Attention: Important Census Data Ahead

Data Ahead 9-12-2014Next week the U.S. Census Bureau will have two major releases that will provide researchers, policymakers, the media, and the public with critically important data on poverty, income, and health insurance coverage nationally and state-by-state. On Tuesday (September 16) the bureau will unveil its Current Population Survey (CPS) and select information about health insurance coverage from its American Community Survey (ACS).  On Thursday (September 18) the bureau will release the full results from the ACS for all states and subnational areas with populations greater than 65,000. The CPS, based on a sample of about 100,000 addresses, is the bureau’s official source of nationwide poverty data. The ACS, a much larger survey encompassing 3 million households, allows for state analysis with a single year’s worth of responses. The ACS is the preferred source for state-level income, poverty, and health insurance coverage data.

MECEP will issue press releases on both the Tuesday and Thursday data releases and augmenting those with posting on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Bonus: And for the real wonks out there, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release state jobs and employment data on Friday (September 19, 2014).