American Community Survey

And Selected Other Current Population Surveys

American Community Survey (ACS) (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/
ACS is a new Bureau of the Census program designed to provide updates to data collected during the decennial census. The sample size for areas of at least 65,000 population will be large enough to provide reliable data annually. Areas with population between 20,000 and 64,999 will be updated annually based upon 3 year moving averages. That is, sample sizes will be too small to provide reliable data annually. A moving average measures characteristics of place over a time period. A 3 year moving average would measure characteristics between 2005 and 2007, the following year's data considers 2006-2008,... Areas with populations smaller than 20,000 people will be updated annually based upon 5 year moving averages. That is, the initial data consider conditions between 2005-2009, the following annual set covers 2006-2010,... This is a huge difference from the decennial census that measures characteristics at a point in time, April 1st of the census year.

Access data at the ACS home page or at American FactFinder .

Current Population Survey (CPS) (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/cpsmain.htm
The Bureau of the Census conducts the monthly Current Population Survey for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is the main source of data about labor force characteristics. Links connect to publications; related surveys; methodological documentation; and data current through February 2002. Access more recent and historical labor force statistics through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) at http://stats.bls.gov/cps/home.htm .

CPS measures other demographic characteristics as well. These include education; foreign born population; geographic mobility; hispanic origin; income and earnings; race; poverty; and regional, state, and area trends. Most statistics deal cover the nation and multi-state regions. Access this information through the Current Population Reports (CPR) series.

Current Population Reports (CPR) (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
http://www.census.gov/main/www/cprs.html
A series of reports based upon the Current Population Survey . Separate series cover:

• P20, Population Characteristics
  http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/popula.html#pop
  Deals with geographic mobility; education; marital status and living arrangements; households and families; and race. The Bureau of the Census publishes reports every second year. Access online tables in non-publication years through the Bureau's home page. ( http://www.census.gov )
• P23, Special Studies
  http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/popula.html#popspec
  Selected topics cover family life; women; voting; and computer use.

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
Provides health related statistics about the U.S. population collected by the Department of Health and Human Services in a wide range of surveys. An overview of NCHS "Publications and Information Products" is at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/series/ser.htm . The Bureau of the Census does not collect and publish health statistics.

Population Estimates (U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Division)
http://www.census.gov/popest/estimates.php
Provides annual estimates of the resident population and demographic change (births, deaths, and migration) for the nation, states, counties, and sub-county areas. Additional data for the nation, states, and counties cover age, sex, race, and hispanic origin. See the Federal State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates ( http://www.census.gov/population/www/coop/fscpe.html ) for additional information.

Access spreadsheets at the Population Estimates home page and PDF reports, series P25, Population Estimates and Projections, at http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/popula.html#popest .

Population Projections (U.S. Census Bureau. Population Division. Population Projections Branch)
http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/popproj.html
Applies statistics from the population estimates program, and migration, birth, and death data to project population for the nation and states.

Cornell University maintains the New York Statistical Information System that has county population projections for New York State. ( http://www.nysis.cornell.edu/data.html ) Consult the following for additional population projections:

• Complete Economic and Demographic Data Source (CEDDS) (Woods and Pool Economics, Inc.)
  Lockwood Reference HC101 .C616 2004
  Provides historical overviews and 25 year projections for population; age; race; hispanic origin; employment and earnings by industry; household and per capita income; and retail sales. Data cover the nation, states, metropolitan areas, and counties.

Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) (U.S. Census Bureau. Demographics Survey Division. Survey of Income and Program Participation Branch)
http://www.sipp.census.gov/sipp/
SIPP is a longudinal survey that measures income and labor force data; participation and eligibility in social welfare programs, such as food stamps; and demographic characteristics for evaluating the effectiveness of federal, state, and local programs. Longitudinal studies follow the same group of people over a given period, thus, enabling researchers to address:

• Factors affecting changes in household and family structure, and living arrangements.
• Relationships among changes in households/families and income distribution, eligibility for programs, and economic status.
• Causes of turnover in government programs.

Web site features include links to data files and publications; a tutorial; a users guide; and technical documentation.

Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) (U.S. Bureau of the Census. Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division, Small Area Estimates Branch)
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/sahie/index.html
Calculates health insurance coverage for states and counties by age.

Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) (U.S. Bureau of the Census)
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/overview.html
Provides annual poverty measures in states, counties, and school districts. Links lead to data, publications, documentation, and related Web sites. See also the Bureau of the Census Poverty home page at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty.html .