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How does the American Community Survey collect data?
ACS data are collected primarily by mail using “paper and pencil” questionnaires, with telephone and personal visit collection used as follow-up to mail nonresponse. Data collected using paper forms do not have interviewers assisting respondents in interpreting questions.
Is the American Community Survey Public?
The American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files are a set of untabulated records about individual people or housing units.
Is individual census data public?
Census records are kept confidential for 100 years before being made available to the public. Census records remain closed while they are in the custody of the census offices.
What happens if I do not respond to the American Community Survey?
anyone over 18 years old who refuses or willfully neglects to complete the questionnaire or answer questions posed by census takers from a fine of not more than $100 to not more than $5,000.
Do I have to participate in the American Community Survey?
Do I have to answer the American Community Survey? Yes, you are required by law to answer the American Community Survey (Title 13, U.S. Code). Your response will help your community get its fair share of federal funding.
How often does the American Community Survey release data?
The American Community Survey (ACS) releases new data every year through a variety of data products that you can access with different data tools. Learn more about these tools, as well as the different types of tables and profiles powered by ACS data.
What is the purpose of the American Community Survey?
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey that provides data every year — giving communities the current information they need to plan investments and services. The ACS covers a broad range of topics about social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics of the U.S. population.
How does the Census Bureau use your confidential survey answers?
We use your confidential survey answers to create statistics like those in the results below and in the full tables that contain all the data—no one is able to figure out your survey answers from the statistics we produce. The Census Bureau is legally bound to strict confidentiality requirements.
What happens if you violate the American Community Survey?
Violations can result in a 5-year prison sentence and/or $250,000 fine. Under 13 U.S.C. § 9, census responses are “immune from legal process” and may not “be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in any action, suit, or other judicial or administrative proceeding”.