This message was sent to the Census Bureau State Data Center participants, and Nathan Erlbaum of New York State DOT thought it should be shared with CTPP:

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As you can see from the attached email exchange, the ACS ZCTA data is being threatened due to the current budget situation.  My personal sense of the situation is that if we show support for these data there is no guarantee that they will be produced, but if don’t show a need for them they definitely will not be there.   If these data are important for you, please respond to Scott Boggess (Scott.Boggess@census.gov) directly by November 30, 2011. 

It would also help our program if you copied the listserv on your response.  Your comments might prompt others to realize a need for these data.

Thank you.

Leonard M. Gaines, Ph.D. | Program Research Specialist

Empire State Development

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In its Federal Register Notice on the 5-year ACS data products, the Bureau announced that it would begin to produce 5-year ACS data for ZCTAs (Zip Code Tabulation Areas) beginning with the 2007-2011 ACS data due out next year.

Both the decision to add ZCTAs as well as what data products to produce for ZCTAs is now coming under increased scrutiny given the current budget climate.

I have been asked to reach out to data users to see whether and how they would use ACS ZCTA data and what products, if any, they would like to see produced for ZCTAs (detailed tables? profiles? subject tables?).

Please respond directly to me and feel free to share this request with others in the user community.

Thanks,

Scott

Scott Boggess

Chief, ACS Coordination Staff

Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division

301.763.6167