The U.S. Census Bureau will hold a prerelease webinar on January 22 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the upcoming release of the 2020-2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. The session aims to help participants understand how to access ACS data and provide guidance on comparing different geographies and statistics over time.
The ACS collects information on a range of topics, including language spoken at home, education, commuting patterns, employment, mortgage status and rent, income, poverty levels, and health insurance coverage. It is recognized as the only source for local estimates across more than 40 subjects.
Statistics from the survey will be made available to embargo subscribers starting January 27 at 10 a.m. ET. The data will cover various geographic areas such as all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, congressional and state legislative districts, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, counties, places, census tracts, and block groups.
Embargoed access will remain open until January 29 at 12:01 a.m. ET. Wire services are not permitted to distribute any news stories or data files before the official public release date in accordance with the Census Bureau’s embargo policy. The datasets will become publicly accessible by January 29 at 10 a.m. ET.
Those interested in embargo access can register online through the Census Bureau’s website: www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/embargoed_releases
Presenters for the webinar include Gretchen Gooding from the American Community Survey Office Outreach and Education Branch; Vicki Mack, statistician with the American Community Survey Office; and Jewel Jordan from the Public Information Office.
The event will feature both an audio conference and an online presentation format. Attendees do not need to call in separately for audio access. Credentialed media members and data users can submit questions during or after the presentation using a Q&A feature or via audio.
Registration for participation in this webinar is available here: www.census.gov/data/academy/webinars/2026/2020-2024-acs-5-year-prerelease.html
