SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau seeks a revision for the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS). The ACS program provides information every year on over 40 topics—giving communities, businesses, and governments the current information they need about our nation and its people. ACS data also help inform how trillions of dollars in federal funds are distributed each year.

The ACS content is designed to serve the data needs of federal government agencies and, in addition, provides a rich source of local area information useful to a wide variety of data users, including state and local governments, universities, and private businesses. The ACS is part of the Decennial Census Program. Historically, the decennial census sampled addresses to complete a “long form,” which collected detailed population and housing characteristics once a decade whereas a majority of addresses were asked to a complete a “short form” which collected basic demographic information. The demand for current, nationally consistent data from a wide variety of data users led federal government policymakers to consider the feasibility of collecting detailed population and housing data continuously throughout the decade. This led the Census Bureau to plan the ACS as a replacement for the “long form.”

Since its implementation in 2005, the ACS has collected detailed social, economic, housing, and demographic data on more than 40 topics on an ongoing basis, providing more timely data than was previously possible. Every question on the ACS must meet an explicit need from one or more federal agencies. Constraining the content of the ACS was, and still is, critical because of the mandatory reporting requirement and because doing so reduces the burden on the American people. The Census Bureau periodically reviews the questions on the ACS to ensure that existing content serves the data needs of federal agencies and to evaluate new question proposals from federal agencies. The Census Bureau classifies federal agency uses of the ACS as mandatory, required, programmatic, or operational as follows:

• There is a current federal law calling for the use of decennial census ( printed page 68929) data for a particular federal program (mandatory).
• A federal law (or implementing regulation) clearly requires the use of specific data, and the decennial census was the historical or only source, or case law requirements imposed by the U.S. federal court system need the data (required).
• A federal agency indicated they use the data (or need data on a topic) but there is no explicit requirement for the use of the data, as explained for mandatory or required purposes (programmatic).
• The data are necessary to administer the survey, such as phone numbers (operational).

Only uses identified as mandatory, required, or operational result in questions on the ACS. Programmatic uses alone do not result in questions being added to the ACS.

In 2026, the Census Bureau conducted a content review of the ACS to ensure that every question on the ACS is legally justified and has a federal use. Over 60 federal agencies provided input on their use of ACS data, representing 17 independent agencies and all but three cabinet departments. The review evaluated and classified over 400 federal uses as mandatory, required, or programmatic.

As a result of this review, two ACS questions were identified as no longer having a mandatory or required federal use: Solar Panels and Veterans Period of Military Service. Therefore, the Census Bureau is proposing to remove these questions from the ACS in 2028.

The Content Review also provided the Census Bureau with an opportunity to reconsider the best methods for producing the needed data. By law (Title 13, United States Code, Section 6), the Census Bureau is directed to use existing information collected by other government agencies, to the maximum extent possible, instead of asking the public for it directly. The ACS program has prioritized using alternative data sources to meet data user needs and reduce dependence on traditional data collection methods.

Beginning in January 2024, the ACS program implemented an adaptive approach to collecting data on property lot size (acreage) using administrative property tax data purchased from a third-party vendor. Based on the quality of the property tax acreage data, business rules were developed. In this adaptive approach, the acreage question is skipped when administrative data are available for a sampled address and meet the business rules; the question is asked otherwise.

Beginning as early as 2028, the Census Bureau intends to expand the use of administrative data to reduce burden on the public. Questions on the survey that may be skipped for some respondents when administrative data are available include Agricultural Sales, Year Built, Number of Rooms, Number of Bedrooms, Units in Structure, Building Type, and Home Heating Fuel. Other questions may also be considered. After research is conducted to determine the best methods of using administrative data for the questions, results will be made public on the Census Bureau's website.

The Census Bureau invites public comments, particularly on the two ACS questions proposed for removal and the use of administrative data to replace questions asked of the public. Concurrently, federal agencies that are the principal users of data from these questions are invited to respond either directly to the Census Bureau or through this notice and provide revised or additional justification for these questions.

II. Method of Collection

The ACS is conducted throughout the United States, including in Puerto Rico, where it is called the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS). The ACS samples approximately 3.54 million housing unit addresses in the United States and about 36,000 in Puerto Rico each year. A housing unit is defined as a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters. The ACS also collects detailed data from a sample of about 158,090 residents living in group quarters facilities in the United States and about 680 in Puerto Rico. Group quarters are places where people, typically unrelated to each other, live or stay in a group-living arrangement owned or managed by an entity or organization that provides housing and/or services for the residents. Group quarters include college/university student housing, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, workers' group living quarters, Job Corps centers, and emergency and transitional shelters.

Housing Units

To encourage self-response in the ACS, the Census Bureau sends up to five mailings to housing unit addresses selected for the sample. The first mailing, sent to all mailable addresses in the sample, includes an invitation to participate in the ACS online and states that a paper questionnaire will be sent in a few weeks to those unable to respond online. The second mailing is a letter that reminds respondents to complete the survey online, thanks them if they have already done so, and informs them that a paper questionnaire will be sent later if we do not receive their response. In a third mailing, the paper questionnaire is sent only to those sample addresses that have not completed the online questionnaire within two weeks of receiving the first mailing. The fourth mailing is a postcard that reminds respondents to respond and informs them that an interviewer may contact them if they do not complete the survey. A fifth mailing is sent to respondents who have not completed the survey within five weeks. This letter provides a due date and reminds the respondents to return their questionnaires. Some households are also contacted by email. If a household starts the online survey and gives an email but doesn't finish the survey, the household will receive an email reminder to complete the survey.

If the Census Bureau does not receive a response from an address in the first two months of data collection, the address is eligible to be sampled for an in-person or phone interview by a Census Bureau field representative. This nonresponse follow-up data collection operation is known as the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) phase. The CAPI phase of data collection lasts for one month.

At the beginning of the CAPI month, a sixth mailing is sent to all mailable addresses in the CAPI sample. This letter urges respondents to complete the survey online to avoid an in-person interview. While this phase of data collection utilizes a personal interview approach, respondents can still choose to respond online, return a paper questionnaire, or call the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance line to complete the survey over the telephone. If a household responds online, by paper questionnaire, or by phone, the address is removed from the CAPI sample workload and is no longer contacted. If they do not respond, a Census Bureau field representative attempts to contact them to obtain a response.

Group Quarters

The Census Bureau employs a separate strategy to collect data from group quarters. The Census Bureau obtains the facility information by conducting a telephone or in-person interview with a group quarter contact. During this interview, the Census Bureau obtains a roster of residents and randomly selects a subsample for ( printed page 68930) person-level interviews. The facility can also upload its facility roster to the Census Bureau online listing application. During the person-level interview phase, a field representative uses a computer-assisted personal interview automated instrument to collect detailed information for each sampled resident. The field representative may also distribute a questionnaire to residents for self-response if they are unable to complete a computer-assisted personal interview. Respondents in some group quarters may also self-respond to the survey online.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0607-0810.

Form Number(s): ACS-1, ACS-1(SP), ACS-1(PR), ACS-1(PR)SP, ACS-1(GQ), ACS-1(GQ)(PR), ACS Housing Unit (HU) internet electronic instrument (no form number), ACS nonresponse follow-up CAPI electronic instrument (no form number), ACS Failed Edit Follow up Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) electronic instrument (no form number), ACS Telephone Questionnaire Assistance CATI electronic instrument (no form number). ACS Group Quarters internet listing instrument (no form number), ACS Group Quarters Facility Questionnaire CAPI GQFQ electronic instrument (no form number), ACS Group Quarters internet electronic instrument (no form number), ACS Group Quarters Resident CAPI electronic instrument (no form number). ACS Reinterview CATI/CAPI HU RI electronic instrument (no form number), ACS Reinterview CATI/CAPI GQ RI electronic instrument (no form number).

Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for a revision.

Affected Public: Individuals or households.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,576,000 for household respondents; 20,100 for contacts in group quarters (GQ); 158,770 people in GQ; 22,875 households for reinterview; and 1,440 GQ contacts for reinterview. The total estimated number of respondents is 3,779,185.

Estimated Time per Response: 40 minutes for the average household questionnaire; 15 minutes for a GQ facility questionnaire; 25 minutes for a GQ person questionnaire; 10 minutes for a household reinterview; 10 minutes for a GQ-level reinterview.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,384,000 for household respondents; 5,025 for contacts in GQ; 66,154 for GQ residents; 3,813 households for reinterview; and 240 GQ contacts for reinterview. The estimate is an annual average of 2,459,232 burden hours.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services required specifically by the collection.)

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 141, 193, 221, and 223.

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so.

91 FR 68928