January 2006 marked the beginning of the long-awaited ACS and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS) group quarters (GQ) data collection. Interviewing began last month after a number of tests that occurred in 1999 and 2001 in the ACS test sites, and field-testing of revised GQ methods last February and March in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area. GQ data collection includes all types except domestic violence shelters, soup kitchens, regularly scheduled mobile food vans, targeted non-sheltered locations, natural disaster shelters, transient locations (such as RV campgrounds, marinas, and military hotels), dangerous encampments, and maritime vessels.

The Census Bureau today released publicly a wide-range of additional 2004 ACS data products, including a new detailed table on median age at first marriage and tables on means of transportation to work by workplace geography.

Selected population profiles provide data users with a ready-made report on a population or housing group such as Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islander Race Groups at the national or state level and children under 18. Todays release makes available Selected Population Profiles for the following groups:
- Population 60 years and over
- Population 65 years and over
- Workers 16 years and over
- Native and Foreign born
- Children
- Teenagers
- Grandchildren
- Race/Hispanic/Ancestry Populations for 120 SF-4 groups

The Census Bureau plans to update and improve its ACS data products for 2005. Data users may submit feedback to: no later than COB Tuesday, February 28, 2006.

Additional 2004 ACS Data Released

The U.S. Census Bureau has released over 600 additional base tables from the 2004 ACS. Included are 258 new base tables as well as race iterationsof most of the tables released last August.

Some of the new tables include:
median age by residence one year ago;
place of birth by language spoken at home and ability to speak English;
place of birth by marital status;
means of transportation to work by industry;
and median monthly housing costs.

Also featured are Subject Tables, a new ACS data product. They are similar to the Census 2000 Quick Tables, but contain much more detail than Quick Tables. Subject tables display percent distributions rather than the estimates. Universe lines are displayed as numeric estimates to show the base of each distribution. Subject tables allow for other measures such as medians and means where appropriate, and include the imputation rates for relevant measures.

Access to these new data products is through the American Fact Finder Website, from the Data Sets Tab.

An online guide to accessing and using the 2004 data was released August 23, 2005.