Income
and Poverty Estimates |
|||
| American Community Survey | Current Population Survey | ||
| Principal purpose | Provides detailed socioeconomic data on an annual basis; replacing the once-a-decade census long form. Provides median household and other measures of money income, earnings and poverty estimates for the nation, states, every congressional district, and all cities and counties with populations of 65,000 or more. | Estimates of median household and other measures of money income, health insurance coverage and the official annual estimate of poverty for the nation and the states. | |
| Time frame | Data collected continuously throughout the year with a previous 12 month reference period. | Calendar year 2005 for national estimates. (Data collected over three months in early 2006.) Three-year average (2002-2004) for states. | |
| Geography | Nation, states, counties, places (cities), congressional districts, American Indian/Alaska native areas, and all areas with a population of 65,000 or more. |
Nation and states. | |
| Sample size | 250,000 addresses each month or 3 million addresses a year. | 100,000 addresses. | |
| Collection method | Mail, phone, or personal visit. | Phone or personal visit. | |
| Length and detail of questions | Income during previous 12 months using series of eight questions. | More than 50 sources of income for 2005 and up to 27 individual income values. | |
| Group quarters in sample |
No (data to be released in 2007 will include group quarters). | Yes (noninstitutional group quarters). | |
