Attachment I - ACS Design and Methodology

UNEDITED VERSION

Design and Methodology
American Community Survey

U.S. Department of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez,
Secretary
David A. Sampson,
Deputy Secretary
Economics and Statistics
Administration
Kathleen B. Cooper,
Under Secretary for Economic
Affairs
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
Charles Louis Kincannon,
Director

Issued May 2006

TP67

Educational attainment. Educational attainment data are tabulated for people 18 years
and older. Respondents are classified according to the highest degree or the highest level
of school completed. The question includes instructions for people currently enrolled in
school to report the level of the previous grade attended or the highest degree received.
Ancestry. Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, “roots,” or heritage, or
the place of birth of the person, or the person's parents’ ancestors before their arrival in
the United States. Some ethnic identities, such as “Egyptian” or “Polish” can be traced to
geographic areas outside the United States, while other ethnicities such as “Pennsylvania
German” or “Cajun” evolved in the United States.
Language spoken at home. A respondent should mark “Yes” if the person sometimes
or always speaks a language other than English at home but should mark “No” if a
language is spoken only at school or if speaking is limited to a few expressions or slang.
The questionnaire instructs respondents to print the name of the non-English language
spoken at home. If the person speaks more than one language other than English, the
person is to report the language spoken most often or, if they cannot determine the one
spoken most often, the language learned first.
Ability to speak English. The data on ability to speak English represent the person’s
own perception of his or her own ability.
Residence one year ago (migration). Residence one year ago is used in conjunction
with location of current residence to determine the extent of residential mobility of the
population and the resulting redistribution of the population across geographic areas of
the country.
Disability. The Census Bureau defines disability as a long-lasting sensory, physical,
mental, or emotional condition. This condition can make it difficult for a person to do
activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning, or remembering.
It can impede a person from being able to go outside the home alone or to work at a job
or business, and it includes people with severe vision or hearing impairments.
Fertility. This question asks if the person had given birth in the past 12 months.
Grandparents as caregivers. Data are collected on whether a grandchild lives with a
grandparent in the household, whether the grandparent has responsibility for the basic
needs of the grandchild, and the duration of that responsibility.
Veteran status. A “civilian veteran” is a person aged 18 years and older who has served
(even for a short time), but is not now serving, on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy,
Air Force, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, or who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine
during World War II. People who served in the National Guard or military reserves are
classified as veterans only if they were ever called or ordered to active duty, not counting
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