Census Bureau releases new 5 year American Community Survey estimates

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The U.S. Census Bureau has released new American Community Survey 5 year estimates.

The U.S. Census Bureau says on Thursday, it released its new 5-year statistics. It said for the first time, data from the 2015-2019 American Community Survey will allow users to compare three non-overlapping sets of 5 year data: 2005-2009, 2010-2014 and 2015-2019. It said the ability to analyze separate datasets is important to identify trends for small communities and geographies which is crucial for planning future investments and services.

“This release marks an important milestone for the ACS program, which has provided communities with detailed information about people, places and the economy for the last 15 years,” said Donna Daily, Chief, American Community Survey Office. “Having three sets of nonoverlapping data allows researchers and leaders across the country to analyze long-term trends, creating a powerful image of communities across the nation.”

According to the Census Bureau, the ACS is the nation’s leading source of large and small area socioeconomic and demographic statistics for all levels of geography for every community in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It said the data also provides public officials, community leaders, business owners, researchers and others with detailed information that helps them plan for the future.

The Census Bureau said highlights on education include the percentage fo the total population what a bachelor’s degree or higher increased around 1.8% between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014, and rose 2.8% between 2010-2014 and 2015-2019. It said from 2005-200 to 2015-2019, the percentage of residents with a bachelor’s degree increased for all race groups. It said for 2015-2019, Asian alone had the highest rate of bachelor’s degree attainment which was 54.3%, followed by White and non-Hispanic. It said 57.7% of counties in the U.S. saw an increase in the percentage of residents with bachelor’s degrees from 2005-2009 to 2015-2019. It said counties in the northeast region of the U.S. had a higher percentage of residents with bachelor’s degrees than all other regions for 2015-2019 as well as the highest percentage point increase in bachelor’s degree attainment from 2005-2009 to 2015-2019 throughout census regions.

According to the Census Bureau, highlights on income include the U.S. median household income for 2015-2019 being $62,843. It said real median household income increased by 2.3% between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019. It said overall, between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019, most counties did not have a statistically significant change in median household income while 303 counties experienced a decrease and 741 had an increase. It said non-Hispanic and White householders experienced an increase of 3% in median household income between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019, from $66,767 to $68,785. It said most counties did not have a statistically significant change between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019 for non-Hispanic White households. It said median household income increased in 735 counties and decreased in 223. It said median household income for Black householders increased 1.9% between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019, from $41,144 to $41,935. It said over the same period, the change in median income for Black households was not statistically significant in 1,475 counties. It said the was an increase in 217 counties and a decrease in 148 counties. It said households with Asian householders had an increase of 7.9% in median income between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019, from $81,772 to $88,204. It said median income for Asian households was not statistically different between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019 in 1,024 counties, while it increased in 165 counties and decreased in 62. It said median household income for Hispanic or Latino householders increased 5.9% between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019, from $48,909 to $51,811. It said there was no statistically significant change in median income between 2005-2009 and 2015-2019 for Hispanic households in 1,860 counties. It said Hispanic households experienced an increase in 369 counties and a decrease in 142 counties.

The Census Bureau said highlights on poverty include the overall U.S. 5 year ACS poverty rate from 2015-2019 was 13.4%. It said from 2005-2009 to 2015-2019, the change in the overall poverty rate in the U.S. was not statistically significant but poverty rates increased in 429 counties, decreased in 409 counties and did not change significantly in 2,300 counties. It said from 2005-2009 to 2010-2014, the overall poverty rate in the U.S. increased from 13.5% to 15.6%. It said during this time, the poverty rate increased in 1,051 counties, decreased in 136 counties and did not change significantly in 1,951 counties. It said from 2010-2014 to 2015-2019, the overall poverty rate decreased from 15.6% to 13.4%. It said during this time period, the poverty rate increased in 99 counties, decreased in 1,072 counties and did not change significantly in 1,967 counties. It said overall, from 2005-2009 to 2015-2019, the percentage of residents in the U.S. living in poverty areas, which are defined as census tracts with poverty rates of 20% or higher, decreased by 0.2%. It said the percentage of people living in poverty areas increased in 25 states, decreased in 23 states and the District of Columbia and did not change significantly in two states.

According to the Census Bureau, its interactive data visualization allows users to explore key statistics about counties throughout the nation. It said interactive maps on income, poverty and education are also available, allowing users to explore trends and analyze patterns by race and ethnicity at the county level over the non-overlapping 5 year ACS releases.

The Census Bureau said additionally, the briefs explore changes in income and poverty over the 15 year period. It said two new briefs will be released in the near future.