The American Community Survey (ACS) is now the place to go for data on the social, economic, and housing characteristics of our counties and communities.

As with any new data source, those from the ACS differ in many ways from what we are used to.

This page provides links to resources and publications to help us understand and accurately use data from this new data source.

For more information about the American Community Survey, go to the Census Bureau's website:

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs

Publications from Kentucky: By the Numbers

New Kid in Town: Understanding Data from the American Community Survey

And Now for the Grain of Salt: Margins of Error and the American Community Survey

Census Bureau Videos

The Census Bureau has many videos to help in using data from the ACS (and other Census Bureau data sources). You can find them at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/guidance/training-presentations.html

Just a few examples include:

• Optimize Your Non-Profit with Census Data

• Veteran Data by the Numbers

• Your Community by the Numbers: Race and Ethnicity

Census Bureau Publications

The Census Bureau has produced a series of handbooks for different data users of the American Community Survey.

Some examples include:

• What All Data Users Need to Know
• What Users of Data for Rural Areas Need to Know
• What Journalists Need to Know
• What State and Local Government Users Need to Know

You can find the complete list at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/library/handbooks.html

To see what the sample size and response rates in Kentucky are, go to:

https://www.census.gov/acs/www/methodology/sample-size-and-data-quality/