The Census Bureau announced today a new public release schedule for the official income, poverty and health insurance estimates for 2008 from the Current Population Survey (CPS), as well as estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS)

     National income and poverty data from the CPS will be released the week of Labor Day. This is in response to feedback that releasing the data in late August was not optimal for data users and journalists reporting on the findings.

     For the ACS, the new timetable provides an opportunity to release the full set of 2008 ACS data at one time on Sept. 22, 2009.

     The new schedule also permits the release of the 2006-2008 ACS on Oct. 27, 2009, six weeks earlier than last year’s schedule allowed.

     This release schedule will allow for the production of a series of short ACS economic briefs, analyzing findings on topics such as housing, the labor force, food stamps, occupation and commute to work, in addition to income and poverty.

DATA RELEASE SCHEDULE:

     Income, poverty and health insurance estimates — Current Population Survey — These national estimates will be released Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009. Additional information regarding the time and format of the data release will be included in a separate announcement closer to the release date. As is standard procedure, there will be no embargo of these data.

     2008 American Community Survey (ACS) — The U.S. Census Bureau will release data from the 2008 ACS on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. This release will include all one-year estimates from the 2008 ACS — including ACS income and poverty estimates. In addition to the full complement of social, economic, and housing data, this release will also include estimates on health insurance coverage, marital history, and veterans’ service-connected disability ratings, for the first time. These estimates will be available for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district and all counties, places and metropolitan areas with populations of 65,000 or more. The data will be available on an embargoed basis for media use on Sept. 17, three business days before the release date.

     2006-2008 American Community Survey (ACS) — The U.S. Census Bureau will release data from the 2006-2008 ACS on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009. The release will include all three-year estimates from the 2006-2008 ACS. The three-year estimates will be available for all geographic areas with populations of 20,000 or more. The data will be available on an embargoed basis for media use on Oct. 22, three business days before the release date

     Embargo Access — The embargoed ACS data will be accessible from the Census Bureau’s media embargo site on the specified date. For information on obtaining a password, go to the “Newsroom” page on the Census Bureau’s Web site (www.census.gov) and click on “Media Services.”

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