Hot Enough For Ya?

July and August are the hottest months of the year, with September not far behind here in the South.  Extreme high heat can affect our outdoor activities, our electric bills, and our moods.  But what effect does heat have on the most vulnerable communities and what is their resilience to this external pressure on them.  According to the Census Bureau, “Community resilience is the capacity of individuals and households within a community to absorb the external stresses of a disaster.”

The United States Census provides data about the population in numerous topic areas.  Most recently (July 16, 2024), they released their report on the 2022 Community Resilience Estimates (CRE) for Heat.  The report includes Quick Guide which can be used to understand and use the data available.  The Bureau previously released data for 2019.

In general, the CRE reports the social vulnerability that inhibits community resilience.  The CRE for Heat (which is an experimental report) adds new components of social vulnerability and information concerning exposure.  For example, the report looks at which areas (by geography, state, county, and census tract) have more than two days in a row of temperatures over 90 degrees and what households in those areas do not have air conditioning. 

The CRE for Heat uses information from the American Community Survey and the Population Estimates Program.  The American Community Survey is conducted every month of every year and, unlike the decennial census, is sent to a sample of addresses.  The survey asks questions about topics not in the regular census such as education, employment, internet access, and transportation. 

The Population Estimates Program annually produces reports on the estimated changes in population and housing units for the nation, states, counties, cities and towns and includes births, deaths, and migrations. 

Arizona State University’s Knowledge Exchange for Resilience collaborates with the Census Bureau to produce the CRE for Heat reports.

The data from the CRE for Heat is included in My Community Explorer which is a Census Bureau tool to identify underserved communities and includes Census Bureau and Emergency Response datasets. 

Census Bureau Seeks Comments on the American Community Survey

 Beginning in 1810, the third census taken by the United States, the Census Bureau, a sub-agency within the Department of Commerce, understood that more information was needed about the public than the basic questions supplied.  This information was needed by business owners and potential business owners, academics doing research, other government agencies, etc.  Questions were added to the census covering various topics such as agriculture, industry, and commerce, as well as individuals' occupation, ancestry, marital status, disabilities, place of birth, and other topics.  These questions became unwieldy for the overall population, so in 1940, the Bureau created the long-form census questionnaire, which was sent to a random sampling of citizens.  More recently, the Bureau discovered that people need more up to date data than was provided by the decennial census.  In order to collect social, economic, and housing data continuously, the Bureau implemented, in 2005, the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS). This survey eliminated the need for the long-form of the census.

Periodically, the Census Bureau tests the questions to see if question wording, instructions, response categories, and underlying constructs need to be changed.  They also make changes to current topics or add topics as needed.  Current topics include household roster, educational attainment, health insurance coverage, disability, and labor force questions.  Three new topics are proposed for the 2025 census – solar panels, electric vehicles, and sewage disposal.

These changes and new topics will be available in the 2025 ACS/PRCS.  The Department of Commerce/Census Bureau is seeking comments on these changes and additions as well as on the validity of how questions are asked and the methodology of gathering and analyzing the information.  They are also asking for comments on how to make the survey less burdensome and more efficient for the respondents.

In order to read the document and make a comment, go to https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/10/20/2023-23249/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for

Comments must be received on or before December 19, 2023.

The Census Bureau warns “comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our request to OMB (Office of Management and Budget) to approve this ICR (Information Collection Request). Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.”

 

US Census Bureau Webinar Today: Introduction to the American Community Survey

Webinar Today: Introduction to the American Community Survey

Introduction to the American Community Survey Discover the detailed social, demographic, economic, and housing statistics that the American Community Survey (ACS) provides for every community every year.  Join Us You will learn about basics of the yearly estimates and datasets produced from the ACS, resources available on our website, and how to access ACS data products through a variety of tools. Date: Today Time: 2:00 p.m. ET Dial In: 888-790-3585 Passcode: 5117145 Link: Log In Details Event Password: acs (If required, this password is only for users who join from a WebEx application or mobile app.) Help us spread the word about Census Academy. Share this on social media or forward it to a friend. Share This Additional Webinars Coming Soon August 12, 2020: Where We Come From: Tips and Tricks to Access Data on Ancestry and Foreign-born Populations August 19, 2020: Providing Perspective During COVID-19 Using Census Data September 3, 2020: 2017 Economic Census Webinar: Geographic Area Series Data for the Mining, Construction, and Manufacturing Sectors September 22, 2020: Exploring Census Data Webinar Series: Hidden Gems Data

New American Community Survey Bills

Representative Ted Poe (R-TX) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) are sponsoring two new bills limiting the reach of the American Community Survey. Representative Poe's bill, H.R.1078, seeks to make participation in the American Community Survey voluntary except with respect to certain basic questions. Senator Paul's bill, S.530, has similar wording. Poe explains the purpose of his bill on his website as does Senator Paul in a March 15, 2013 press release.

Terri Ann Lowenthal from The Census Project, an informal network of census stakeholder organizations, expresses strong concerns about the bills in her March 20, 2013 blog entry.

ACS Online Response Option

According to a Dec. 17, 2012 news release, in 2013 the Census Bureau will begin offering a secure online response option for the American Community Survey (ACS). Households sampled for the ACS will receive a package introducing the survey and providing a secure website to complete the survey which also includes new questions about computer and internet use. Alternative paper, telephone, and personal interviewing options are available for those not choosing the cost-effective secure website option.

National and State Effects of Eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS)

The Census Project, "an informal network of scores of census stakeholder organizations that are working to ensure inclusive, comprehensive and forward-thinking early planning for Census 2020,"
released a new report documenting state and national effects of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS). (The House of Representatives voted on May 9 to eliminate funding for the ACS. See our May 10, 2012 blog post for information about and link to the House vote.) Entitled Eliminating America's Playbook, the report compiles case studies and comments from organizations detailing how they use the ACS. The case studies and comments are "organized nationally, and, in some states by topic area" and include contact information for the reporting organizations. A wide array of organizations provided information including those working with children, women, minorities, veterans, housing, urban planning, community development, and academics projects from Harvard and Pennsylvania State.

American Community Survey Bill

If you use census information, you might be interested in a proposed bill to make responding to the American Community Survey (ACS) voluntary except for some limited questions. The American Community Survey replaced the long form of the census with annual updates and multi-year estimates of the characteristics of population and housing.The Census Bureau randomly selects about 3 million people each year to participate in this confidential survey, and the information gathered from all the questions on the ACS helps the federal government determine how to spend federal funds for infrastructure and services.

View the official text of the bill at The Library of Congress Thomas site: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.uscongress/legislation.112hr931

GovTrack also provides information about the status of the bill and the legislative process: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-931 . Under Primary Source it includes a link to the official Thomas site.

American Community Survey Data Problem

The following message is of interest to anyone who is using FTP with American Community Survey (ACS) files for 2000-2004:

The ACS Archive Files for 2000-2004 have been temporarily removed from the Census FTP site due to problems discovered and related to the files' movement from the American FactFinder (AFF) to the FTP Site, resulting in truncated or missing data and meta-data. Please note this problem does not affect the 2000-2004 data that were previously residing on AFF. Data users who currently have these files downloaded from the FTP Site should discard them and wait until updated files are available for their use. These files will be made available shortly. We will notify users of the re-posting of these files via the ACS errata page located on http://www.census.gov/acs/www/UseData/Errata.htm .

Thank you!

David Donovan
Chief, State and Governmental Programs
Customer Liaison and Marketing Services Office
U.S. Census Bureau
301-763-3449