CQ Press Guide to the American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census Bureau

This blog-style site was created last winter to accompany a landmark moment in U.S. population statistics: the full transition from the "long form" of the decennial census to the American Community Survey (ACS), a rolling sample survey that now provides the "additional" demographic data government planners need. This valuable explanation of the ACS is part of a comprehensive explanation of the Census in a new encyclopedia published by CQ Press in October 2011. © CQ Press 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Question #4: When to Use ACS data

4. If the same data appear in the 2010 Decennial Census and in the ACS, which should I use?

A. It depends. The decennial census is the most accurate source of data for counts of population and housing because it is based on a full enumeration. And, if the data you want are available from the 2010 Decennial Census, they should be used. However, as time goes on, the 2010 Decennial Census data will quickly become out-of-date in many places, and the ACS may become the better choice. Click to see other Frequently Asked Questions

© CQ Press 2011

2 comments:

MegThursday, April 21, 2011 at 12:52:00 PM EDT
Is it still preferable to use ACS data over current year estimates?
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CQ Press Reference SolutionsWednesday, April 27, 2011 at 2:11:00 PM EDT
For lots of data that used to appear on the census long form, the only option is ACS data, but you'll want to see whether your unit of analysis is small enough to use 1 year estimates rather than 3 year or 5 year estimates. For many localities, only the 5 year sample is granular enough to give significant results.
For data that is available through the census, the comprehensiveness of the count makes the census more useful than the ACS.
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