1. U. S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey

2. Introduction
• What is the American Community Survey (ACS)?
• Why was the ACS created?
• Why is the ACS important?
• How can I use the ACS?

3. What is the ACS?
• The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing
nationwide survey designed to provide communities with
demographic, economic, social, and housing data every
year. The survey includes a sample of about 3 million
addresses.
• The ACS provides communities with information about
how they are changing. It is a critical element in the
Census Bureau's decennial census program.

4. What is the ACS?
The ACS collects information such as:
• Age • Family and relationships
• Sex • Health insurance
• Race • Veteran status
• Income and benefits • Education
• Where you work • Housing values
• How you get to work • How much you pay for
• Commute time to work some essentials
• Disabilities

5. Why was the ACS created?
• The U. S. Constitution requires a census every ten years.
• Prior to the ACS, this data was used until the next census.
• The ACS, collects data yearly from about 3 million
addresses.
• Results in more timely information allowing states, local
governments, and businesses to:
• Monitor change
• Plan for the future

6. Why is the ACS important?
• A lot can change in ten years.
• The ACS provides a snapshot
of communities every year
instead of once every ten
years.
• Allows communities to see
how they are changing over
time.
• Provides timely information
about people and the
economy.

7. How can I use the ACS?
Businesses can use the data for:
Market analysis
Project planning
Business expansion
Economic development
Workforce trends
Housing needs

8. Why is the ACS important?
• Many businesses use ACS data for
planning.
• Target, which has nearly 1,770
stores in 49 states, uses ACS data.

9. How can I use the ACS?
• The Census Bureau releases all ACS data via an Internet
application called American FactFinder (AFF).
• You can access AFF at: http://factfinder2.census.gov.

10. How can I use the ACS?
• Scenario: You are working for a multi-
state business (MN, ND, SD, MT, WY)
that is considering expanding into Idaho.
Your boss wants to know how Idaho
compares to the states in which the
business currently operates in terms of
median household income.

11. Household Income Comparison

12. Household Income Comparison

13. A few words from our
sponsor . . . Sampling errors
• Sampling error occurs when data are based on a sample
of a population rather than the full population.
• For any given area, the larger the sample and the more
months included in the data, the greater the confidence in
the estimate.
• All ACS tables contain a column with margins of error at
the 90 percent confidence level.

14. Margins of Error - Example
• In this example, the number of households in Idaho with
an income less than $10,000 is 45,201. The margin of
error for this estimate is +/- 3,399. By adding and
subtracting the margin of error from the estimate, we can
calculate the 90-percent confidence interval for that
estimate.

15. Margins of Error - Example
• 45,201 - 3,399 = 41,802 = Lower-bound of interval
• 45,201 + 3,399 = 48,600 = Upper-bound of interval
• We can be 90 percent confident that the number of
households in Idaho with an income less than $10,000
falls somewhere between 41,802 and 48,600.

16. What we’ve learned.
• American Community Survey (ACS)
 What it is.
 Why it was created.
 Why it’s important.
 How it can be used.

17. Differentiate yourself!
When your boss wants to advertise your product or service
on the radio and is wondering what would be the best
times to run the advertisement, you can respond:
A. You know, traffic is always busy
when I’m driving to work so that
is probably a good time.
B. Let me check the American
Community Survey information
and I’ll send you a report.

18. References
Businessman looking at wall charts [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica Image Quest database.
Business people in a meeting [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica Image Quest database.
Business people in group hug [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica Image Quest database.
Businesswoman writing at desk [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica Image Quest database.
Downtown Toronto [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica Image Quest database.
Old south meeting house [Stereograph]. (1910). Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica Image Quest database.
U. S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). American FactFinder. Retrieved March 4, 2012, from
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml
U.S. Census Bureau. (2011, June 28). Stats in action: Greater Houston Partnership uses ACS data [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFopk6LUHUw
U. S. Census Bureau. (2012, January 26). Target and economic statistics [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdkcNJ3FwgE
U.S. Census Bureau. (2012, February 24). American Community Survey. Retrieved March 4, 2012, from
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/