American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates

The 1-year series of the American Community Survey publishes the same social, economic, housing, and demographic characteristics as the 5-year series, but from a single calendar year of responses. It is more current than the 5-year series and is the right choice when timeliness matters and the geography is large enough to support a single-year estimate.

Publisher

U.S. Census Bureau open_in_new

License

Public domain

Coverage

Base Data Commons graph

Updates

Yearly

Source & License

Publisher: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Access: Published at data.census.gov and via the Census API; served into this Commons through the Google Data Commons base graph.
License: Public domain. A work of the U.S. Government (17 U.S.C. § 105); free to use and redistribute with attribution to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Methodology

Single year: each estimate reflects 12 months of responses for one calendar year, so it captures change faster than the 5-year series.
Large geographies only: the Census Bureau publishes 1-year estimates ONLY for areas with a population of 65,000 or more (the nation, states, larger counties, and larger metros/places). Smaller areas have no 1-year estimate; use the 5-year series there.
Same variables, higher noise: because each estimate uses one-fifth the sample of the 5-year product, margins of error are wider. Read close differences with care.

Coverage & caveats

Geographies: nation, states, and areas of 65,000+ population. Does NOT reach small counties, small places, or census tracts — that is the 5-year series' job.
Not for small-area work: for neighborhoods, tracts, and small towns, use the 5-year estimates instead.

Variables (3)

Variable	Source table
Poverty rate Count of person (below poverty level in the past 12 months). Population personMeasured countStatistic measured valuepoverty status below poverty level in the past 12 months graph node	S1701
Median household income Median income of household. Population householdMeasured incomeStatistic median value graph node	S1903
Population with a bachelor's degree or higher Count of person (years 25 onwards, bachelors degree or higher). Population personMeasured countStatistic measured valueage years 25 onwardseducational attainment bachelors degree or higher graph node	S1501