New Population Bulletin: The American Community Survey

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(September 2005) The 21^st century marks a new era in census taking in the United States and a break with tradition. The American Community Survey (ACS), a relatively new survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, is ushering in the most substantial change in the decennial census in more than 60 years.

The ACS is a nationwide monthly survey designed to provide communities with reliable and timely demographic, housing, social, and economic data every year. The ACS will replace the 2010 Census long form by collecting detailed information throughout the decade. The ACS data will provide, for the first time, a continual stream of updated information for states and local areas, and may revolutionize the way federal, state, local, and tribal governments plan, administer, and evaluate their programs.

Written by three PRB staff members—Mark Mather, Kerri L. Rivers, and Linda A. Jacobsen—this Population Bulletin presents an overview of the ACS and the new opportunities it offers for data users to monitor socioeconomic trends in the United States. In addition, the Bulletin details the advantages the ACS provides over the decennial census and other surveys as well as the challenges the ACS's continuous measurement approach presents to people who want to use and interpret the data.