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     The U.S. Census Bureau will release data from the 2006 American Community Survey (ACS) in August and September according to the timetable below. This year’s data release marks the first time that group quarters (such as prisons, college dorms, military barracks and nursing homes) are included in the data products. Closer to the release date, the Census Bureau will provide guidance on making comparisons between annual ACS data products, as well as comparisons between ACS and Census 2000 data. Data will again be available for the nation, 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, every congressional district and all counties, places and metropolitan areas with populations of 65,000 or more.

Data Release Schedule

• Aug. 28, 2007: ACS income, earnings and poverty data, in conjunction with the Census Bureau’s annual release of income, poverty and health insurance data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey (CPS). There is no embargoed access to the data prior to the release.
• Sept. 12, 2007: ACS social, economic and housing characteristics, demographic and housing estimates, and Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) data. The data will be embargoed on Sept. 7 and will consist of:
  • Educational attainment
  • Industry
  • Occupation
  • Class of worker
  • Journey to work
  • Employment status
  • Work status
  • Veteran status
  • Housing
  • Households and families
  • Marital status
  • Migration
  • Family
• Sept. 27, 2007: ACS group quarters and selected population profiles/tables for about 200 selected population groups by race, Hispanic origin and ancestry. This marks the first release of group quarters profiles since 1990. Also released at that time will be workplace geography tables. The data will be embargoed on Sept. 24.

Embargo Access

Embargoed data will be accessible from the Census Bureau’s media embargo site on the specified embargo date. For information on obtaining an embargo password, go to the “Newsroom” page on the Census Bureau’s Web site (www.census.gov) and click on “Media Services.”

Online Briefing

Census Bureau officials will host a “webinar” briefing for journalists in August to answer questions about the upcoming data releases and demonstrate how to access the new data online. Details about how to register and access the audio briefing will be available closer to the date.

Additional ACS Tools and Information

The Census Bureau will provide tools to aid reporters later this summer, including a guidance document on making comparisons between ACS data products and Census 2000, and table shells for downloading. Additional information about ACS can be found on the ACS Web page (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/), which also includes a link to the ACS Media Toolkit.