US Census Bureau delays data release

The bureau said that the data release was supposed to begin in December 2021, but that a March 2022 was more likely in order to minimise the impact of non-response bias due to Covid-19.

The American Community Survey provides detailed population and housing information, and is used by local officials, community leaders and businesses to understand changes occurring in their communities.

A statement from the Census Bureau said: “The US Census Bureau is committed to producing high-quality data. The Census Bureau recognises the critical importance of the American Community Survey five-year data, in particular, on government and business decision-making and the need for quality ACS data for that purpose.

“To reflect our quality standards, the Census Bureau must delay the 2016-2020 ACS five-year data release originally targeted for December 2021.”