Census Bureau to Host Webinar on 2018-2022 American Community Survey Statistics

The U.S. Census Bureau will hold a webinar November 30 at 2 p.m. EST in advance of the December 7 release of the 2018-2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. The webinar will show participants how to access the new data and online resources. Attendees will also learn about changes related to this release and tips for comparing data over time. (Scheduled to take place November 30.)

Proposed 2025 American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey Content Changes

The Census Bureau is inviting public feedback through a Federal Register Notice (FRN) on proposed changes to the 2025 American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS). The proposed content for the 2025 ACS and PRCS reflects changes to content and instructions that were recommended as a result of the 2022 Content Test. The Census Bureau periodically conducts tests of new and revised survey content to ensure the ACS and the PRCS meet the data needs of stakeholders. The changes proposed for 2025 cover several topics: household roster, educational attainment, health insurance coverage, disability, and labor force questions. Additionally, three new questions are proposed to be added to the ACS and the PRCS on solar panels, electric vehicles, and sewage disposal. The public comment period closes December 19. For more information, visit the Content Changes webpage.

Household Pulse Survey

The experimental Household Pulse Survey is an effort by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to provide near real-time data on how the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergent issues are affecting people’s lives to inform federal and state response and recovery planning. Data collection for phase 3.10 began August 23, with data dissemination including detailed data tables and public-use data files on a monthly basis. (Scheduled for release November 8.)  

Same-Sex Couple Households

The Census Bureau will release updated tables and figures on the characteristics of same-sex couple households, based on 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates. The ACS is the leading source for community and local-level data. More information is available on the Census Bureau’s Families and Households page at <www.census.gov/topics/families/families-and-households.html>.  (Scheduled for release November 8.)

CONFIRMED RELEASE DATE: 2023 National Population Projections

The U.S. Census Bureau will release the 2023 National Population Projections which provide an in-depth analysis of the nation’s population looking forward to 2100, including its size and composition by age, sex, race, Hispanic origin and nativity. The 2023 projections include a main series and three alternative scenarios with varying assumptions about international migration. Embargo subscribers can access these projections beginning at 10 a.m. EST, Tuesday, November 7. (Scheduled for release Thursday, November 9.)  

Virtual Workshop on Advancing Research on Race, Ethnicity and Inequality

The U.S. Census Bureau is convening a virtual workshop on Advancing Research on Race, Ethnicity and Inequality November 14-15. This event will bring together new perspectives on how data resources can be better leveraged to measure the dimensions of race and ethnicity within the U.S. population and to investigate ways to identify systemic race/ethnic inequalities in U.S. society. Visit this webpage for more information and to register. (Scheduled for November 14-15.)

America’s Families and Living Arrangements

The U.S. Census Bureau will release the annual Families and Living Arrangements estimates. These statistics describe trends in household and family composition, and show the number of children, young adults and couples living in the United States. Data come from the 2023 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which has collected statistics on families for more than 60 years. (Scheduled for release November 21.)

Foreign Born Report

The U.S. Census Bureau will release a new report providing an overview of the foreign-born population residing in the United States, highlighting select demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The report is based on American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates and compares data from 2010 and 2022, providing insights into the changing composition of the foreign-born population over the course of the past decade. (Tentatively scheduled for release November 30.) 

New Graphic Highlighting Business Owners by Veteran and Disability Status

The U.S. Census Bureau will release a new graphic from the Annual Business Survey (ABS) highlighting business owners with a disability by minority status. The Census Bureau collaborated with the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor to include a question on owner disability for the first time on the 2022 Annual Business Survey. Data on owner disability is needed to understand the prevalence of disability among business owners across industries, firm size and geographies. Data are shown for the percentage of respondent business owners and are from the 2022 Annual Business Survey previously released October 26th. The ABS is conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation. (Scheduled for release November 9.)

Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) the Past, the Present and the Future

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership in collaboration with the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute will present, “Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) the Past, the Present and the Future.” Recently, the U.S. Census Bureau released data for institutions from six new data partners in the PSEO experimental data product. PSEO now includes data on 825 institutions, which cover more than 29% of all college graduates in the United States in 2015. PSEO is an experimental data product generated by linking graduate transcript records to LEHD data on graduates of participating post-secondary institutions in the United States. PSEO Explorer has been updated to display data for these new institutions. (Scheduled for release November 15.)

Business Trends and Outlook Survey

The Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) measures business conditions on an ongoing basis. Beginning in September 2023, the BTOS made several changes regarding data collection and data products. BTOS experimental data products are now representative of all employer businesses in the U.S. economy, excluding farms. New questions were added to the BTOS questionnaire that address the following topics: artificial intelligence, inventories, interest rates, and severe weather events. Data are now available by additional employment size classes: 1-4 employees, 5-9 employees, 10-19 employees, 20-49 employees, 50-99 employees, 100-249 employees, and 250 or more employees. The data allow greater insight into the state of the economy by providing continuous, timely information for key economic measures. Data are released biweekly and are available by sector, state and the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. Because of the change in sample composition, BTOS data from before September 11, 2023, are not directly comparable with data after that date.  

Monthly Business Formation Statistics

Business Formation Statistics (BFS) provide timely, high-frequency data on business applications and employer business formations monthly. The data are available at the state, regional and national levels and by industry sector at the national level. The next monthly BFS release is November 13 and will include October 2023 data. Business Formation Statistics - Release Schedule (census.gov).

Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting U.S. Census Bureau statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their respective audiences.

• National STEM Day: November 8, 2023 
• Geography Awareness Week & GIS Day: November 12-18 & 15, 2023 
• American Education Week: November 13-17, 2023 
• America Recycles Day: November 15, 2023 
• National Family Week: November 19-25, 2023 
• World Children's Day & National Child’s Day: November 20, 2023 
• Native American Heritage Day: November 24, 2023 
• Black Friday: November 24, 2023 
• Small Business Saturday: November 25, 2023 
• Cyber Monday: November 27, 2023 
• Illinois 205 Years of Statehood (1818): December 3, 2023 
• National Miners Day: December 6, 2023 
• National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (1941): December 7, 2023 
• Bill of Rights Day (1791): December 15, 2023 
• 250th Anniversary Boston Tea Party (1773): December 16, 2023               
• Wright Brothers Day (1903): December 17, 2023 
• National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day (1st Day Winter): December 21, 2023 

2020 Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS) Source Code: Detailed DHC-A

November 3 — A unique benefit of formal privacy, including differential privacy, is that it is fully transparent. It is designed to allow full disclosure of the algorithmic source code and parameters that underpin the random noise infusion. In keeping with that transparency, the source code used to produce the Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) is now available. This source code allows the public to analyze the algorithm used to produce the data. The following source codes for the different 2020 Census Disclosure Avoidance System (DAS) algorithms released to date can be found in GitHub: 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC) and 2020 Census Detailed DHC-A.  

New Brief Provides Detailed DHC-A Guidance

October 24 — The U.S. Census Bureau released the latest in a series of briefs describing the disclosure avoidance methods used to protect 2020 Census data products. “Disclosure Avoidance Methods for the Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A): How SafeTab-P Works” describes the formally private algorithm used to protect the Detailed DHC-A data and provides guidance for data users. The Detailed DHC-A was released September 21.

2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics Noisy Measurement File (NMF)

October 23 — The Census Bureau released the Noisy Measurement File associated with the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File (DHC). This research-based statistical product is the intermediate output of the new 2020 Disclosure Avoidance System’s TopDown Algorithm (TDA). The TDA generates noisy measurements when it applies differentially private noise to each of the tabulations from the confidential data. Because the noise can result in internal and hierarchical data inconsistencies, the TDA completes a final step called “post-processing” to mitigate the inconsistencies. That post-processing corrects those inconsistencies and improves accuracy for lower-level geographies before tables are published. Noisy measurements help data users analyze the impact of the new 2020 Census Disclosure Avoidance System.

Home-Based Workers: 2019-2021

October 31 — The Census Bureau released a brief that examines the role of home-based work in the U.S. economy based on 2020-2022 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data (referencing years 2019-2021). The initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic provided a new catalyst for the expansion of home-based work, as the initial push for social distancing compelled many people to work from home. The expansion of working from home since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how U.S. workers relate to their jobs and workplaces. This brief identifies overall trends in home-based work; key work schedule characteristics associated with each type of job; and how type of job varies by class of work, industry, and occupation.

Current Population Survey Modernization Efforts Set to Launch

October 24 — The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) launched a joint effort to modernize the Current Population Survey (CPS) and announce proposed plans to implement changes to ensure sustainability.

School Pulse Panel

October 12 — The Census Bureau collects data from schools for the School Pulse Panel (SPP) as part of efforts to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and staff in U.S. public schools. The SPP, sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics, collects data on instructional mode offered, learning loss mitigation strategies, staffing levels, safe and healthy school mitigation strategies, technology use and more. To learn more, visit the School Pulse Panel webpage.

2022 Annual Business Survey

October 26 — The U.S. Census Bureau released detailed data tables from the 2022 Annual Business Survey (ABS) covering reference year 2021. Data include estimates on the number of firms, receipts, payroll and employment by sector, sex, ethnicity, race and veteran status. Tables show data on various owner and business characteristics at the national, state and metropolitan statistical area geographic levels. Data also include module characteristics of businesses statistics, showing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on employer businesses by sex, ethnicity, race and veteran status. Data in these tables replace preliminary data released in March 2023. The ABS is conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). 

The 2023 Winter Holiday Season

November 2 — The holiday season is a time to celebrate, reflect and give thanks. To commemorate this time of year, the U.S. Census Bureau presents the following holiday-related facts and figures from its vast collection of statistics.

American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2023

October 25 — To commemorate American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, the Census Bureau has compiled a list of statistics about the American Indian and Alaska Native population.

Veterans Day: November 11

October 18 — On this day, the nation honors military veterans with parades and other observances across the country and a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Among related Census Bureau statistics available: the number of veterans in the country, their racial and ethnic backgrounds, and the number who vote.

America Counts tells the stories behind the numbers in a new and inviting way. We feature stories on various topics such as families, housing, employment, business, education, the economy, emergency preparedness and the population. New stories include:

• New Population Counts for 22 Detailed Some Other Race Groups (October 24)

Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting the Census Bureau’s newsworthy statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their respective audiences.

• National Diabetes Month: November 2023
  
• National Aviation History Month: November 2023
• National Family Caregivers Month: November 2023
  
• National Prescription Drug Take Back Day: October 28, 2023
• Minority Enterprise Development Week (MED Week 2023): October 22-28, 2023
  
• The Incandescent Light Bulb: October 22-23, 2023
  
• National Nut Day: October 22, 2023
  
• Atlantic Hurricane Season: June 1-November 30, 2023

Protecting Your Data, Our Systems and the Public

Written by: Dr. Ron Jarmin, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer

October 31 — At the U.S. Census Bureau, protecting your data and privacy is a top priority. As we wrap up the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Census Bureau is proud to participate in this annual campaign to raise awareness of cybersecurity and highlight the role each of us plays in ensuring the data entrusted to us are protected using the best tools and procedures available.

Research Will Help Enumerate Undercounted People in the 2030 Census

Written by: Robert L. Santos, Director

October 26 — Life is interconnected. For instance, I found that hunger, homelessness and even unemployment are portals to an interconnected web of personal, environmental and system factors. These include chronic physical conditions, mental health and addiction issues, climate change, and federal, state and local policies. So, it’s not surprising that research on any of these topics can be informed by including the nodes of this interconnecting, interacting network.

Emergency Management/Disaster Resources — When major disasters strike, visit our Emergency Management webpage for demographic and economic data on impacted areas. Each disaster will include data from our key emergency management tools: OnTheMap for Emergency Management, Community Resilience Estimates, Census Business Builder: Regional Analyst Edition, and other useful resources.

Learn What Surveys Are Being Conducted in Your Community — Discover which of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 130-plus annual surveys are being conducted in your community. In a variety of surveys and censuses, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America’s people, businesses, industries and institutions. Learn more about surveys currently being conducted in each Census Bureau region:

• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Denver
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Philadelphia
• All Surveys

Below are a few of the U.S. Census Bureau’s interactive applications used to access statistics from our 130-plus annual surveys. A complete list can be accessed on the Census Bureau’s Data Tools and Apps webpage.

Emergency Management Hub — This portal provides quick access to demographic, economic, and resilience information for areas impacted by the latest significant emergency events in the U.S.

LED Extraction Tool — Provides easy access to the raw data products produced by the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program.

My Tribal Area — Access selected statistics collected for the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population from the American Community Survey (ACS).

Census Bureau Training Opportunities — Webinars are available on a regular basis to help the public access and use Census Bureau statistics. These free sessions, which are 60 to 90 minutes each, show users how to navigate Census Bureau databases and mapping tools and find demographic and economic statistics at the local or national level. Descriptions of upcoming sessions are available on our Census Academy webpage. Login details are provided at least one week before a webinar.

• County Business Patterns & Census Business Builder (Monday, November 6, 2-3 p.m. EST) 
• Workforce and Small Business (Monday, November 13, 2-3 p.m. EST)
• Workshop on Advancing Research on Race, Ethnicity & Inequality (Day 1) (Tuesday, November 14, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. EST)
• Workshop on Advancing Research on Race, Ethnicity & Inequality (Day 2) (Wednesday, November 15, 9 a.m.-5:15 p.m. EST)
• Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) the Past, the Present and the Future (Wednesday, November 15, 1:30-3 p.m. ET)
• 2018-2022 ACS 5-year Prerelease Webinar (Thursday, November 30, 2-3 p.m. EST)

Puerto Rico Webinar Series

This webinar series will highlight Census Bureau statistics and online resources for Puerto Rico. Topics include international trade, workforce data from Quarterly Workforce Indicator and business data from the County Business Patterns, the Business Trends and Outlook Survey and the Economic Census Island Areas. Visit the PR webinar series webpage to explore upcoming webinars.  

Archived Training Resources

Visit the Census Bureau’s Educational Resource Library for previously recorded, free training available at your convenience. The library includes presentations, recorded webinars, tutorials and other helpful materials.