December 10, 2020

We are pleased to announce the release of the 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, the most relied-on source for up-to-date social, economic, housing, and demographic information every year. The ACS is the only source of local statistics for most of the 40+ topics it covers, such as educational attainment, occupation, language spoken at home, nativity, ancestry, and selected monthly homeowner costs.

ACS 5-year estimates are available for all geographic areas regardless of population size, down to the block-group level. Today's 2015-2019 ACS 5-year release will also include all data products, including Data Profiles, Comparison Profiles, Detailed Tables, Subject Tables and more. For more information, visit the 2019 Data Release Schedule page. 

Visit the Census Bureau's data.census.gov or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates. Data.census.gov is our primary data dissemination platform to access data from the Census Bureau, and the platform works best in Google Chrome. Learn more about data.census.gov resources.

Data Release Resources include links to the following:

• Guidance for Data Users: Learn more about the types of data tables and tools available, and get guidance about when to use 1-year and 5-year estimates.
• 2015-2019 ACS 5-year Narrative Profiles: 2015-2019 ACS 5-year Narrative Profiles are available for the nation, state, county, place, metropolitan/micropolitan statistical area, ZIP Code Tabulation Area, American Indian Area/Alaska Native Area/Hawaiian Home Land and census tract. Narrative Profiles summarize many topics using nontechnical text and graphs.
• Updated 5-year to 5-year Comparison Guidance: Visit our Comparing 2010-2014 ACS 5-year and 2015-2019 ACS 5-year page for guidance on comparing these datasets by subject area.
• Summary File Data: The 2015-2019 ACS 5-year Summary File data on the FTP site are now available. Supporting materials were released last week.
  
• 5-year Webinar: The slides, transcript, and recording from the 2015-2019 ACS 5-year Pre-Release webinar will be available soon.  This webinar covers background information about the ACS, changes for this release, and where to find new data release information on the ACS website. In addition, we demonstrate how to access block group level data in data.census.gov.
• 5-Year Press Kit: View the 2015-2019 ACS 5-year Press Kit to access background materials to write stories about this release.  The press kit includes a wide range of resources, including the press release. 

December 3, 2020

We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of the 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates scheduled for release on Thursday, December 10, 2020. This documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data release.

New and updated information related to this release is available now on the 2019 Data Release page.

Highlights include links to the following:

• The Table & Geography Changes page explains new, modified, and removed tables.
• The Summary File Documentation page includes the templates, 5-year appendices, sequence number/table number lookup files, simplified geography files, SAS programs, and macros.   

• The ACS Data User Handbooks and Training Presentations were recently updated with recent and relevant information about the ACS and its data products.

The 2019 ACS estimates will be released in the U.S. Census Bureau's data dissemination platform, data.census.gov. The platform serves as the primary way for accessing data and digital content from the Census Bureau.  Please note, the current release of data.census.gov works best in Google Chrome.

October 15, 2020 

2019 ACS 1-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) Files 

We are pleased to announce the release of the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files. The 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 (approximately one percent of the United States population). 

The PUMS files allow data users to conduct a custom analysis. 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. 

PUMS data are currently accessible via the ACS website, and the FTP site. The microdata analysis tool on data.census.gov will be updated with the 2019 1-Year PUMS data by October 22. Data.census.gov is particularly useful for researchers who need quick statistics with PUMS.  Please note and bookmark our new Microdata section containing Access to PUMS Data, How to Use PUMS on data.census.gov, PUMS Documentation, and PUMS FAQs to find guidance on creating custom tables.  

For more information about the PUMS files, visit the links below:

• Introduction to the ACS PUMS Files Webinar: Review this previously recorded webinar to learn more about creating custom tables using the PUMS files
• PUMS Documentation: Need to find out more about using the PUMS? Our technical documentation includes a ReadMe, Data Dictionary, Code and Subject Lists, and other documents to assist users in accessing and using PUMS data
  
• PUMS Handbook: This guide provides an overview of the ACS PUMS files and how they can be used to access data about America’s communities.

2019 ACS 1-Year Supplemental Estimates 

We are also pleased to announce the release of the 2019 ACS 1-year Supplemental Estimates.

Supplemental Estimates are simplified versions of popular ACS tables for geographic areas with at least 20,000 people, compared to the 65,000 population minimum for the standard ACS 1-year estimates. 

Visit the Census Bureau's data.census.gov or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates.

For more information on ACS Supplemental Estimates, visit the links below:  

• When to use 1-year, 1-year Supplemental, and 5-year estimates: Need help determining which dataset to use? Our When to use table provides information on currency, sample size, reliability, and precision for all ACS datasets.
• Geographic areas with published data: Review the chart outlining the number of areas receiving data by geographic level for the 1-year Supplemental Estimates.
• 1-year Supplemental Estimates table shells: View the layout of tables without the estimates or margins of error filled in. Table shells also contain the line number, description of the data, and table ID. 

September 17, 2020

We are pleased to announce the release of the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates, the most relied-on source for up-to-date social, economic, and housing information every year. The ACS is the only source of local statistics for most of the 40+ topics it covers, such as educational attainment, occupation, language spoken at home, ancestry, and selected monthly homeowner costs.

ACS 1-year estimates are available for the nation, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district, every metropolitan area, and all counties and places with populations of 65,000 or more. To find out if these estimates are available for your county or city, please consult our Reference Materials.

Today's release includes Data Profiles, Detailed Tables, Comparison Profiles, Subject Tables, Selected Population Profiles, and the Summary File. Learn more in the 2019 Data Release Schedule.

Visit the U.S. Census Bureau's data.census.gov or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates. Please note that data.census.gov and the current release work best in Google Chrome. To learn more, see our data.census.gov resources which provide Frequently Asked Questions, How-to Materials for Using data.census.gov, Video Tutorials, Webinars and more. For additional information, visit the links below:

• Pre-Release Webinar: View a recorded webinar highlighting important changes for the 2019 ACS 1-year release and a demonstration on how to access the data in data.census.gov.
• 2019 Changes: Visit our 2019 Data Release page to learn about table and geography changes, and the 2019 Comparison Guidance page to learn how these estimates compare to previous ACS estimates, the 2010 Census and Census 2000.
• 2019 Summary File: Download all of the ACS Detailed Tables via the Summary File on the FTP. Instructions and other technical information are available on the Summary File Documentation page.
• Guidance for Data Users: Learn more about the types of data tables and tools available and get guidance about when to use 1-year and 5-year estimates.
   

September 10, 2020

We are pleased to announce the first release of documentation in support of the 2019 American Community Survey 1-year estimates scheduled for release on Thursday, September 17, 2020. This documentation offers ACS data users the opportunity to prepare for next week's data release.

New and updated information related to this release is available now on the 2019 Data Release page.

Highlights include links to the following:

• The Table & Geography Changes page explains new, modified, and removed tables, as well as information on changes to geography.
• The Code Lists, Definitions, and Accuracy page includes code lists, subject definitions, group quarters definitions, and the statistical testing tool.
• The Summary File Documentation page includes the 1-year appendices, table shells, and sequence/table number lookup files. 
• The Table Shells display the layout of the tables without the estimates or margins of error filled in. The Table List includes information, such as table IDs, titles, universes, as well as 1-year/5-year availability, in one spreadsheet.
• The Geography Boundaries by Year page shows which vintage of geography the 2019 ACS 1-year estimates are based on.
• The Areas Published page lists the total number of geographic areas that receive 2019 ACS 1-year estimates. The Reference Materials page also details the specific geographies that have published data.
• The ACS Data User Handbooks and Training Presentations are continuously being updated. These resources provide recent and relevant information about the ACS and its data products.
• The 2019 ACS estimates will be released in the U.S. Census Bureau's data dissemination platform, data.census.gov. The platform serves as the primary way for accessing data and digital content from the Census Bureau.  Please note, the current release of data.census.gov works best in Google Chrome.

January 30, 2020

2014-2018 ACS 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS)

We are pleased to announce the release of the 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files.

The ACS 5-year 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 (approximately five percent of the United States population).

PUMS files allow data users to conduct a custom analysis, though the files also tend to be more complicated to use. Working with PUMS data generally involves downloading large datasets onto a local computer and analyzing them using statistical software such as R, SPSS, Stata, or SAS.

PUMS data can be accessed via data.census.gov and the Census Bureau's FTP site. 

The 2018 tab of the PUMS Technical Documentation page is now updated to include the PUMS ReadMe, subjects in the PUMS, data dictionary, code lists, Accuracy of the PUMS, and PUMS Estimates for User Verification.

2014-2018 ACS 5-Year Variance Replicate Estimate Tables

We are pleased to announce the release of the 2014-2018 ACS Variance Replicate Estimate Tables. 

These tables allow advanced users to calculate margins of error (MOEs) when collapsing data within a table or across geographies. This method provides a more accurate MOE than available approximation formulas.  

To access these estimates, visit the Variance Replicate Tables Data page or through the Census Bureau's FTP site.

The Variance Replicate Tables Documentation page is also updated to include technical documentation, a table and geography list, and table shells.

2018 ACS 1-Year Supplemental Estimates

We are pleased to announce the release of the 2018 ACS 1-year Supplemental Estimates.

Supplemental Estimates are simplified versions of popular ACS tables for geographic areas with at least 20,000 people, compared to the 65,000 population minimum for the standard ACS 1-year estimates. 

Visit the Census Bureau's data.census.gov or use the Census API to start exploring these estimates.