The American Community Survey

Attachment Q

ACS-18(L)(GQ)(PR)(2013)
(8-2012)

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

A Message from the Director, U.S. Census Bureau...
To: Facility Manager
Your facility has been randomly selected to participate in a very important national survey
conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau called the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS).
The PRCS is an on-going survey that tells us what the population looks like and how it lives. A
sample of residents who live or stay in your facility is included in the PRCS. Participating in the
PRCS is important and also required by law (Title 13, United States Code, Sections 141, 193,
221, and 223).
Estimates from the PRCS are used by federal, Puerto Rico and municipio governments, as
well as by private nonprofit organizations and communities, for example:
• Puerto Rico and municipio governments use these estimates for budgeting, evaluating
programs, and planning for community development projects, such as those for the older
population, scout programs, libraries, and hospitals.
• Other organizations use this information to provide services to the community, and to
plan or establish new facilities, buildings, and programs.
• Administrators at your own facility may use PRCS estimates themselves.
Throughout the year, representatives for the PRCS contact different facilities such as correctional
facilities, juvenile facilities, military barracks, and college residence halls. During the next month,
one of our PRCS field representatives will contact you or someone in your office to discuss the
survey and to schedule an appointment to visit your facility.
The field representative will:
• answer any questions you may have about the PRCS or about interviewing residents
of your facility.
• collect and verify basic information about your facility, such as the facility name and
address.
• ask for a list of residents who are currently living or staying at your facility to establish a
basis for their sample.

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• select a random sample of residents to take part in the PRCS.
• interview the selected residents. If a resident is unable to participate in an interview,
the field representative will work with you to determine if there are other ways to get
the needed information.
Selected residents will be asked to respond to the PRCS and provide information about various
topics such as education and employment. All the information the U.S. Census Bureau
collects is confidential by law (Title 13, United States Code, Section 9).
Your cooperation is essential to the success of the PRCS, and the field representative may
need your assistance in collecting survey information from the sample of residents. The field
representative will need access to the residents chosen.
The enclosed brochure provides answers to frequently asked questions about the PRCS. If you
want to learn more about the PRCS, please visit the Census Bureau’s Web site at
census.gov/acs.
If you have any further questions, please call the Census Bureau’s New York Regional Office
toll-free number at 1–800–991–2520 (ext. 3400), and ask for the PRCS supervisor.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation, and we look forward to working with you.
Enclosures

ACS-18(L)(GQ)(PR)(2013)(8-2012)