# Presentation: 028999

## American Community Survey:Data Products 

**Notes:**
During the demonstration period of the ACS, data products were available for limited geographic areas.  For example, in 2005, the Census Bureau released 2004 ACS data for 850 different geographic areas.

The ACS moved from its demonstration period in 2006.  Concurrent with this move, the Census Bureau will be able to release one-year data products for nearly 7,000 different geographic areas starting in 2006.

## ACS Data Product Release Schedule

**Data products are released in the year following the single-year or multi-year period in which data are collected.**

**Notes:**
This slide shows the ACS data product release schedule that will be familiar to many ACS data users.

Here are some important things data users should learn from this slide:
One-year period estimates will be released during the year after which the data were collected.  For example, 2005 ACS data will be released during 2006.
One-year period estimates will be released every year for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more. 
Three-year period estimates will be released every year for geographic areas of 20,000 or more.  This includes geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more.  The first year when three-year period estimates will be released is 2008.  Three-year period estimates will be released for geographic areas of 20,000 or more every year thereafter.
Five-year period estimates will be released every year for geographic areas of all population sizes.  The first year when five-year period estimates will be released is 2010.  Five-year period estimates will be released for geographic areas of all sizes every year thereafter.
For geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more: one-year, three-year, and five-year data products will be released in 2010 and every year thereafter.

## ACS Data for Different Types of Geographic Areas

- Counties
- Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs)
- Metropolitan Areas
- Political Areas
- Other Areas

**Notes:**
ACS data will be released for many different types of geographic areas:
Counties
Rural areas and urban community districts (Public Use Microdata Areas)
Metropolitan and micropolitan areas
Political areas—Congressional Districts and State Legislative Districts
Other areas:
American Indian and Alaska Native tribal areas and Hawaiian Home Lands
School districts
Minor civil divisions (such as townships and boroughs)
Urbanized areas

## ACS Data for Counties:California Counties by Size

| Population 65,000+
Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Clara, Alameda, Sacramento, Contra Costa, Fresno, Ventura, San Francisco, Kern, San Mateo, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sonoma, Monterey, Solano, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Placer, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Marin, Merced, Butte, Yolo, Shasta, El Dorado, Imperial, Kings, Madera, Napa, Humboldt, Nevada, Mendocino,  Sutter |
| --- |
| Population 20,000 to 64,999
Yuba, Lake, Tehama, Tuolumne, San Benito, Calaveras, Siskiyou, Amador, Lassen, Del Norte, Glenn, Plumas, Colusa
 |
| Population Less Than 20,000
Inyo, Mariposa, Trinity, Mono, Modoc, Sierra, Alpine |

**Notes:**
In 2010 and thereafter, when one-year, three-year, and five-year data products will be available for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more, how do data users decide which to use?

Let’s take counties in California as an example.  
Most California counties are large.  They will have one-year period estimates every year beginning in 2006.  
A few California counties have populations between 20,000 and 64,999.  They, and all of the counties with populations of 65,000 or more, will have three-year period estimates every year beginning in 2008.  
Only seven California counties have populations smaller than 20,000.  They, and all of the larger counties, will have five-year period estimates every year beginning in 2010.

Suppose that the State of California wants to allocate funds to each of the counties based on some characteristic, say number of school-age children who speak English less than very well.  The state wants to be fair to all of the counties, from the largest (Los Angeles) to the smallest (Alpine).  In this case, to ensure consistency, the state may want to use five-year period estimates for all of the counties, even those for which one-year period estimates are available.  

## ACS Data for Rural Areas

**ACS Data for Rural Areas**

**Notes:**
ACS data products will be available for rural areas every year beginning in 2006.

One-year data products will be available for Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs).  The United States is divided in 2,071 PUMAs.  Many of these are combinations of rural counties.

The map above shows PUMAs in southern Idaho.  In Super-PUMA 16200, there are three PUMAs.
PUMA 00400 consists of six counties;
PUMA 00800 consists of eight counties; and
PUMA 00900 consists of seven counties.

One-year data products will be provided for these three Idaho PUMAs and all 2,068 other PUMAs in the United States in 2006 and every year thereafter.  Data products for individual counties will be provided beginning in 2006, 2008, or 2010, depending on the size of the county.  Data will be available for 761 counties beginning in 2006 and 1,811 counties beginning in 2008.

PUMA boundaries may correspond to the boundaries of community districts in some urban areas (e.g., New York City).  Many cities are divided in areas smaller than PUMAs, such as neighborhoods.

## ACS Data for Metropolitan Areas

| One-Year Period Estimates | Three-Year Period Estimates |
| --- | --- |
| 602 Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas | 919 Metropolitan and Micropolitan Areas |
| 120 Consolidated Statistical Areas | 120 Consolidated Statistical Areas |
| 29 Metropolitan Divisions | 29 Metropolitan Divisions |
| 408 Principal Cities | 655 Principal Cities |

**Notes:**
In 2006, for the first time, the Census Bureau will release data products for the new metropolitan and micropolitan areas.

The term, “micropolitan,” will be new to most data users.  This definition of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas may help.

The general concept of a metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area is that of a core area containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of social and economic integration with that core.
Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas comprise one or more entire counties.
A metropolitan statistical area contains at least one population nucleus with a population of 50,000 or more.
A micropolitan statistical area contains at least one population nucleus with 10,000 to 49,999 population. 

## ACS Data for Political Areas

- In 2006, and every year thereafter, the Census Bureau will release ACS data products for all 435 Congressional Districts.
- Beginning in 2008, the Census Bureau will release ACS data for State Legislative Districts.

**Notes:**
Congressional Districts contain approximately 600,000 people.  Consequently, one-year ACS period estimates will be available for every Congressional District every year.

During the demonstration period of the ACS, the Census Bureau released estimates for just over 200 Congressional Districts.  That was because of the nature of the sample at that time.  The 2000 through 2004 ACS sample included 1,239 counties.  The sample was expanded to all 3,141 counties nationwide when the survey was fully implemented in January 2005.

Almost all State Legislative Districts have a population size less than 65,000.  Consequently, the Census Bureau will release the first three-year data products for State Legislative Districts with populations of 20,000 or more in 2008.  Every year thereafter these three-year period estimates will be updated and released.  Five-year period estimates will be available for all State Legislative Districts, including those with fewer than 20,000 residents, in 2010 and every year thereafter.

## ACS Data for Other Areas

| Single-Year Period Estimates | Three-Year Period Estimates |
| --- | --- |
| 15 American Indian / Alaska Native Areas | 41 American Indian / Alaska Native Areas |
| About 880 School Districts | About 3,200 School Districts |
| 97 Minor Civil Divisions | 592 Minor Civil Divisions |
| 449 Urbanized Areas | 969 Urbanized Areas |

**Notes:**
Almost all American Indian reservations and Alaska Native Village Statistical Areas are small.  Consequently, the first data for most of these areas will be released by the Census Bureau in 2010.  Five-year period estimates for Hawaiian Home Lands also will be released for the first time in 2010.

One-year period estimates for about 880 elementary, secondary, and unified school districts will be released in 2006.  When three-year period estimates are available in 2008, data products will be available for about 3,200 school districts.

Minor civil divisions include townships, boroughs, villages and similar geographic areas.  The Census Bureau will provide ACS estimates for minor civil divisions in the twenty states where they are active governmental units.

An Urbanized Area (UA) is defined as an area consisting of a central place(s) and adjacent territory with a general population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile of land area that together have a minimum residential population of at least 50,000 people. 

## ACS Data for Cities and Towns

| One-Year Period Estimates
(released beginning in 2006) | Three-Year Period Estimates
(released beginning in 2008) | Five-Year Period Estimates
(released beginning in 2010) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 476 Places | 1,983 Places | 19,450 Places |

**Notes:**
You have learned that the number of geographic areas for which the Census Bureau will release ACS data products will increase substantially in 2006.  That is when one-year period estimates are first available from the fully implemented ACS.  The number of geographic areas for which data products are available will increase again in 2008 when the Census Bureau will release the first three-year period estimates.  Another dramatic increase will be in 2010 when the Census Bureau will release the first five-year period estimates.

This slide illustrates the increase in the availability of data products by geographic level from 2006 to 2008 to 2010.  The example chosen for the table is ACS data for cities and towns (“places”).

In 2010 ACS five-year period estimates will be released for census tracts.  Some estimates also will be available for block groups.  The total number of geographic areas for which ACS five-year period estimates will be available will be nearly 500,000.