Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage
2005 American Community Survey
News Conference
Morris Hansen Auditorium
U.S. Census Bureau
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006
10:00 a.m.
C. LOUIS KINCANNON REMARKS
DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Good morning and thank you for attending this morning’s news conference.
CENSUS BUREAU’S MISSION—PROVIDE USEFUL INFORMATION TO AMERICA
- Every 10 years—the decennial census—the nation’s headcount:
apportionment and distribution of resources throughout the country.
- Every 5 years—the economic census—the nation’s inventory:
benchmark economic survey, foundation of economic indicators.
- In between these fundamental tasks, we collect and analyze data to help
fill in the gaps and keep up with the rapid changes occurring throughout this
country.
o Today’s
releases are part of those efforts.
CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY
- This morning we will highlight results from the Current Population Survey’s
Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
o Because of its
detailed questionnaire, it is the source of widely used data on household income
and individual earnings rates,
as well as the distribution of income.
o It is also the
source of timely, official national estimates of poverty levels and rates.
o It provides a
consistent historical timeline of many decades at the national level and can
also be used to study state-level trends
and differences.
AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY
- David Johnson will go over income, earnings and poverty data from the American
Community Survey, the new Census Bureau product that delivers detailed socioeconomic
data about how communities are changing on a year-to-year basis.
- This survey represents a signal achievement for the Census Bureau, responding
to the need for detailed data on how America is changing every year, not just
once every ten years. It is a significant part of our plan to reengineer the
census, allowing us to conduct a short-form- only census in 2010.
- This is the first release of economic characteristics data that includes
the full sample size of 3 million households per year throughout the U.S.
and Puerto Rico.
- Data are provided for all geographies with populations of 65,000 or greater
– nearly 7,000 entities. By comparison, last year’s data measured
only areas with populations of 250,000 or greater, or about 900 entities.
With each passing year we’ll be able to release data for smaller and
smaller areas. By 2008, the Census Bureau will be able to release data for
areas of 20,000 or more, and by 2010 for all geographic areas, down to the
census tract and block level.
- Today’s data release from the American Community Survey show us income,
poverty and earnings at the state level, and allow us to drill down to counties,
places, all congressional districts and areas of 65,000 or more.
- This is the fruit of many years of research and testing and has been constantly
supported by the Administration and by a bipartisan majority of both Houses
of Congress.
USING THE DATA
- Comparisons: don’t compare data from one survey to another
o Different samples
o Different questions
- Recommendations
o CPS: official source for poverty, widely used source for income
– National estimates
– State trends over time
o ACS
– State and local estimates
– State by state, as well as local estimates
are good for comparisons
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Present with us today are a number of analysts and others who worked hard
on this report. I’d like to thank them and all the Field Representatives
in the Census Bureau’s 12 regional offices who worked so hard to collect
the data.
- And most importantly, I want to thank the millions of households that took
the time to answer the questions that form the basis for the findings that
we will be discussing today.
- And now I’m going to turn things back over to Ken.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Public Information Office
(301) 763-3030
Last Revised:
June 02, 2008 at 02:40:15 PM
