In an article written for DWS’ November/December 2005 issue of Trendlines, regional economist Jim Robson writes about the American Community Survey.
Every ten years a census of the U.S. population is taken. This complete count of the population is used to reapportion the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the states so that each state has at least two seats and all remaining congressional districts have roughly the same population. For many decades the census consisted of two parts: the short form, filled out by all households and individuals, counts population; and the long form, which obtains demographic, housing, economic and social characteristics. The long form information was collected from a sample of the U.S. population, with about one in six households or individuals being asked to fill it out.
Since the Census is taken once every ten years, the long form information becomes outdated within a few years. After the 2010 Census, a new annual survey was begun to replace the long form questions. The American Community Survey is now being used to collect long-form type information every year instead of once in ten years.
The American Community Survey (ACS) collects information from a random sample of households in all communities in the country, and is conducted under the same laws as the decennial census, providing the same confidential protections. Under the law, as part of the census, households selected are required to answer the survey.
The survey is conducted throughout the year, collecting information from one-in-480 of selected addresses each month. Annual estimates of demographic, economic, housing, and social characteristics will be published for all counties and cities with a population of 65,000 or more. By combining sampled households over three and five year periods, annual estimates for small communities became available in 2010.
The information collected from ACS is needed by government at all levels – federal state, and local to manage and evaluate programs and services and to comply with requirements stipulated in law. Businesses, other private organizations, and individuals also make use of the se community-based statistics for a host of marketing, planning, and service delivery activities. Information has become a vital component of our economic and social community well-being.
By collecting information from households every month, community-based data is obtained with less of a burden on households than was the case with the census long form. The ACS has been designed to provide timely annual estimates of information needed for the proper functioning of government at all levels, for our economic system, and for our social and community life.
For more see: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/
