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American Community Survey: Update

New Jersey State Data Center MeetingJune 11, 2008

Nancy Torrieri American Community Survey Office

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Areas of Emphasis in 2008

• Continue careful management of resources• Submit to Congress the planned questions

for 2010 Census and ACS• Implement new questionnaire in 2008• Finalize 2009 questionnaire changes• Continue critical research priorities• Increase focus on data users • Release both 1- and 3-year estimates

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Management of ACS Resources

• Status: On track

• FY08 budget includes full funding for conducting the ACS in the U.S. and Puerto Rico

• FY08 Methods Panel was not funded– Canceled test of multi-lingual brochure– Canceled test of additional mailing during CATI

• FY09 budget request includes full funding for ACS including Methods Panel

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Submission of 2010 and ACS Questions to Congress

• Status: Completed

• Required by law two years prior to conducting the decennial census

• Submission to Congress includes examples of questions and brief narrative description of uses

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Implementation of New 2008 ACS Questionnaire

• Status: Completed

• Obtaining CATI and CAPI interviewer feedback on new instrument

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2009 ACS Questionnaire

• Status: Partially complete

• Add open-ended Field of Degree question

• Restore duration of vacancy question to CAPI operation

• Target date for OMB approval: July 2008

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Open-ended

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Duration of Vacancy Question

• Data collected from vacant units currently consists of reasons why it is vacant (i.e., for rent, for sale only)

• Proposed question for 2009 will ask for the number of months the unit has been vacant

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Research and Evaluation Projects

• Status: Ongoing• Estimation

– multiyear estimates; small area estimation; use of population and housing controls

• Data quality– consistency by mode; item nonresponse

• Data usability– displaying measures of variability; seasonality

• Review and analysis of operations

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2008 Data Release Plans

• Status: On track

• Developing new automated review tool for multiyear estimates

• Data release schedule

– 2007 ACS data released first (Aug.-Sept.)

– 2005-2007 ACS data released Dec.

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What We Will Release in 2008

• First release of 3-year estimates for areas with populations of 20,000 and greater

• 3-year estimates are based on data collected from housing unit population in 2005, 2006, and 2007; group quarters population in 2006 and 2007

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What We Will Release in 2008

• First release of 2 sets of ACS estimates for areas with populations of 65,000 and greater

– 1-year estimates for 2007– 3-year estimates for 2005 - 2007

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What We Will Release in 2008

• The types of geographic areas that will receive 3-year estimates are essentially the same as those receiving 1-year estimates

• Many more specific areas will now qualify

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What We Will Release in 2008

• First release of ACS data for many mid-sized counties, metropolitan, and micropolitan statistical areas

• Multiple data sets for states, Congressional Districts, PUMAs, large counties, and metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas

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What We Will Release in 2008

• Most data products identical to last year’s data release

• Data profiles will add estimates in percent format

• Selected Population Profiles– expanded to include iterations by country

of birth– drop in threshold to 500,000

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What We Will Release in 2008

• Comparison Profile returns – Compares 2007 ACS with 2006 ACS– Includes flags identifying statistical testing

results

• Finalizing plans to release two PUMS files – 2007 ACS PUMS– 2005 - 2007 ACS PUMS

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Organization of ACS Data in the American FactFinder

• Important to clearly distinguish the 1-year and 3-year data products through effective labeling and clear terminology

• Important to highlight assistance links

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Organization of ACS Data in the American FactFinder

• Decision to direct both novice and expert users to specific data sets as defaults

• Users can select other data sets

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User Education

Handbooks and Supplementary Materials on “Understanding and Using ACS Data”

Target Audiences:General Users Federal AgenciesCongressional Staff PUMS UsersBusiness Community MediaHigh School Teachers Small Local GovernmentsUniversity Researchers American Indians/Alaska

Natives State & Local Governments Puerto Rico (in Spanish)*Rural Areas* State Legislators*

* New handbooks

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Web Site Improvements Training

• New and revised content on ACS web site

• ACS Training for SDCs

– Scheduled for Oct. 9 at Census Bureau– “Train the Trainer”