690 – Analyzing the American Community Survey
The Reliability of ACS 5-Year Estimates of Race Groups and American Indian and Alaska Native Populations
Karen King
U.S. Census Bureau
Michael Starsinic
U.S. Census Bureau
Adriana Hernandez Viver
U.S. Census Bureau
Michael Beaghen
U.S. Census Bureau
The Census Bureau measures demographic, social, and economic characteristics of the United States population through the American Community Survey (ACS). Starting with the 2005-2009 ACS 5-year estimates, the ACS annually provides these data for small geographies and small race groups. The focus of this evaluation was to assess the reliability of the 5 year estimates for five main race groups: White, Black, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI); for specific AIAN tribal groupings; and for detailed Asian (e.g., Chinese), and detailed NHOPI race groups. For the analyses we used the 2006-2010 ACS 5 year Selected Population Tables. We used the coefficients of variation of estimates of a broad range of characteristics as measures of reliability. The ACS sample was designed to assure certain levels of reliability for estimates of geographic areas. A key point the study established was that the reliability of estimates of small race groups was comparable to that of geographic areas of similar population size. Further, we found that race groups and tribal groupings of similar population size had similar levels of reliability.