The American Community Survey

Questions and Answers

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ACS-51(GQ)
Issued September 2005

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U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

What is the American
Community Survey?
It is a new survey the U.S. Census
Bureau developed as part of the
2010 Decennial Census Program.
• The American Community
Survey will provide critical
economic, social, demographic,
and housing information to this
country’s communities every
year, instead of once in 10
years. Communities tell us the
American Community Survey
helps them make informed
decisions and is a key to their
future.
• The American Community
Survey doesn’t count the
population, but it does provide
information that reflects what
the population looks like and
how it lives. That information
is vital for states and local
communities in determining
how to plan for schools, roads,
senior citizen centers, and other
goods and services.

American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

www.census.gov/acs/www

• The Census Bureau conducts
the American Community
Survey in every county,
American Indian and Alaska
Native Area, and Hawaiian
Home Land. It replaces the long
form in the 2010 census and
greatly simplifies operations
so that the focus of the 2010
census is solely on counting the
population.
I have not heard of the
American Community Survey.
How long have you been
conducting it?
The American Community Survey
began in 1996 in a sample of
counties across the country.
Today the survey is conducted in
all U.S. counties and Puerto Rico
municipios.

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AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

How can I see the results of
the survey?

When will the results of the
survey be available?

This information is published on
the Census Bureau’s American
FactFinder® Web site at
. The data
are provided in several formats
for everyone from beginners (who
may just want to look at the data)
to experienced researchers.

The results of the American
Community Survey are released
every summer. Survey results
are released each year for areas
of 65,000 or more people. For
smaller areas, results are available
in the form of 3-year and 5-year
averages.

American FactFinder® provides:
• Quick Tables that provide an
overview of the data quickly.
• Geographic Comparison Tables
that compare data for different
places.
• Detailed Tables that provide
more extensive data for more
detailed research.

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How do I benefit by answering
the American Community
Survey?
Federal agencies, states, and
communities say that they do not
have the up-to-date information
they need to better understand
community issues, respond to
needs, and allocate programs and
resources. As one community
leader said, “Guessing is always
fun, but seldom effective.”

American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

By responding to the American
Community Survey questionnaire,
you are helping your community
establish goals, identify problems
and solutions, locate facilities
and programs, and measure
the performance of community
programs.
The American Community Survey
data are used by:
• Local governments for
budgeting, evaluating
programs, and planning for
community development
projects.
• Community programs, such
as those for the elderly, scout
programs, libraries, banks,
hospitals, and other community
organizations to provide
services to the community and
to locate buildings, services,
and programs.

American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

www.census.gov/acs/www

• Transportation planners use
journey-to-work information
to make decisions to build
new roads, or add capacity to
existing roads and to develop
transit systems, such as light
rail or subways, by projecting
future ridership.
Do the sampled Group
Quarters (GQ) and individuals
have to answer the questions
on the American Community
Survey?
Yes; your response to this survey
is required by law (Title 13,
United States Code, Sections 141
and 193). Title 13, as changed
by Title 18, imposes a penalty
for not responding. The survey
is approved by the Office of
Management and Budget. We
estimate that the facility-level
survey will take about 15 minutes
to complete, and the individual
survey will take about 25 minutes
to complete.

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AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

Why did you select this GQ
facility, and how did I get
selected?

How will the Census Bureau
use the information that I
provide?

Can the police or any
regulatory agency see my
answers to the survey?

This GQ was selected from a
sample of all GQs in your area.
The GQ and individuals are
randomly selected from this list
each year, so we cannot substitute
another GQ for this one. One
of the advantages of a random
sample is that we can use it to
measure the whole population
without having to actually
interview every person at every
GQ. But in order for it to work,
we cannot substitute sampled
facilities or individuals—the
sample has to be truly random.
Your participation is very
important if we’re going to be able
to produce accurate statistics from
this survey.

The Census Bureau can only use
the information you provide for
statistical purposes and cannot
publish or release information
that would identify you. Your
information will be used in
combination with information
from other individuals to
produce statistical data for your
community. Similar statistics will
be produced for communities
across the United States.

No. The Census Bureau protects
the privacy of your information.
The police cannot see it and no
court of law can see it. No one can
see or use your specific answers
to enforce any type of law or
amend any kind of benefit. Your
individual responses will only be
seen by authorized persons with
a Census Bureau work-related
need to know. The Census Bureau
compiles and publishes summary
data for geographical areas,
and cannot publish or release
information that would identify an
individual.

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American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

Will the Census Bureau keep
my information confidential?
Yes. Your answers are confidential
by law under Title 13, United
States Code, Section 9. This law
specifies that the Census Bureau
can use the information provided
by individuals for statistical
purposes only and cannot publish
or release information that would
identify any individual.

If any Census Bureau employee
were to violate these provisions,
he or she would be subject to
severe criminal sanctions imposed
by Congress—up to 5 years’
imprisonment and/or up to a
$250,000 fine for any Census

American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

www.census.gov/acs/www

Bureau employee who violates
those provisions (Title 13 U.S.C.,
Section 214, as amended by Title
18 U.S.C., Sections 3559 and
3571).
I am elderly, disabled, or
otherwise unable to complete
the American Community
Survey questionnaire. What do
I do?
You may designate another
person to help you or a Census
Bureau representative may assist
you in completing the survey.
Respondents may call their
regional office for assistance. To
produce the most accurate results,
it is very important that every
respondent selected for the survey
participate.

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www.census.gov/acs/www

Do I have to answer these
questions every year?
A random sample of GQ facilities
in the U.S. and Puerto Rico
and a random sample of the
people staying at these sampled
facilities are selected each year
to participate in the ACS GQ
data collection. You will not be
asked to complete the ACS GQ
questionnaire every year. You will
be asked to complete the survey
information only when you are
randomly selected from all people
staying at a sampled GQ.
It is important that each sampled
person respond to this mandatory
survey so that the Census Bureau
can produce characteristics
about the GQ populations in your
community and in the U.S. each
year.

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AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

Why does the American
Community Survey ask one
question about race and
another question about
Hispanic origin?
Race and Hispanic origin (or
ethnicity) are considered distinct
concepts and, therefore, require
separate questions in censuses
and surveys. Hispanics or Latinos
may be of any race. The Office of
Management and Budget issues
the standards governing the
collection of data on race and
ethnicity, and all federal agencies,
including the Census Bureau, must
follow these standards.

American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

Where can I get assistance or
find more information about
the American Community
Survey?
For questions or assistance with
completing this survey, call the
Census Bureau’s Regional Office
nearest you as listed below:
Census Bureau Regional Offices
Atlanta, GA

1-800-424-6974

Boston, MA

1-800-562-5721

Charlotte, NC

1-800-331-7360

Chicago, IL

1-800-865-6384

Dallas, TX

1-800-835-9752

Denver, CO

1-800-852-6159

Detroit, MI

1-800-432-1495

Kansas City, KS

1-800-728-4748

Los Angeles, CA

1-800-992-3530

New York, NY

1-800-991-2520

Philadelphia, PA

1-866-238-1374

Seattle, WA

1-800-233-3308

American Community Survey
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-346-9682
301-763-INFO (4636) [ACS data queries]

www.census.gov/acs/www

For more information about the
American Community Survey, or
to obtain survey results from past
years, we encourage you to visit
our Web site at:
www.census.gov/acs/www
You may also contact us by calling
301-763-INFO (4636), through
e-mail at
or by mailing your information
request to the following address:
American Community Survey
U.S. Census Bureau
4700 Silver Hill Rd., Room 1657-3
Washington, DC 20233-7500

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AMERICAN
COMMUNITY
SURVEY
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 1-888-346-9682

Internet:
www.census.gov/acs/www