ACS 20008

ACS Data Release Main

2009 ACS Data Release Main
This is the main site for information about the American Community Survey (ACS). The release information is organized by year, so a comparable site is available for previous years - 2007, 2006, etc.
2008 ACS Data Release Main

ACS 2008: Questions and Questionnaires

Subjects Planned for the 2010 Census and the ACS
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/operations_admin/Final_2010_Census_and_American_Community_Survey_Subjects_Notebook.pdf

This document provides the justification for the items included in the 2010 Census (short-form) and the ACS (long-form). It includes proposed new subjects, as well as the subjects that will be dropped because it is no longer required by federal agencies.
New Questions and Modifications in the ACS (2009)
Information for each of the new questions that were added to the 2009 ACS: health insurance coverage, Bachelor's field of degree, disability, marital history, and other new tables. Additionally, modifications were performed on food stamps tables and other tables.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/2009_product_changes/
Question by Question Fact Sheets
The fact sheets have ACS question(s), how long the question has been in use, a description of how the federal government uses the data and how those uses translate into community benefits.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/about_the_survey/questions_and_why_we_ask/
ACS Questionnaires
On this page are examples of the current materials mailed to the sample addresses in the housing unit (HU) sample, and examples of the current materials used in the group quarters (GQ) interviewing. Also included are the HU and GQ questionnaires from prior years, and summary documents showing the changes in the questionnaires from year to year.
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/SBasics/SQuest/SQuest1.htm

ACS: Sample Size, Accuracy, Quality, Comparisons

Sample Size
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/methodology/sample_size_data/
The sample sizes for all published counties and county equivalents starting with the 2007 ACS will only be available in the B98* series of Detailed Tables on American FactFinder (AFF).
Sample size information for years prior to 2007 will remain on the ACS website and will not be added to AFF.

Accuracy of the Data
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/UseData/Accuracy/Accuracy1.htm
These documents provide data users with a basic understanding of the sample design, estimation methodology, and accuracy of the data.
Also note that there is a direct link to the Design and Methodology report (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/survey_methodology/acs_design_methodology.pdf)

Quality of the Data
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/methodology/sample_size_and_data_quality/
These quality measures are produced annually to accompany each ACS data release and describe the quality of those data. The quality measures are available at national and state levels. Clicking on "definitions" will provide additional information on each of these measures, including why the measure is important and how it was calculated.

Guidance on Comparing ACS data to Other Sources
http://www.census.gov/acs/www/guidance_for_data_users/comparing_data/
The Census Bureau encourages users to compare ACS data with data from other sources. Guidance is needed before drawing conclusions because in some instances comparisons could be misleading due to differences in questions or methods. This page provides three forms of guidance - general guidance, item-specific guidance, and examples. For all comparisons of differing time periods, users should take into consideration that geographic boundaries for the area of interest may have changed