Virginia data can now be obtained from the American Community Survey (ACS), a new annual nationwide survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau. The ACS:

• provides population and housing information every year (data were previously available only every ten years from the decennial census long form),
• tells us what the population looks like and how it lives, and
• helps communities determine where to establish services and allocate resources.

This Stat Chat introduces the basic features of the ACS, with an emphasis on how to use ACS multi-year estimates.