2007-2011 American 

Community Survey (ACS

5-Year Estimates

Pre-Embargo Release Webinar

December 3, 2012

Access the Audio

Toll free number: 888-946-7210

Passcode: CENSUS

URL: https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join

Conference number: PW7864542

Passcode: CENSUS

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Speakers

Host Stacy Gimbel Vidal 

Public Information Office 

Presenter Barbara Downs 

Chief, Data Analysis and UseEducation Branch American Community Survey 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Webinar Outline

• Release Schedule • ACS Basics • What’s New? 

– Data Product Changes – Methodological Improvements – ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) 

• Topic Briefs • Comparison Guidance • Navigating Census Bureau Websites 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
2011 ACS Release Schedul

2011 1-Year Estimates (Geographic Areas of 65,000+) • Tuesday, September 18: Embargo Release • Thursday, September 20: Public Release2009-2011 3-Year Estimates (Geographic Areas of 20,0• Tuesday, October 23: Embargo Release• Thursday, October 25: Public Release2007-2011 5-Year Estimates (All Geographic Areas) • Tuesday, December 4: Embargo Release 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

• Thursday, December 6: Public Release 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
2011 ACS PUMS Release Sche

• Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file

contain individual housing unit and persorecords with limited geography to ensure confidentiality 

• 2011 1-Year PUMS file: October 25 • 2009-2011 3-Year PUMS file: December • 2007-2011 5-Year PUMS file: January, 20

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Basics: The Survey

• Fully implemented in 2005 • Ongoing survey that samples over 3.5 millio

addresses per year 

• Collects data on a wide range of demograph

social, economic, and housing characteristic

• Multiple data collection modes • Internet option beginning 2013 • Publishes annual estimates for small geogra

areas and population groups 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Basics: The Estimates

• Describe the average characteristics ove

specific period of time 

– 1 year (12 months) – 3 years (36 months) – 5 years (60 months) 

• Do not represent a single point in time • 5-year estimates are NOT an average of 

year estimates 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Basics: The Estimates

• 5-year estimates cover period from Jan. 1

to Dec. 31, 2011 

• Geographic boundaries as of Jan. 1, 201• Dollar values inflation adjusted to 2011 do• Over 11 billion characteristic estimates • Over 700,000 unique geographic areas • Estimates published at census tract and b

group level 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Basics: Geography

Percentage with Published 

Estimates 

1-Year 3-Year 5-

United States 100 100 1State, DC, Puerto Rico 100 100 1County or equivalent 26 59 1Place (incorporated places and census designated places) 2 7 1Unified School District 8 27 1Census Tract 0 0 1

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
– 

Basics: 5-Year Data Produc

• Subset of the 1-Year and 3-Year Data Produ

– Fewer Detailed Tables – No Ranking Tables – No Comparison Profiles – No Selected Population Profiles – No Narrative Profiles 

• Contains Fewer Topics 

– No Health Insurance Coverage (2008-2012) – No Disability Status (2008-2012) – No Marital History (2008-2012)

No Field of Bachelor’s Degree (2009-2013)

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://factfinder2.census.gov

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Selecting 2007-2011 ACS 5-Year Estim

1. 2. 

3. Aes

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Selecting Product Type

12

3

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Selecting Geography

Expand Geographies 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Selecting Geography

Select Address 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Data Profiles

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
– 

Geographic Comparison Tables (G

• GCTs assist in comparing across geograp• 78 characteristics • Allow for comparisons across 

– States – Counties – Places – Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas – Combined Statistical Areas – Congressional Districts – Urban/Rural Areas – Urbanized Areas– PUMAs– School Districts

American Indian Areas/Alaska Native Areas/Hawaiian Home Lands/Alaska Native Regional Corporations

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Geographic Comparison Tables (G

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Summary Files

• Set of commadelimited text files • All Detailed Tables 

available 

• Only source for 

Block Groupestimates 

• Available via FTP

site or DataFerrett

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Summary File Retrieval Too

Step 1: Select a geographic area and dataset 

Step 2: Select a tab

U.S. Department of Commerce http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_doEconomics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU summary_file

/ 
Retrieval Tool Results

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
5-Year Data Product Change

• 6 New Tables Providing Additional Detail: 

– 4 migration – 2 commuting 

• 2 New Detailed Tables Providing New Content: 

– 1 commuting 

• B08604 

– 1 employment 

• B23025 

• S1601 “Language Spoken at Home” modified to incl

information on language spoken at home for citizens 

and over 

• All tables, except block group tables, available on AF

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Methodological Improvemen

• ACS made a number of methodological chan

2011 to improve estimate accuracy and relia

– Expanded the sample from about 2.9 million add

3.54 million addresses 

– Increased personal visit follow up sampling rates 

American Indian areas, Alaska Native Village Staareas, Hawaiian Home Lands, and remote Alaska 

– Reallocated sample from larger to smaller Censu– Changed group quarters (GQ) estimation method

improve sub-state estimates of the GQ population 

characteristics 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZC

• ZCTAs are approximate area representat

ZIP Code service areas 

• The most frequently occurring ZIP Code f

addresses in an area is the ZCTA code 

• Some ZIP Codes represent very few add

(sometimes only one) and therefore will nappear in the ZCTA universe 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Upcoming ACS 5-Year Brief

• 2007-2011 5-Year Briefs 

– Poverty Levels by Race and Ethnicity: 2007-2– Where Do the Rich Live? The Geographic Di

of the Top 5% 

– The Centenarian Population in the U.S.: 2007

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Comparison Guidance

• Compare across geographies and population su• Be careful comparing across data sets 

– Do not compare 2007-2011 ACS 5-year estimates to 2

ACS 5-year estimates 

– Do not mix 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year estimates when 

comparisons 

• Compare percents, means, medians, and rates 

of totals whenever possible 

• Don’t expect ACS estimates to match decennial 

counts or estimates from other surveys 

– 

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

http://blogs.census.gov/ (September 6) 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Comparing ACS and Censu

• Comparison Guidance – 

More detailed explanation of how diffeimpact comparability 

• Table Comparison Tool – 

Helps you locate comparable ACS and Census 2000 Detailed Tables 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs

/

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/ 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_document

U.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2011

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs

/

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/comp

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/table_

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Recap

• Wide range of local statistics • People, housing and economy • Embargo begins tomorrow at 10:00 

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/embarg

• Public release on Thursday 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
References 

ACS Information http://www.census.gov/acs/ Data User Guidance http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/ American FactFinder: http://factfinder2.census.gov ACS Summary File via FTP: http://www2.census.gov Data Ferrett: http://dataferrett.census.gov QuickFacts: http://quickfacts.census.gov 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
For Further Informatio

Media Public Information Office 

301-763-3030 pio@census.gov 

General Public Customer Services Center 

1-800-923-8282 or 301-763-INFO (4636) 

Follow Us on Twitter @USCensusBureau 

#ACS 

Press Kit 

http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archnews_conferences/20121203_acs5yr.html 

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU 
Questions?

U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration 

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU