The document provides an overview of the American Community Survey (ACS) and how to utilize its data. It discusses that the ACS contains estimates for locations across the US and is released annually. Key indicators from the ACS include counts of people, households, and housing units that are broken down into dimensions like demographics, education levels, and income. Understanding which dimensions and counts are relevant for a specific project or question is important for harnessing the power of the ACS data. Examples are provided of how communities have used ACS data in areas like economic development and health assessments.

1. The A-B-C’s of the ACS—
Unleashing the Power of the American
Community Survey
Briana Preslar
Sales + Marketing Coordinator
(800) 819-9785
briana@livestories.com

2. Who am I?
- Attained two Bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington for
Medical Anthropology / Global Health + Evolutionary Biology
- We work a number of clients who are building content around ACS data
regularly
- Content Creator for our LiveStatistics Resource page
https://www.livestories.com/statistics
Data about your community at a National, State, County, and City level
THE POWER HOW TO ACCESS THAT POWER SEE IT AROUND YOUTHE BASICS ACS IN ACTION
Briana Preslar
Sales + Marketing Coordinator
(800) 819-9785
briana@livestories.com
HARNESS THE POWER

3. LiveStories Resources
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See Data About Your Community:
LiveStories.com/Statistics
ACS IN ACTIONACS IN ACTION

4. Today We Will Cover:
- American Community Survey Data Basics
- What Gives the ACS it’s Power
- How to Harness the power of the ACS
- Go Over Examples of ACS Data in Action
THE POWER HOW TO ACCESS THAT POWER SEE IT AROUND YOUTHE BASICS ACS IN ACTIONHARNESS THE POWER

5. THE BASICS
THE BASICS THE POWER HARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTIONTHE BASICS
WHO:
The United States Census Bureau releases ACS data annually and the information it
contains are estimates based on data collected in the most recent census.
WHERE:
The ACS contains information about all locations in the United States—at the
national, state, county, and city levels.
WHEN:
One vs. Five Year Estimates are released annually →
WHAT:
What makes the ACS Data so powerful? →

6. WHEN:
THE POWER HOW TO ACCESS THAT POWER SEE IT AROUND YOUTHE BASICS
THE BASICS
1-Year Estimates
● Released annually for locales
with populations greater than
60,000
● Less granular location
● More granular time
5-Year Estimates
● Used for locales with
populations less than 60,000
● More granular location
● Less granular time
NOTE:
When working with 5-year estimates try NOT to visualize overlapping time periods.
HARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTION

7. THE BASICS
THE BASICS THE POWER HARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTIONTHE BASICS
WHO:
The United States Census Bureau releases ACS data annually and the information it
contains are estimates based on data collected in the most recent census.
WHERE:
The ACS contains information about all locations in the United States—at the
national, state, county, and city levels.
WHEN:
One vs. Five Year Estimates are released annually →
WHAT:
What makes the ACS Data so powerful? → INDICATORS!

8. WHAT:
What make the ACS so powerful? — INDICATORS!
What is an ACS Indicator?
An indicator is a count [people, households, or housing unit]
...that has been sliced up into categories we call dimensions.
THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOUACS IN ACTION

9. Example of an ACS Indicator
Population: by Race
The
Indicator
A count [people, households, or housing units…]
...sliced up into categories we call dimensions.
THE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUTHE POWER HARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTION

10. Population: by Sex and by
Race
The
Indicator
A count [people, households, or housing units…]
...sliced up into categories we call dimensions.
THE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOUTHE POWER ACS IN ACTION
Another example of an ACS Indicator

11. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
How do we take what we know about
indicators and begin harnessing the
power of the data set?
ACS IN ACTION

12. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
The Answer:
ACS IN ACTION
Understand how to slice the data in a way
that makes it meaningful to you and your
project.

13. Think of the counts as a pie
And dimensions as the different ways to slice it
THE BASICS THE POWER HARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTION

14. COUNTS
[people, households, or housing units…]

15. UNDERSTANDING ACS COUNTS
Units
WARNING: NOT ALL UNITS ARE EQUAL …
Types of Measures
- Count (#)
- Median
- Average
- Aggregates
THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOUACS IN ACTION
Housing Units
Years, etc.
Households
Dollars, Years, etc.
People
Cars, Years, Dollars etc.

16. DIMENSIONS

17. DIMENSIONS!
● Location
● Age and Sex
● Race and Ethnicity
● Immigrants
● Children
● Mothers
● Grandparents
● Veterans
● School and Education
● Income and Poverty
● Families and Households
● Transportation and
Work
● Homeownership and
Rent
● Health Insurance
● ….and there’s more!
THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTION

18. A LOT MORE!
● Usual Hours Worked per Week
● Family Households
● Family Type
● Household Type
● Other Family
● Presence of Children
● Unmarried-Partner Households
● Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, and Mining
● Industry Category
● English-Speaking Ability
● Household Language
● Language Spoken at Home
● Limited English Status
● Travel Time to Work
● Period of Responsibility
● Child Nativity
● Citizenship Status
● Nativity
● Nativity and Citizenship Status
● Nativity of Parent(s)
● Parent Nativity
● Detailed Occupation
● Occupation Category
● Poverty Status
● Cash Public Assistance or Food Stamps/SNAP Status
● Food Stamps/SNAP Status
● Alaska Native Tribes
● American Indian Tribes
● Educational Attainment
● Enrollment Status
● Level of School
● Class of Worker
● Abroad
● Different County
● Different House
● Different State
● Elsewhere
● Geographical Mobility
● Metropolitan Statistical Area
● Same City or Town
● Same Metropolitan Statistical Area
● Coverage Combinations
● Direct-Purchase Insurance Status
● Employer-Based Insurance Status
● Health Insurance Coverage Status
● Health Insurance Type
● Medicaid/Means-Tested Coverage
Status
● Medicare Status
● Number of Coverage Types
● Private Insurance Status
● Public Insurance Status
● Income
● Age
● Age of Children
● Age of Householder
● Internet Access
● Mobile Broadband Status
● Type of Broadband
● Type of Computer
● Type of Internet Subscription
● Ambulatory Difficulty
● Cognitive Difficulty
● Disability Status
● Disability Type
● Hearing Difficulty
● Household Disability Status
● Independent Living Difficulty
● Number of Disabilities
● Self-Care Difficulty
● Vision Difficulty
● Bachelor Degree Fields
THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTION

19. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
Ask yourself: what questions made you want to
learn about The A-B-Cs of the ACS?
- What dimensions are relevant your
questions?
- What type of count(s) are you interested in
investigating?
ACS IN ACTION

20. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER ACS IN ACTION
Understanding how to slice the data to be
meaningful to you and your project….
starts by asking questions!

21. Question:
How many men in the U.S. have a
bachelor’s degree?
THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
Let’s Do One Together
ACS IN ACTION

22. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
THE PEOPLE PIE -
All the people living in the United States
WAYS TO CUT THE PIE:
Sex, Race, Age, Ethnicity, Poverty Status,
Education Attainment, Transportation to
Work, etc…
MORE WAYS TO SLICE THE PIE
Sex, Race, Age, Ethnicity, Poverty Status,
Education Attainment, Transportation to
Work, etc…
U. S. Population Sex Education Statusbyby
U. S.
Population
Question:
How many men in the U.S. have a
bachelor’s degree?
ACS IN ACTION

23. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
Question:
How many men in the U.S. have a
bachelor’s degree?
ACS IN ACTION

24. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
THE PEOPLE PIE -
All the people living in the United States
WAYS TO CUT THE PIE:
Sex, Race, Age, Ethnicity, Poverty Status,
Education Attainment, Transportation to
Work, etc…
MORE WAYS TO SLICE THE PIE
Sex, Race, Age, Ethnicity, Poverty Status,
Education Attainment, Transportation to
Work, etc…
U. S. Population Sex Education Statusbyby
U. S.
PopulationQuestion:
How many men in the U.S. have a
bachelor’s degree?
Men in the
U.S.
Men in the
U.S. who
attained a
bachelor's
degree
ACS IN ACTION

25. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
THE PEOPLE PIE -
All the people living in the United States
WAYS TO CUT THE PIE:
Sex, Race, Age, Ethnicity, Poverty Status,
Education Attainment, Transportation to
Work, etc…
MORE WAYS TO SLICE THE PIE
Sex, Race, Age, Ethnicity, Poverty Status,
Education Attainment, Transportation to
Work, etc…
U. S. Population Sex Education Statusbyby
U. S.
Population
U. S.
Population
Men in the
U.S.
Men in the
U.S. who
attained a
college
degree
Question:
How many men in the U.S. have a
bachelor’s degree?
ACS IN ACTION

26. THE POWERTHE BASICS SEE IT AROUND YOUHARNESS THE POWER
People
ACS IN ACTION
Households Housing Units
Units
- Housing Units
- Households
- People
REMEMBER:
The three major units I mentioned earlier / above are
different pies the ACS gives you to slice up.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

27. ● REMEMBER:
This data set contains:
~500 Indicators
~300 Dimensions
For every state, county, city, and census tract in the
United States!
● ALWAYS PARSE OUT ONLY THE DATA
RELEVANT TO YOUR PROJECT
● HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF THE INDICATORS
YOU’RE LOOKING AT - TABLE IDs
Census FactFinder
This site is designed to help make sense of ACS data. Our
team primarily uses it look up table IDs when we are unsure
about what we are looking at or how things are organized.
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THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
ACS IN ACTION

28. ASK THE CENSUS BUREAU
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FactFinder:
● Use this to look
up your data
table, and to
verify exactly
what you are
looking at.
ACS IN ACTION

29. THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOU
ACS Data in Action
City of Bullhead, Arizona - Economic Development Department
ACS IN ACTION
● Economic Development Quarterly
Report
● Their city data + ACS data
● Promotion of their Community
Profile
● Important for providing information
prospective businesses wanted to
see

30. THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOU
City of Bullhead, Arizona - Economic Development Department
ACS Data in Action
ACS IN ACTIONACS IN ACTION
● Included information from the ACS
about:
○ Transportation
○ General Demographics
○ Community Housing Data

31. THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOU
Jefferson County, Colorado - Department of Health
ACS Data in Action
ACS IN ACTIONACS IN ACTION
● Community Health
Needs Assessment
● Addresses general
community access to
basics such as
housing, education,
etc.
● Health assessments
are not only about
personal health.

32. THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOU
Jefferson County, Colorado - Department of Health
ACS Data in Action
ACS IN ACTION
● Includes a lot of
generic community
information from the
ACS surrounding:
○ Housing
○ Demographics
○ Poverty

33. THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOU
Jefferson County, Colorado - Department of Health
ACS Data in Action
ACS IN ACTIONACS IN ACTION
● Includes a lot of
generic community
information from the
ACS surrounding:
○ Housing
○ Demographics
○ Poverty

34. Resources
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Resources We Find Helpful
The United States Census Bureau - Home Page
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS Summary Files (2017)
Census FactFinder
2018 ACS Survey
Shared Examples:
City of Bullhead, Arizona - Economic Development Department, Quarterly Report
Jefferson County, Colorado - Department of Health, Community Health Assessment
City of Issaquah, Washington - Economic Development Department, City Report
Tulsa County, Oklahoma - Department of Health, Health Status Report
See Data About Your Community:
LiveStories.com/Statistics
ACS IN ACTIONACS IN ACTION

35. LiveStories Resources
THE POWERTHE BASICS HARNESS THE POWER SEE IT AROUND YOU
See Data About Your Community:
LiveStories.com/Statistics
ACS IN ACTIONACS IN ACTION

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Briana Preslar
Sales + Marketing Coordinator
(800)819-9785
briana@livestories.com