American Community Survey

The American Community Survey (ACS) is part of the Decennial Census Program. This survey is sent to a random sample of households in the United States and Puerto Rico on a rotating basis. The ACS collects information from U.S. households similar to what was collected on the decennial census "long form," such as age, race, sex, Hispanic origin, income and benefits, health insurance, education, veteran status, disabilities, place of work and commuting, and housing costs. These data previously were collected only in census years in conjunction with the decennial census. Since the ACS is conducted every year, rather than once every ten years, it provides more current data throughout the decade. The ACS is an ongoing survey that provides data on an annual basis. The ACS is a national survey sent to about 250,000 households each month or about 3,000,000 households per year. The ACS began in 1996, collecting data in a limited number of areas. The survey expanded in subsequent years, reaching full national coverage in 2005. The Census Bureau now conducts the ACS in every county of the United States. The internal microdata files also include a geography file providing the MAFID (Master Address File ID) of each sampled housing unit.