Background
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau), is pleased to announce the release of the ACS-HUD linked data product. The data are based on the linkage of the 2011 through 2018 American Community Survey (ACS) with HUD administrative records for HUD’s largest housing assistance programs: Multifamily, Public Housing, and Housing Choice Vouchers.
The ACS contains a wealth of information not collected in HUD administrative records, including questions about race, employment status, industry of occupation, veteran status, commuting modes, and availability of highspeed internet. When an important HUD programmatic or policy question emerges that requires new statistical efforts, it is more cost effective to use matched data assets to answer the question than it is to conduct new data collection efforts.
Short Report on Data Linkage
Full Technical Report on Data Linkage
The ACS/HUD Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Indicator
How to Access the Restricted Use Data
To protect the confidentiality of survey respondents, the ACS-HUD linked files are restricted-use files. Interested researchers can submit a proposal to use the data through the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (https://www.census.gov/fsrdc). Please visit the Census Bureau’s restricted use application website: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ces/data/restricted-use-data/apply-for-access.html to find useful information about how to apply to use the data.