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Data Documentation for US Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) Demographics and Housing Estimates

This document outlines the process for acquiring demographic data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). It details the approach of the Southern Regional Drug Data Research Centers (SR-DDRC, or just DDRC) to extracting, transforming, and loading (ETL) the data into Microsoft SQL Server, as well as the creation of the dataset’s data dictionary (in development). This guide is intended for data analysts and researchers interested in replicating the SR-DDRC’s process or using the data acquired by the SR-DDRC.

1. Overview of the American Community Survey (ACS)

The American Community Survey (ACS) is conducted by the United States Census Bureau. Unlike the decennial (10-year) census, the ACS is carried out monthly and yearly, surveying a representative sample of people rather than the total population. The ACS focuses on data related to various aspects of community life, including employment, education, military service, home ownership, as well as other factors like poverty and transportation availability. This data can be used to identify community needs by highlighting trends and disparities, allowing for targeted interventions and resource allocation based on the specific needs of different areas or populations.

ACS data is available in its entirety and through curated tables featuring specific subsets. Popular ACS Tables include:

  • Selected Social Characteristics
  • Selected Economic Characteristics
  • Selected Housing Characteristics
  • Demographic and Housing Estimates

2. American Community Survey (ACS) Demographic and Housing Estimates Dataset

The ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05) table, curated by the US Census Bureau, includes fields such as Age and Sex, Group Quarters Population, Hispanic or Latino Origin, and Race. The data is available for both ACS estimate types, 1-year and 5-year estimates. These differ in that 1-year estimates include only the data from the previous year whereas 5-year estimates average the data from the previous five years. As a result, 5-year estimates are able to provide a high degree of geographical granularity, even for areas with relatively small populations.

3. ACS Demographic and Housing Estimate (DP05) Data Acquisition

This section describes US Census Bureau’s interactive query system and the SR-DDRC's process for acquiring the ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05) dataset.

3.1 US Census Bureau’s Interactive Query System

The US Census Bureau’s interactive query system allows users to explore datasets as tables, create maps, and access public use microdata sample (PUMS) files. Users can search for datasets by entering keywords, dataset IDs or names. After selecting a dataset, users are then able to filter the dataset to best fit their needs.

3.2 DDRC Query Procedure

Users can access ACS data in two ways:

  • Census’ Interactive Query System: Users may search for the dataset using keywords or the dataset ID/name.
  • ACS Page: Users may navigate to the US Census Bureau's ACS page to select specific data subsets. Upon selection, users will be redirected to the US Census query system.

After selecting the ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05) dataset in the US Census Bureau’s query system, the following filters may be applied when exporting the data:

  1. Under “Geographics”, select “State.”
    • Select “All States within the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas.”
  2. Under “Topics”
    • No selections were made.
  3. Under “Survey”, select “American Community Survey.”
    • Select “5-Year Estimates”
    • Select “Data Profiles”
  4. Under “Years,” enter dates in Date Range.
    • Start Date: 2010
    • End Date: 2022
  5. Under “Codes”
    • No selections were made.

The system offers multiple options for value types, including Estimate, Estimate Margin of Error, Percent, and Percent Margin of Error. The SR-DDRC opted to export all value types.

3.3 Demographic and Housing Estimate (DP05) Dataset File

Query results from the US Census Bureau’s interactive query system may be exported in three (3) formats: “Excel”, “CSV”, and “Zip”.

The SR-DDRC exported the Zip folder, which contained a CSV file for each year of data along with corresponding metadata CSV files.

4. ETL Process

Coming Soon

5. DDRC Data Dictionary

Coming Soon

The SR-DDRC used information published by the US Census Bureau for the ACS, as well as the metadata files, to create the data dictionary for the exported files. The SR-DDRC data dictionary for the US Census Bureau’s ACS data is currently in development and will be published in a forthcoming release.

We recommend that users still review and reference documentation provided by US Census Bureau for the ACS for the most detailed and up-to-date information.

If you have additional questions about this dataset, please contact us at info@srddrc.com