Guidance for Survey Differences in Labor Force Estimates
Summary
The American Community Survey (ACS) is the largest household survey in the United States. Like the decennial census long form it is designed to replace, the ACS provides single-year labor force estimates for geographic areas with a population of 65,000 or more (this includes the nation, all states and the District of Columbia, all congressional districts, approximately 800 counties, and 500 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, among others) and 3-year estimates for geographic areas with a population of 20,000 or more (this includes the nation, all states and the District of Columbia, all congressional districts, approximately 1,800 counties, and 900 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, among others). For areas with a population less than 20,000, 5-year estimates will be available. The first 5-year estimates, based on ACS data collected from 2005 through 2009, will be released in 2010. All ACS estimates are updated annually. The Census Bureau introduced an improved sequence of labor force questions in the 2008 ACS questionnaire. Accordingly, we recommend using caution when making labor force data comparisons from 2008 or later with data from prior years. Additional information can also be found at https://www.census.gov/people/laborforce/.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2021). Guidance for Survey Differences in Labor Force Estimates.