The new American Community Survey (ACS) will soon give communities across Alaska access annually to key socioeconomic data that has, until now, been available only once a decade. The Census Bureau began mailing nationwide to 250,000 addresses per month in January.

     “A snapshot once every ten years of what a community looks like fades quickly,” said Ralph J. Lee, director of the Census Bureau’s Seattle regional office. “The most recent census data are already five years old, but with the American Community Survey people will be able to see a moving picture of their community.”

     The ACS will provide elected officials, businesses, community leaders and planning organizations current information to assess local needs such as where to build new roads, housing, schools and senior centers. The survey will also help ensure that communities receive their fair share of the more than $200 billion in federal funds awarded every year to localities based on Census Bureau numbers.

     The ACS will ask the same type of questions as the census long-form questionnaire it is replacing. While the long form was sent to 1-in-6 households in 2000, the ACS will be sent to about 1-in-40 addresses each year, or about 2.5 percent of the nation’s population. No address will receive the ACS questionnaire more than once in any five-year period.

     Households selected for the survey will receive their questionnaire by mail. Any request for survey information from the Census Bureau will be clearly identified as coming from the U.S. Census Bureau and as OFFICIAL BUSINESS of the United States.

     The Census Bureau will make a follow-up phone call if the questionnaire is not returned. Later, a Census worker may visit the household to conduct a personal interview if no one is available over the phone. A personal follow-up interview costs taxpayers more than 10 times the cost of a mail response, so households are encouraged to mail completed questionnaires promptly.

     All of the information the Census Bureau collects for this survey about you and your household is confidential by law (Title 13, United States Code, Section 9). By law, every Census Bureau employee -- including the Director, as well as every field representative -- has taken an oath and is subject to a prison term, a substantial fine, or both if he or she discloses ANY information that could identify you or your household. The Census Bureau can use the information you provide for statistical purposes only and cannot publish or release information that would identify you or your household.

     If you are concerned about the legitimacy of the American Community Survey, contact the Census Bureau toll-free at: 800-233-3308.

     Following are just a few of the questions about your community that ACS data will help answer:

• How many residents have high school diplomas?
• Where is unemployment concentrated?
• How many of our residents are seniors?
• How many children speak a language other than English?
• How long does it take our residents to commute to work?
• How many residents carpool? Drive alone? Use public transportation?
• Which industries are growing in our community?

For more information about the ACS, visit <http://www.census.gov/acs>.

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