Yesterday I attended a workshop on the 2010 Census.  You may have noticed articles in the press about the redistricting of General Assembly seats.  This exercise is based on statistics issued from the ten year censuses which the United States Constitution requires the federal government to make in support of equitable governance.

This actual headcount is a huge undertaking, and the information it produces is vital to many endeavors in both the governmental and private arenas.  But life moves quickly these days, and ten-year-old data can seem outdated almost before publication.  In order to provide more timely information, the Census Bureau has established a new project called the American Community Survey (ACS).  It is “a continuous survey designed to provide communities with reliable and timely demographic, housing, social, and economic data every year.”

Questions on the survey are similar to those used in the long form questionnaire of years past.  The answers compiled will provide information on social, economic, demographic, and housing characteristics in an ongoing stream during the interim between actual censuses.  The Census Bureau expects these statistics drawn from the sample population surveyed to “revolutionize the way we use data to understand our communities.” 

You will find ACS data in the American FactFinder. Help in using the ACA can be found in A Compass for Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data and in American Community Survey: Guidance for Data Users.