Evaluating Small-Scale Migration Rates from the American Community Survey

William K. Koerber, U.S. Census Bureau
Robert Kominski, U.S. Census Bureau

This poster uses data from the American Community Survey (ACS) to examine and evaluate the quality of moving rates for small-scale geographic units (such as tracts). The ACS, as a replacement of the decennial census long-form, will be able to provide estimates of traditional long-form characteristics using data based on 5-year moving averages. In the test sample currently in the field, a small set of sites has been oversampled so as to provide the same sampling rate of data as will be available in the 5-year cycle, but in less time (3 years). We use these data for several of the sites to examine the reported levels of moving. Rates are examined both across levels of geography and over time, in an attempt to assess stability of the estimates, and the ability to detect change. Additional analysis focuses on the ability to detect demographic composition of the mover streams.