This Month

Compass Card poised to
change transit in San Diego

More local juvenile arrestees test positive for drugs and alcohol

Crime mapping Web site is a resounding success
Report details regional demographic and economic trends

American Community Survey data set for release

Public involvement program
for Regional Transportation Plan

Meet the RideLink and
STAR 94.1 teams

American Community Survey data set for release

On August 15, 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau will release the 2005 American Community Survey (ACS) data on social and demographic characteristics for all counties and places with populations of 65,000 or more. These characteristics include information on race and ethnicity, origins and language, age and sex, education, marital status, grandparents as caregivers, veterans status, disability status, household size and citizenship and year of entry.

Prior to this release, ACS estimates were only available for areas with populations greater than 250,000, such as the County of San Diego and the City of San Diego. After August 15, estimates for the cities of Carlsbad, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Vista also will be available. Estimates for areas with populations of at least 20,000 are scheduled for release in 2008, while annual data for census tracts and block groups should be ready by 2010. This valuable information provides critical annual estimates to government agencies, grant writers, researchers, and others interested in timely demographic and population information.

The ACS will replace the Census long form questionnaire previously given to one in six households in order to collect characteristic data. As a result, the 2010 Census will only use the short form, which is sent to everyone, and used for allocating congressional seats to states and legislative redistricting. In January 2005, the Census Bureau began sending ACS surveys to one in 480 San Diego households each month, and 250,000 households per month nationwide. Those receiving surveys are legally obligated to complete them as a civic responsibility. No address will be selected more than once within five years.

As the region’s repository for census and other demographic data, SANDAG would like the public to know about this valuable new information source. “We may very well tie the ACS information in with our existing annual estimates, and if nothing else, the ACS data will be a good benchmark for gauging the accuracy of our own estimating models,” said Kristen Rohanna, SANDAG associate research analyst. SANDAG estimates and forecast data are available through the Profile and Data Warehouses on the SANDAG Web site at www.sandag.org/demographics.

The August 15, 2006, release date is the first of four scheduled ACS releases of the 2005 data. Economics data will be released on August 29, 2006, and will cover the following characteristics:

1. Income
2. Poverty
3. Employment status
4. Occupation
5. Industry
6. Journey to work

The planned October 3, 2006, release of housing characteristics will include information on:

1. Housing occupancy
2. Units in structure
3. Year structure built
4. Rooms
5. Bedrooms
6. Housing tenure
7. Year householder moved into unit
8. Vehicles available
9. House heating fuel
10. Occupants per room
11. Value
12. Mortgage status and selected monthly owner cost
13. Gross rent

The planned November 14, 2006, release includes approximately 200 selected population tables with data by race, Hispanic origin, and ancestry.

Project Manager:
Kristen Rohanna, kroh@sandag.org. 619-699-6918