Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Acs Products topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
When to use ACS 1‑year vs 5‑year estimates and which table types to pick
Summary
Presenter advised that ACS 1‑year estimates are only for geographies with populations of about 65,000 or more and recommended switching to ACS 5‑year estimates or using detailed tables for smaller geographies or simpler downloads.
During the filters demo, Weister explained a key product rule: "ACS 1 year estimates are only available for geographies with population of 65,000 and or more." He walked attendees through switching to ACS 5‑year estimates to obtain data for smaller geographies, noting that 5‑year products cover every geographic area down to census tract and block group.
Weister also recommended using data profiles for a quick overview and detailed tables for smaller, simpler downloads: "The detailed tables tend to have fewer total rows in the table, and they're simple tables... they typically have just 1 column for each geography with the estimate and the margin of error." He suggested browsing technical documentation or searching "ECS table IDs explained" for more details on product types.
