Our population statistics cover age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, migration, ancestry, language use, veterans, as well as population estimates and projections.
The U.S. Census Bureau is the official source of statistical data tracking the national economy.
Business is a large part of America's diverse economy. This section provides key information about businesses in your community.
This section provides information on a range of educational topics, from educational attainment and school enrollment to school districts, costs and financing.
Prepare for Emergencies, Natural and Man-made Disasters using U.S. Census Bureau's data and statistics
We measure the state of the nation's workforce, including employment and unemployment levels, weeks and hours worked, occupations, and commuting.
Our statistics highlight trends in household and family composition, describe characteristics of the residents of housing units, and show how they are related.
Health statistics on insurance coverage, disability, fertility and other health issues are increasingly important in measuring the nation’s overall well-being.
We measure the housing and construction industry, track homeownership rates, and produce statistics on the physical and financial characteristics of our homes.
Income is the gauge many use to determine the well-being of the U.S. population. Survey and census questions cover poverty, income, and wealth.
The U.S. Census Bureau is the official source for U.S. export and import statistics and regulations governing the reporting of exports from the U.S.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides data for the Federal, state and local governments as well as voting, redistricting, apportionment and congressional affairs.
Geography is central to the work of the Bureau, providing the framework for survey design, sample selection, data collection, tabulation, and dissemination.
Find resources on how to use geographic data and products with statistical data, educational blog postings, and presentations.
The Geographic Support System Initiative will integrate improved address coverage, spatial feature updates, and enhanced quality assessment and measurement.
Work with interactive mapping tools from across the Census Bureau.
Find geographic data and products such as Shapefiles, KMLs, TIGERweb, boundary files, geographic relationship files, and reference and thematic maps.
Metropolitan and micropolitan areas are geographic entities used by Federal statistical agencies in collecting, tabulating, and publishing Federal statistics.
Find information about specific partnership programs and learn more about our partnerships with other organizations.
Definitions of geographic terms, why geographic areas are defined, and how the Census Bureau defines geographic areas.
We conduct research on geographic topics such as how to define geographic areas and how geography changes over time.
Official audio files from the Census Bureau, including "Profile America," a daily series of bite-sized statistics, placing current data in a historical context.
Stock photos that illustrate official Census Bureau operations and activities.
Read briefs and reports from Census Bureau experts.
Watch Census Bureau vignettes, testimonials, and video files.
Explore Census data with infographics and visualizations covering a broad range of topics.
Read research analyses from Census Bureau experts.
Find information using interactive applications to get statistics from multiple surveys.
Developer portal to access services and documentation for the Census Bureau's APIs.
Explore Census Bureau data on your mobile device with interactive tools.
Find a multitude of DVDs, CDs and publications in print by topic.
These external sites provide more data.
The Census Bureau reuses data from other agencies to cut the cost of data collection and to reduce the burden on people who respond to our censuses and surveys.
Download extraction tools to help you get the in-depth data you need.
Learn more about our data from this collection of e-tutorials, presentations, webinars and other training materials. Sign up for training sessions.
Explore Census data with infographics and visualizations covering a broad range of topics.
If you have received a survey, this site will help you verify that the survey came from us, understand and complete the form, and know how we protect your data.
The U.S. Census Bureau is researching modern and cost-efficient methods for the population to exercise its civic obligation to be counted in the 2020 Census.
Tests in 2017 will continue research on modern and cost-efficient methods to conduct the 2020 Census.
The 2018 End-to-End Census Test will take place in Pierce County, Wash.; Providence County, R.I.; and the Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, W.Va., area.
National and state population totals from the 2010 Census were released on December 21, 2010
The American Community Survey is the premier source for information about America's changing population, housing and workforce.
The AHS is sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Economic Census is the U.S. government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy.
Basic enumerations of population, housing units, group quarters and transitory locations conducted by the Census Bureau at the request of a governmental unit.
Collects data and measures change for many topics including: economic well-being, family dynamics, education, assets, health insurance, and childcare.
Connect with the U.S. Census Bureau using social media.
Find interesting and quirky statistics regarding national celebrations and major events.
See what's coming up in releases and reports.
Press Kits package information about Census Bureau topics, including media contacts, press releases and fact sheets, story ideas and multimedia resources.
Information about the U.S. Census Bureau.
Information about what we do at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Our researchers explore innovative ways to conduct surveys, increase respondent participation, reduce costs, and improve accuracy.
Learn about other opportunities to collaborate with us.
Explore the rich historical background of an organization with roots almost as old as the nation.
Explore prospective positions available at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Information about the current field vacancies available at the U.S. Census Bureau Regional Offices.
The Census Bureau reuses data from other agencies to cut the cost of data collection and to reduce the burden on people who respond to our censuses and surveys.
The American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files show the full range of population and housing unit responses collected on individual ACS questionnaires, for a subsample of ACS housing units and group quarters persons.
The PUMS files allow data users to conduct a custom analysis of the ACS data using a sample of actual responses to the American Community Survey (ACS). They are much more flexible than the aggregate data available on American FactFinder, though the PUMS files also tend to be more complicated to use. Working with PUMS data generally involves downloading large datasets onto a local computer and analyzing the data using statistical software such as R, SPSS, Stata, or SAS.
Each record in the file represents a single person, or--in the household-level dataset--a single housing unit. In the person-level file, individuals are organized into households, making possible the study of people within the contexts of their families and other household members. PUMS files for an individual year, such as 2014, contain data on approximately one percent of the United States population. PUMS files covering a five-year period, such as 2010-2014, contain data on approximately five percent of the United States population.
PUMS data can be accessed via the ACS FTP site, American FactFinder, or via the Census Bureau's Data Ferrett tool. (This tool is particularly useful for researchers who need a quick statistic or do not have access to statistical software.)
The ACS pretabulated (or summary) data are predefined tabulations of characteristics created by the Census Bureau in response to data user needs. The basic unit of analysis is a specific geographic entity -- state, county, etc. -- for which estimates of persons, families, households, or housing units in particular categories are provided.
With microdata, conversely, it is the user who determines the structure of the tabulation and the characteristic(s) to be tabulated.
Estimates generated with PUMS microdata will be slightly different from the pretabulated estimates for the same characteristics published in American FactFinder. These differences are due to the fact that the PUMS files include only about two-thirds of the cases that were used to produce estimates on American FactFinder, as well as additional PUMS edits. More information on the PUMS sample design is available in the Accuracy of the PUMS document.
When data users have doubts about whether they are correctly using the weights to compute estimates, they should attempt to reproduce the estimates that are provided in the PUMS Estimates for User Verification. (The standard errors provided were computed using the replicate weight method.)
While PUMS files contain cases from nearly every town and county in the country, towns and counties (and other low-level geography) are not identified by any variables in the PUMS datasets. The most detailed unit of geography contained in the PUMS files is the Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA).
PUMAs are special non-overlapping areas that partition each state into contiguous geographic units containing no fewer than 100,000 people each. Beginning with the 2012 ACS PUMS, the files rely on PUMA boundaries that were drawn by state governments after the 2010 Census. An interactive mapping application, TIGERweb, can be used to view PUMA boundaries from 2010. Visit the Geography Boundaries by Year page to see the PUMS vintage for your dataset.
To access the maps navigate to TIGERweb:
There are two additional resources that may help PUMS users understand and use PUMAs:
The ACS PUMS is a weighted sample, and weighting variables must be used to generate accurate estimates and standard errors. The PUMS files include both population weights and household weights:
PWGTP and WGTP can be used both to generate the point estimates and to generate standard errors when using a generalized formula. Replicate weights can be used just to calculate "direct standard errors." Direct standard errors are expected to be more accurate than generalized standard errors, although they may be more inconvenient for some users to calculate. Detailed explanations of these weights and how to use them are provided in the Accuracy of the PUMS document.
The technical explanation of the ACS replicate weights is in Chapter 12 of the Design and Methodology document.
You are about to leave this web site for a destination outside of the Federal Government. You may wish to review each privacy notice since their information collection practices may differ from ours. In addition, our linking to these sites does not constitute an endorsement of any products or services.
Click OK if you wish to continue to the web site, otherwise click cancel to return to our site.