Census Bureau July 3, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a continuous survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, gathering detailed housing and socioeconomic data from around 3.54 million addresses in the U.S. and about 36,000 addresses in Puerto Rico annually. It replaces the long- form census previously done once a decade, providing crucial statistics for governmental, non-profit, business, and public decision-making at various levels. To enhance efficiency and reduce respondent burden, the ACS is increasingly utilizing administrative and third-party data sources. The Census Bureau is considering using such data to replace the agricultural sales question, which has implications for federal programs and economic analysis. The proposal explores several data sources to classify properties as farms or non-farms. The Department of Commerce invites the public to comment on the proposed research to determine whether data other than survey responses can be used effectively to replace agricultural sales data currently provided by the Census Bureau that has been obtained from responses to the ACS.