80_FR_65901 80 FR 65694 - Streamlining Summary Level 070 Tables in the 5-Year American Community Survey

80 FR 65694 - Streamlining Summary Level 070 Tables in the 5-Year American Community Survey

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of the Census

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 207 (October 27, 2015)

Page Range65694-65695
FR Document2015-27280

The Census Bureau hereby announces that it will streamline the production and release of American Community Survey (ACS) Summary Level 070 tables (state/county/county subdivision/place remainder (or part)) to the 15 tables necessary for the delineation of metropolitan, micropolitan, and related statistical areas as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The ACS collects detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing data from about 3.5 million addresses in the United States and 36,000 in Puerto Rico each year. Annual data products are released in the form of 1-Year and 5-Year estimates with 5-Year estimates being produced for over 578,000 geographies by 87 different summary levels. Most summary levels and their corresponding geographies are then produced for approximately 1,000 detailed tables. As a cost-saving measure and to improve the usability of the estimates, the Census Bureau has decided to streamline the production and release of Summary Level 070 tables to the 15 tables necessary for delineation. Based on data user analytics, customer feedback, and responses from an earlier Federal Register Notice (June 5, 2015; 80 FR 32084) soliciting comments on the streamlining of the summary level, we believe that the streamlining of this summary level will not have a significant impact to our data users. Therefore, beginning in December 2015, the Census Bureau will be tabulating and releasing only those 15 tables for Summary Level 070 that are necessary for the delineation of metropolitan, micropolitan, and related statistical areas (particularly for identification of New England City and Town Area principal cities), commuting analysis, and basic demographic and housing analysis.

Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 207 (Tuesday, October 27, 2015) 
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 207 (Tuesday, October 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65694-65695]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27280]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

[Docket Number 151008932-5932-01]


Streamlining Summary Level 070 Tables in the 5-Year American 
Community Survey

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Final Program.

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SUMMARY: The Census Bureau hereby announces that it will streamline the 
production and release of American Community Survey (ACS) Summary Level 
070 tables (state/county/county subdivision/place remainder (or part)) 
to the 15 tables necessary for the delineation of metropolitan, 
micropolitan, and related statistical areas as defined by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). The ACS collects detailed demographic, 
social, economic, and housing data from about 3.5 million addresses in 
the United States and 36,000 in Puerto Rico each year. Annual data 
products are released in the form of 1-Year and 5-Year estimates with 
5-Year estimates being produced for over 578,000 geographies by 87 
different summary levels. Most summary levels and their corresponding 
geographies are then produced for approximately 1,000 detailed tables. 
As a cost-saving measure and to improve the usability of the estimates, 
the Census Bureau has decided to streamline the production and release 
of Summary Level 070 tables to the 15 tables necessary for delineation. 
Based on data user analytics, customer feedback, and responses from an 
earlier Federal Register Notice (June 5, 2015; 80 FR 32084) soliciting 
comments on the streamlining of the summary level, we believe that the 
streamlining of this summary level will not have a significant impact 
to our data users. Therefore, beginning in December 2015, the Census 
Bureau will be tabulating and releasing only those 15 tables for 
Summary Level 070 that are necessary for the delineation of 
metropolitan, micropolitan, and related statistical

[[Page 65695]]

areas (particularly for identification of New England City and Town 
Area principal cities), commuting analysis, and basic demographic and 
housing analysis.

DATES: This Notice will be effective on December 10, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: KaNin Reese, Room 7H176F, U.S. Census 
Bureau, Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, Washington, 
DC 20233, by phone at 301-763-3493 or via email at 
kanin.l.reese@census.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Beginning with the 2010-2014 ACS 5-Year 
tables, the Census Bureau will streamline the production and release of 
Summary Level 070 tables (state/county/county subdivision/place 
remainder (or part)) to the 15 tables necessary for the delineation of 
metropolitan, micropolitan, and related statistical areas (particularly 
for identification of New England City and Town Area principal cities) 
by OMB, for other commuting analysis, and for basic demographic and 
housing analysis. The Census Bureau conducts the ACS program under 13 
U.S.C. Sections 141 and 193. Streamlining the tables in this summary 
level will save the Census Bureau over $100,000 over a 5-Year period.
    The Census Bureau has been reviewing and documenting the utility of 
releasing Summary Level 070 for all 1,000 tables for several years. In 
our last release, this summary level was produced for 69,939 unique 
geographies for about 1,000 tables with approximately 70 percent of all 
estimates produced as zero since place parts in county subdivisions 
represent very small areas. Not only is the data quality insufficient 
for many of the individual geographies, but very few data users are 
accessing the tables on American FactFinder or the summary files on the 
Census File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site. Further, based on user 
feedback, we have increasing concern that data users may be using the 
summary level incorrectly, mistaking these place parts in county 
subdivisions for place-level geographies.
    Since the ACS was created as the replacement for the Census long-
form, the ACS began by producing the same summary levels that were 
produced in Census 2000. The purpose of Summary Level 070 (state/
county/county subdivision/place remainder (or part)) is for the 
delineation of metropolitan, micropolitan, and related statistical 
areas under OMB standards. However, not all of the 1,000 detailed 
tables being produced for this summary level are needed for 
delineation. The Census Bureau has identified ten commuting tables 
necessary for the delineation process and for other commuting analysis, 
and five basic demographic and housing tables necessary for the 
tabulation of the summary level.
    The 15 tables available for Summary Level 070 include:
    1. B01001--Sex by Age
    2. B01003--Total Population
    3. B02001--Race
    4. B08007--Sex of Workers by Place of Work--State and County Level
    5. B08008--Sex of Workers by Place of Work--Place Level
    6. B08009--Sex of Workers by Place of Work--Minor Civil Division 
Level for 12 Selected States (CT, ME, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, 
VT, WI)
    7. B08301--Means of Transportation to Work
    8. B08302--Time Leaving Home to Go to Work
    9. B08303--Travel Time to Work
    10. B08601--Means of Transportation to Work for Workplace Geography
    11. B08602--Time Arriving at Work from Home for Workplace Geography
    12. B08603--Travel Time to Work for Workplace Geography
    13. B08604--Worker Population for Workplace Geography
    14. B25001--Housing Units
    15. B25003--Tenure
    Due to limited resources available to produce the full product 
package and limited user need, the Census Bureau has concluded that it 
will only produce the 15 tables above for Summary Level 070. If 
additional estimates are needed from this summary level, data users are 
encouraged to use block group or tract-level data, which will continue 
to be available on American FactFinder, the Census Application 
Programming Interface (API), and the summary files on the FTP site. 
Data are available at: http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml.

Summary of Comments Received and the Response of the Census Bureau

    The Census Bureau published a Notice and Request for Comments on 
streamlining tables for Summary Level 070 in the Federal Register on 
June 5, 2015 (80 FR 32084). In response to the notice, the Census 
Bureau received only one comment. The comment was from a data user 
requesting that all tables currently produced for this summary level 
continue to be made available. The data user argued that this summary 
level provided useful estimates for those incorporated villages in the 
12 minor civil divisions in New York state that are dependent within 
towns, but not necessarily contained completely within a single town 
and can cross town boundaries. For those incorporated villages, 
estimates would not be available. These estimates could be helpful to 
local governments that include place parts in county subdivisions. 
However, individual local governments have not expressed any interest 
in keeping these estimates available.
    In response to the commenter, the Census Bureau explained that due 
to budgetary constraints to the ACS, we could not continue to produce 
all tables for a summary level with so many geographies that so few 
people were using when the majority of the estimates were zero. 
However, 15 tables will continue to be produced for that summary level, 
which will provide basic demographic, housing, and commuting analysis 
as well as those tables necessary for the delineation of metropolitan, 
micropolitan, and related statistical areas (particularly for 
identification of New England City and Town Area principal cities) by 
OMB. Based on the singular user response, the Census Bureau determined 
that the need for this summary level was not substantial enough to 
warrant expenditure of the resources needed to produce it. Therefore, 
the Census Bureau determined that the original 15 tables selected to 
continue to be produced in Summary Level 070 were sufficient, and no 
other tables were added.
    The Census Bureau believes that these tables are sufficient for 
data user needs for this summary level. For data users who are 
accustomed to using Summary Level 070 tables, the Census Bureau 
suggests using block group or tract-level data, which will continue to 
be released annually through American FactFinder, Census API, and the 
summary files on the FTP site. By releasing only a few key demographic, 
social, and housing tables for this summary level, the Census Bureau 
believes that we are still meeting the true purpose, and maintaining 
the integrity, of Summary Level 070 tables while substantially reducing 
resources needed for the full production of the product.

    Dated: October 20, 2015.
John H. Thompson,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 2015-27280 Filed 10-26-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P

65694 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 207 / Tuesday, October 27, 2015 / Notices Rural Utilities Service (OMB) Circular A–129, Policies for Number of Respondents: 1. Title: Lien Accommodations and Federal Credit Programs and Non-tax Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Subordinations 7 CFR part 1717, Receivable, states that agencies must On occasion. base on a review of a loan application Total Burden Hours: 2. subparts R and S. OMB Control Number: 0572–0100. determine that an applicant complies Charlene Parker, Summary of Collection: The Rural with statutory, regulatory, and Departmental Information Collection Electrification Act (RE Act) of 1936, 7 administrative eligibility requirements Clearance Officer. U.S.C. 901 et seq., as amended, for loan assistance. [FR Doc. 2015–27285 Filed 10–26–15; 8:45 am] authorizes and empowers the Need and Use of the Information: RUS will collect information to BILLING CODE 3410–15–P Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to make loans in the streamline procedures and allow several States and Territories of the borrowers the flexibility to meet new business challenges and opportunities. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States for rural electrification and the furnishing electric energy to The information is necessary for RUS to conduct business with successor entity Bureau of the Census persons in rural areas who are not receiving central station service. The RE while protecting the security of [Docket Number 151008932–5932–01] Act also authorizes and empowers the Government loans and avoiding defaults and to grant merger approval when Streamlining Summary Level 070 Administrator of RUS to provide Tables in the 5-Year American financial assistance to borrowers for required. Description of Respondents: Business Community Survey purposes provided in the RE Act by or other for-profit. accommodating or subordinating loans AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Number of Respondents: 10. made by the National Rural Utilities Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Commerce. Cooperative Finance Corporation, the On occasion. ACTION: Notice of Final Program. Federal Financing Bank, and other Total Burden Hours: 140. lending agencies. SUMMARY: The Census Bureau hereby Need and Use of the Information: Rural Utilities Service announces that it will streamline the RUS will use the information to Title: Use of Consultants Funded by production and release of American determine an applicant’s eligibility for a Borrowers, 7 CFR 1789. Community Survey (ACS) Summary lien accommodation or lien OMB Control Number: 0572–0115. Level 070 tables (state/county/county subordination under the RE Act; Summary of Collection: The Rural subdivision/place remainder (or part)) facilitates an applicant’s solicitation and Utilities Service (RUS) is a credit agency to the 15 tables necessary for the acquisition of non-RUS loans as to of the Department of Agriculture that delineation of metropolitan, converse available Government funds; makes mortgage loans and loan micropolitan, and related statistical monitor the compliance of borrowers guarantees to finance electric, areas as defined by the Office of with debt covenants and regulatory telecommunications, and water and Management and Budget (OMB). The requirements in order to protect loan waste facilities in rural areas. The loan ACS collects detailed demographic, security; and subsequently to granting programs are managed in accordance social, economic, and housing data from the lien accommodation or lien with the Rural Electrification Act (RE about 3.5 million addresses in the subordination, administer each so as to Act) of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., as United States and 36,000 in Puerto Rico minimize its cost to the Government. If amended, and as prescribed by Office of each year. Annual data products are the information were not collected, RUS Management and Budget Circular A– released in the form of 1-Year and 5- would not be able to accomplish its 129, Policies for Federal Credit Year estimates with 5-Year estimates statutory goals. Programs and Non-Tax Receivable, being produced for over 578,000 Description of Respondents: Not-for- which states that agencies must, based geographies by 87 different summary profit institutions; Business or other for- on a review of a loan application, levels. Most summary levels and their profit. determine that an applicant complies corresponding geographies are then Number of Respondents: 15. with statutory, regulatory, and produced for approximately 1,000 Frequency of Responses: Reporting: administrative eligibility requirements detailed tables. As a cost-saving On occasion. for loan assistance. RUS has the measure and to improve the usability of Total Burden Hours: 290. authority to use consultants voluntarily the estimates, the Census Bureau has funded by borrowers for financial, legal, decided to streamline the production Rural Utilities Service and release of Summary Level 070 engineering, and other technical Title: 7 CFR 1717 Subpart D, Mergers services. However, all RUS borrowers tables to the 15 tables necessary for and Consolidations of Electric are eligible to fund consultant services delineation. Based on data user Borrowers. but are not required to fund consultants. analytics, customer feedback, and OMB Control Number: 0572–0114. Need and Use of the Information: responses from an earlier Federal Summary of Collection: The Rural RUS will collect information to Register Notice (June 5, 2015; 80 FR Utilities Service (RUS) is a credit agency determine whether it is appropriate to 32084) soliciting comments on the of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It use a consultant voluntarily funded by streamlining of the summary level, we makes mortgage loans and loan the borrower to expedite a particular believe that the streamlining of this guarantees to finance electric, borrower application. If the information summary level will not have a tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES telecommunications, water and waste were not submitted, RUS would be significant impact to our data users. and water facilities in rural areas. Loan unable to determine if using a Therefore, beginning in December 2015, programs are managed in accordance consultant would accelerate the specific the Census Bureau will be tabulating with the Rural Electrification Act (RE application process. and releasing only those 15 tables for Act) of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., as Description of Respondents: Not-for- Summary Level 070 that are necessary amended and as prescribed by the profit institutions; Business or other for- for the delineation of metropolitan, Office of Management and Budget profit. micropolitan, and related statistical VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:58 Oct 26, 2015 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM 27OCN1

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 207 / Tuesday, October 27, 2015 / Notices 65695 areas (particularly for identification of produced for this summary level are civil divisions in New York state that New England City and Town Area needed for delineation. The Census are dependent within towns, but not principal cities), commuting analysis, Bureau has identified ten commuting necessarily contained completely within and basic demographic and housing tables necessary for the delineation a single town and can cross town analysis. process and for other commuting boundaries. For those incorporated DATES: This Notice will be effective on analysis, and five basic demographic villages, estimates would not be December 10, 2015. and housing tables necessary for the available. These estimates could be tabulation of the summary level. helpful to local governments that FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The 15 tables available for Summary include place parts in county KaNin Reese, Room 7H176F, U.S. Level 070 include: subdivisions. However, individual local Census Bureau, Social, Economic, and 1. B01001—Sex by Age governments have not expressed any Housing Statistics Division, Washington, DC 20233, by phone at 2. B01003—Total Population interest in keeping these estimates 301–763–3493 or via email at 3. B02001—Race available. kanin.l.reese@census.gov. 4. B08007—Sex of Workers by Place of Work—State and County Level In response to the commenter, the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Beginning Census Bureau explained that due to 5. B08008—Sex of Workers by Place with the 2010–2014 ACS 5-Year tables, budgetary constraints to the ACS, we of Work—Place Level the Census Bureau will streamline the could not continue to produce all tables production and release of Summary 6. B08009—Sex of Workers by Place of Work—Minor Civil Division Level for for a summary level with so many Level 070 tables (state/county/county geographies that so few people were subdivision/place remainder (or part)) 12 Selected States (CT, ME, MA, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, WI) using when the majority of the estimates to the 15 tables necessary for the were zero. However, 15 tables will delineation of metropolitan, 7. B08301—Means of Transportation to Work continue to be produced for that micropolitan, and related statistical 8. B08302—Time Leaving Home to Go summary level, which will provide areas (particularly for identification of to Work basic demographic, housing, and New England City and Town Area principal cities) by OMB, for other 9. B08303—Travel Time to Work commuting analysis as well as those commuting analysis, and for basic 10. B08601—Means of Transportation tables necessary for the delineation of demographic and housing analysis. The to Work for Workplace Geography metropolitan, micropolitan, and related Census Bureau conducts the ACS 11. B08602—Time Arriving at Work statistical areas (particularly for program under 13 U.S.C. Sections 141 from Home for Workplace Geography identification of New England City and and 193. Streamlining the tables in this 12. B08603—Travel Time to Work for Town Area principal cities) by OMB. summary level will save the Census Workplace Geography Based on the singular user response, the Bureau over $100,000 over a 5-Year 13. B08604—Worker Population for Census Bureau determined that the need period. Workplace Geography for this summary level was not The Census Bureau has been 14. B25001—Housing Units substantial enough to warrant reviewing and documenting the utility 15. B25003—Tenure expenditure of the resources needed to of releasing Summary Level 070 for all Due to limited resources available to produce it. Therefore, the Census 1,000 tables for several years. In our last produce the full product package and Bureau determined that the original 15 release, this summary level was limited user need, the Census Bureau tables selected to continue to be produced for 69,939 unique geographies has concluded that it will only produce produced in Summary Level 070 were for about 1,000 tables with the 15 tables above for Summary Level sufficient, and no other tables were approximately 70 percent of all 070. If additional estimates are needed added. estimates produced as zero since place from this summary level, data users are The Census Bureau believes that these parts in county subdivisions represent encouraged to use block group or tract- tables are sufficient for data user needs very small areas. Not only is the data level data, which will continue to be for this summary level. For data users quality insufficient for many of the available on American FactFinder, the who are accustomed to using Summary individual geographies, but very few Census Application Programming data users are accessing the tables on Level 070 tables, the Census Bureau Interface (API), and the summary files American FactFinder or the summary on the FTP site. Data are available at: suggests using block group or tract-level files on the Census File Transfer http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/ data, which will continue to be released Protocol (FTP) site. Further, based on jsf/pages/index.xhtml. annually through American FactFinder, user feedback, we have increasing Census API, and the summary files on Summary of Comments Received and the FTP site. By releasing only a few key concern that data users may be using the the Response of the Census Bureau demographic, social, and housing tables summary level incorrectly, mistaking these place parts in county subdivisions The Census Bureau published a for this summary level, the Census for place-level geographies. Notice and Request for Comments on Bureau believes that we are still meeting Since the ACS was created as the streamlining tables for Summary Level the true purpose, and maintaining the replacement for the Census long-form, 070 in the Federal Register on June 5, integrity, of Summary Level 070 tables the ACS began by producing the same 2015 (80 FR 32084). In response to the while substantially reducing resources summary levels that were produced in notice, the Census Bureau received only needed for the full production of the tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Census 2000. The purpose of Summary one comment. The comment was from product. Level 070 (state/county/county a data user requesting that all tables Dated: October 20, 2015. subdivision/place remainder (or part)) is currently produced for this summary John H. Thompson, for the delineation of metropolitan, level continue to be made available. The micropolitan, and related statistical data user argued that this summary level Director, Bureau of the Census. areas under OMB standards. However, provided useful estimates for those [FR Doc. 2015–27280 Filed 10–26–15; 8:45 am] not all of the 1,000 detailed tables being incorporated villages in the 12 minor BILLING CODE 3510–07–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:58 Oct 26, 2015 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM 27OCN1


Document Created: 2015-12-14 15:35:55
Document Modified: 2015-12-14 15:35:55
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice of Final Program.
DatesThis Notice will be effective on December 10, 2015.
ContactKaNin Reese, Room 7H176F, U.S. Census Bureau, Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division, Washington, DC 20233, by phone at 301-763-3493 or via email at [email protected]
FR Citation80 FR 65694 
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