= American Community Survey = The '''American Community Survey''' ('''ACS''') is an annual survey operated by the Census Bureau to establish demographic information about the nation's population. <> ---- == Usage == See [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau/AmericanCommunitySurvey/PublicUseMicrodata|here]] for notes on the public use microdata. ---- == Design == === Frequency === The ACS is administered annually, with continuous data collection. No household is sampled more than once in 5 years. 1-year estimates are usually published in the fall, and 5-year estimates are usually published in the winter. === Geographies === 1-year estimates are published for geographic areas with populations of 65,000 or more. This threshold is set so that estimates can be made available for all states, territories, congressional districts, [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau#Public_Use_Microdata_Areas|PUMAs]], [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau#Core_Based_Statistical_Areas|CBSAs]], cities, and Native American areas. 5-year estimates are published for geographic areas with much smaller population levels. This includes [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau#ZIP_Code_Tabulation_Areas|ZCTAs]], [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau#Tracts|census tracts]], and [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau#Blocks|census block groups]]. ---- == History == The ACS was launched in 2005 as a replacement for the long-form [[UnitedStates/CensusBureau/Census|U.S. census]]. It provides more timely data because data collection is continuous, and then published in a periodic aggregation. It is used to allocate federal and state funding. ---- CategoryRicottone