U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey

Esri uses community survey data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey to create American Community Survey (ACS) advanced demographics datasets for Puerto Rico and the United States.

The American Community Survey uses a continuous measurement—or rolling sample—in which a small percentage of the population is queried every month. Data supplied from the ACS is updated and released more frequently than the decennial census—every year instead of every 10 years. Smaller sample sizes and variable collection times have introduced a margin of error into their estimates. See the Mapping with margins of error tutorial series for more information.

Vintage

Five-year rolling estimates: 2018–2022

Available geographies

United States: See 2024 U.S. geographic boundaries.

Puerto Rico: See Geographic boundaries for advanced demographics.

Update frequency

ACS data is updated annually.

Attribute summaries

The following table contains a summary description of the available field categories for the ACS Puerto Rican and American datasets. See the Puerto Rico advanced demographics related links or United States ACS related links for a complete list of variables, release notes, and more information.

Tip:

The following attributes are all five-year estimates. Each estimate includes a margin of error and a reliability measure. Margin of error (MOE) from the U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS) rolling sample 60-month survey; Esri's reliability measure designates the usability of the estimate.

Field category	Data category	Description
Key Demographic Indicators	Housing and Poverty	Five-year estimated count of the total regional population, total number of regional housing units, total number of households, and total number of owner households.
Language Spoken at Home	Population	Five-year estimated count of the regional population grouped by age categories and specific primary languages spoken at home, further refined by English language fluency.
Computer and Internet Service	Population	Five year estimated count of the regional household population grouped by access to a computer and internet type categories; may be further refined by age categories, school enrollment, and grade level.
Income	Income and Poverty	Five year estimated count of regional households grouped by income source categories.
Households by Type and Size and Age	Jobs	Five year estimated count of the regional household population grouped by family or non-family households and refined by a combination of categories, such as total household members, the presence of persons under age 18 or over 65, householder gender, and housing unit ownership status; may be further refined by age categories.
Year Householder Moved In	Housing	Five year estimated count of regional households grouped by owned or rented status and year the householder moved in categories. This variable includes a regional median year householders moved in.
Heating Fuel	Housing	Five year estimated count of regional households grouped by the heating fuel in use categories.
Vehicles Available	Housing	Five year estimated count of regional households grouped by owned or rented status and the number of vehicles available for use. This variable also includes the average and aggregate number of vehicles available for use.
Housing Units in Structure	Housing	Five year estimated count of regional housing units grouped by the number of units in the structure; may include structures like boats, vans, and RVs.
Year Structure Built	Housing	Five year estimated count of regional housing units grouped by the year the structure was built categories. This variable also includes the median year regional structures were built.
Health Insurance Coverage	Health	Five year estimated count of the regional population grouped by specific health insurance coverage categories; may be further refined by age, benefits type, recipient status (such as Medicare benefits or noninstitutionalized population), and specific healthcare categories, such as multiple insurance coverage.
Disability Status	Health	Five year estimated count of regional households grouped by household member with ability or limitation status categories.
School Enrollment	Education	Five year estimated count of the regional population age 3+ grouped by type of education (primary, secondary, or grade level groupings) and enrollment status, and further refined by school categories, such as public or private.
Females by Age of Children and Employment Status	Jobs	Five year estimated count of the regional female population grouped by employment status, female age, and age of children.
Journey to Work	Jobs	Five-year estimated count of the regional employed population age 16+ grouped by transit to work methods, such as via train or bicycle; potentially further refined by commute length of time or location (for example, within or outside state of residence) categories. This variable also provides the regional average and aggregate commute in minutes.
Class of Worker	Jobs and Population	Five year estimated count of the regional civilian total, male, and female employed population age 16+ grouped by specific worker classes, such as State or Local government worker.
Veteran Status and Military Service	Jobs	Five year estimated count of the regional total, male, and female population grouped by civilian or veteran military status; may be further refined by age and active duty during specific military engagement categories.
Ratio of Income to Poverty	Poverty	Five year estimate of regional population's income to poverty ratio. The ratio compares the average regional income to an established regional poverty level for the survey time period. Poverty-to-Income Ratio values range from .5 to 2.0. A regional ratio that is less than 1 indicates that regional income is lower than the poverty level, a regional ratio equal to 1 means that income and poverty are the same; greater than 1 indicates that regional income is higher than the poverty level.
Poverty Status and Household Type	Poverty	Five year estimated count of the regional household population grouped by family (members are related) or non-family households and refined by a combination of categories, such as income above or below the current poverty level, householder characteristics, such as gender or single-parent, or by all other household members' relationship to the householder. This variable also includes a Poverty Index.