The 2025 lapse in federal appropriations resulted in a six-week suspension of American Community Survey (ACS) data collection operations, affecting the August through November panels. During this period, ACS data collection activities (including mailings and in person follow-up) were disrupted, leading to canceled or delayed mailings, shorter collection durations, and reduced workloads.

Key impacts for each monthly panel include:

• August Panel – Regular mail operations, but in person follow-up for October was cancelled.
• September Panel – Most mail packages were sent, but the final mailing was cancelled. In person follow-up for November was cancelled. Puerto Rico mail operations were similarly impacted, but in person follow-up proceeded with a reduced workload.
• October Panel – Only initial mail packages were sent. In person follow-up for December resumed with a full workload.
• November Panel – No mail packages were sent. In person follow-up for January proceeded with a full workload.
• December Panel – Data collection returned to normal scheduling.

The lapse in appropriations did impact the final sample size for the year and as a result there are noticeable impacts to response rates as well as the margins of error for all estimates. Visit the Sample Size and Data Quality page to learn more about the impacts to sample size and response rates.​