Coverage	U.S. (ACS), and Puerto Rico (PRCS)
Geographic Specificity	U.S. and state levels, some larger counties, Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs): 100,000 total population minimum
Data Collection
Data Collection Mode	Multi-modal in the following order: Internet survey (notification via postal mail with link and login) Mail paper survey (sent to internet non-respondents) Telephone (CATI) (follow-up of mail non-respondents) In-person interview (follow-up of a sample of remaining non-respondents)
Years Collected	2000 - present
Data Collection Frequency	Annual
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths	Current data, includes institutionalized population (2006 onward). Very high response rate (95.8% in 2015). Can develop estimates at the local level (e.g., county, MSA). ACS PUMS files available as single year as well as 3 and 5 year combined files. The multi-year files provide a larger sample to work with for greater precision.
Limitations	Disability questions changed in 2008- complete break from prior years. No specific health conditions. Geographic specificity is limited to Census Bureau defined Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) containing a minimum total population of 100,000, even in multi-year files. Change in sampling in 2005 results in non-comparable data prior to 2005
Data Details
Primary Website	https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/
Data Access	Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/data/pums.html
Data Access Requirements	Public Use Dataset
Summary Tables/Reports	U.S Census Bureau Data.Census.gov (replacing FactFinder as of summer 2019): https://data.census.gov U.S Census Bureau American Factfinder (up to ACS 2017): http://factfinder.census.gov
Data Components	Population records Housing unit records (PUMS Data may be downloaded at the national or individual state level)
Selected Papers
Other Papers	Erickson, W. (2012, December). A Guide to Disability Statistics from the American Community Survey (2008 Forward). Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/edicollect/1290 Brault, Matthew (2009) U.S. Census Bureau, Review of Changes to the Measurement of Disability in the 2008 American Community Survey. https://www.census.gov/library/working-papers/2009/demo/brault-01.html Brault, Matthew, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Briefs, ACSBR/09-12, Disability Among the Working Age Population: 2008 and 2009, American Community Survey Briefs, September 2010. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2010/acs/acsbr09-12.html He, Wan and Luke J. Larsen, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Reports, ACS-29, Older Americans With a Disability: 2008–2012, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 2014. https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2014/acs/acs-29.html
Technical	ACS Design and Methodology (January 2014): https://census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/methodology/design-and-methodology.html ACS Questionnaire Archive: https://census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/methodology/questionnaire-archive.html ACS Technical Documentation: https://census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation.html ACS PUMS Technical Documentation: https://census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/pums/documentation.html

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