Notice2026-22322
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the revision of the American Community Survey and the Puerto Rico Community Survey, prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 210 (Monday, November 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 210 (Monday, November 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68928-68930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-22322]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey
AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
revision of the American Community Survey and the Puerto Rico Community
Survey, prior to the submission of the information collection request
(ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before January 4, 2027.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e18082928ecf919380a182848f929492cf868e97"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bedfddcdd190ceccdffedddbd0cdcbcd90d9d1c8">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference the American Community
Survey and the Puerto Rico Community Survey in the subject line of your
comments. You may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number
USBC-2026-0760 to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Click the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required
fields, and enter or attach your comments. All comments received are
part of the public record. No comments will be posted to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing until after the comment period
has closed. Comments will generally be posted without change. All
Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. You may submit attachments to electronic
comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Nicole Butler, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey Office,
301-763-3928, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7b15121814171e55190e0f171e093b181e15080e08551c140d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="751b1c161a19105b1700011910073516101b0600065b121a03">[email protected]</span></a>.
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:
<bullet> There is a current federal law calling for the use of
decennial census
[[Page 68929]]
data for a particular federal program (mandatory).
<bullet> 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).
<bullet> 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).
<bullet> 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
[[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.
Table 1--Annual ACS and PRCS Respondent and Burden Hour Estimates
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Estimated
Annual minutes per
Forms or instrument used estimated respondent by Annual
Data collection operation in data collection number of data estimated
respondents collection burden hours
activity
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I. ACS Household Questionnaire, Online ACS-1, ACS-1(SP), ACS- 3,576,000 40 2,384,000
Survey, Telephone, and Personal Visit. 1PR, ACS-1PR(SP),
Online Survey,
Telephone, CAPI.
II. ACS GQ Facility Questionnaire CAPI GQFQ............... 20,100 15 5,025
CAPI--Telephone and Personal Visit.
III. ACS GQ CAPI Personal Interview or CAPI, ACS-1(GQ), ACS- 158,770 25 66,154
Telephone, Online Survey and Paper 1(GQ)(PR).
Self-response.
V. ACS Household Reinterview--CATI/ ACS HU-RI............... 22,875 10 3,813
CAPI.
V. ACS GQ-level Reinterview--CATI/CAPI ACS GQ-RI............... 1,440 10 240
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Total............................. ........................ 3,779,185 N/A 2,459,232
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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.
Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2026-22322 Filed 10-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.