Using American Community Survey to Understand Your Community

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how many residents in the community you serve have access to a computer and internet and whether or not you could reach them electronically? Perhaps you are interested in better tailoring the distribution of a pamphlet about farmers’ markets that accept food stamps and want to know which areas of your county have a high proportion of residents who are eligible for such benefits. Maybe you are preparing a report, assessment, or a budget justification and want to include some numbers to illustrate a county’s need and support your case. In all these scenarios, data can help you better understand the community you serve and enhance your work as an Extension professional. This publication will show you how to use data from the U.S. Census B ureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) to find and interpret valuable information about your community that will help you make data-driven decisions. We will use step-by-step case studies that do not require any prior knowledge of the survey or technical skills to walk you through applied examples that you can adapt to your needs. The overview below explains our steps in more detail. We are excited to have you along for the ride!

O V E R V I EW

The first section of this publication introduces you to the ACS, the Census Bureau’s most extensive survey. The survey provides information on population, social and demographic characteristics, education and income, housing, social program participation, and other topics. Our case studies use the ACS to illustrate what data you have at your disposal to better understand your community and how to retrieve it using the Census Bureau data portal. The section provides a quick overview of key concepts about geographic areas and timeframes related to ACS data that may be helpful to know before walking through our tutorials. The main section uses three case studies to highlight the information available to you in ACS and demonstrate how to use multiple Census Bureau data portal features to retrieve this information. All three case studies use applied examples with step-by-step instructions that you can follow and adapt to find information relevant to your community. The first case study — “Where in My County Could Children be at Risk f or Being Left out of Remote Education?”— guides you through finding information about computer and internet subscription availability in households with children, showing you how to find detailed tables about any ACS topic and how to visualize results on a map of your area. The second case study — “ Where in my County Could Residents be at Risk for Eviction, and How Does that Compare to Surrounding Areas?”— highlights the breadth of housing information available in ACS. It introduces you to Data Profiles tables (a helpful tool that synthesizes information across multiple data points), shows you how to conduct a comparison between geographic areas, and demonstrates how to read tables and maps.

The third case study — “ Who in My County is at Risk of Food Insecurity and How has That Changed Over Time?”—uses information on the food stamp program to showcase ACS’s Subject Tables and guide you

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