Fact Sheet
The Census Bureau offers a wide variety of general purpose data products from the American Community Survey (ACS). These products are designed to meet the needs of the majority of data users and contain predefined sets of data for standard census geographic areas, including both political and statistical geography. These products are available on the American FactFinder and the ACS Website. The Census Bureau also offers special tabulations from ACS for users with data needs not met through the general purpose products.
The American Community Survey Special Tabulation Program offers custom tabulations on a cost-reimbursable basis for users with special needs not met by general purpose products, such as summary tables. Special tabulations vary in size, complexity, and cost depending on the needs of the sponsoring client.
Subject Content Any data collected within the content of the ACS questionnaires could be made available in a special tabulation, which is created by tabulating data from ACS microdata files, assuming there is no disclosure risk. The ACS questionnaires are available on this website, in the Survey Basics section.
Among subjects on the questionnaires are:
Population |
| | |
Housing
|
| |
| |
|
Age
Ancestry
Citizenship
Class of worker
Commuting to work
Disability status
Educational attainment
Employment status
Fertility
Grandparents as caregivers
Hispanic or Latino
Household and family type and size
Household relationship
Income (including types of income)
Industry
Language spoken at home and ability to speak English
Marital status
Migration (residence 1 year ago)
Nativity and place of birth
Occupation
Place of work
Race
School enrollment
Sex
Veteran status, length of service, period of service
Work status
Year of entry into the United States
| | | |
Contract Rent
Gross Rent
Heating fuel
Kitchen facilities
Monthly rent
Number of bedrooms
Number of rooms
Occupancy status
Plumbing facilities
Telephone service available
Tenure (owner occupied or renter occupied)
Units in structure
Value of home
Vacancy status
Vehicles available
Year householder moved into unit
Year structure built
|
Percentages, rates, and other indicators such as poverty status and selected monthly owner costs can be calculated as part of the special tabulations.
Geographic Content
Currently ACS data is available for the nation, states, and selected sub-state areas, such as some counties, places, and metropolitan statistical areas. Once fully implemented, special tabulations can be done for standard census geographic entities such as census tracts, American Indian and Alaska Native areas, and so forth. In addition, we may be able to tabulate data for user-defined areas such as aggregations of the standard census entities. This decision will be based on confidentiality concerns. For example, data for a user-defined neighborhood could be tabulated using census tracts as a building block.
The Request
When requesting a special tabulation, the sponsor should provide a
preliminary specification of the data needed. We will ask you some questions,
and then work with you on developing a final, detailed specification that
documents both your data needs and your geographic requirements. Preliminary
specifications should include:
- Organization
- Contact
- Data set
- Geography
- Universe (sub-group of population or housing)
- Product Description
- Purpose
- Data Format
- Output Media
- Delivery Date Requested
This information should be filled out on the ACS Special Tabulation Information Form attached here. (RTF format). Once the form is filled out it should be emailed to acso.special.tabs@census.gov.
Confidentiality
Once we have agreed on the specification, we send it to our Disclosure Review
Board (DRB). The DRB is a panel of Census Bureau staff chartered to protect the
confidentiality of individuals (or business establishments). Their role for the
ACS is to review each specification and to recommend changes, if necessary, to
protect confidentiality.
At a minimum, all data cells must be
rounded. Other examples of the types of changes that the DRB has
required include aggregation of smaller levels of geography into
larger ones and changes to small population groups used as the universe due to
the thresholds.
Please see the Disclosure Review Board Rules/Requirements of this website for further information on their policies.
All special tabulation specifications must be reviewed and approved by the DRB.
Some special tabulation requests may not be accommodated due to concerns with
quality, in addition to confidentiality.
For more information, see the Census Bureau’s confidentiality statement and documented work on Statistical Disclosure Control.
Cost and Timing
Once a proposed tabulation is approved by the DRB, we will determine staff
availability for performing the work within the requested time frame. Then, we
will be able to deliver a cost and timing estimate to the sponsor.
The cost of a special tabulation is fully funded by the sponsor. The cost is
determined by such things as the specification of the special tabulation, the
amount of programming it requires, as well as, the review of output.
The timing of delivery depends on the level of complexity of the special
tabulation. Special tabulations must be scheduled so that they do not interfere
with the requirements of the Census Bureau work authorized by direct
appropriations.
Contact Information
Kristin Wevodau
American Community Survey Office
U.S. Census Bureau
Phone: 301-763-6842
Email: acso.special.tabs@census.gov
|