The COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on American life in 2020, including the U.S. Census and data from the American Community Survey detailing income, health, poverty and housing in the Lone Star State.
The Census Bureau has decided against releasing the 2020 ACS data, which it has found to be statistically unreliable as a result of issues with collecting data amid the pandemic.
“The Census Bureau is committed to providing high-quality data,” Census Bureau Acting Director Ron Jarmin said in a news release.
The Census Bureau noted that its response rates from March through September of 2020 were hit hard by the pandemic. Those months make up half of the 2020 ASC’s single-year estimates, according to the release.
“The ACS is one of the most comprehensive sources of information about the U.S. population, and it is relied upon by the government, business community and individual Americans,” Jarmin said in the statement.
According to the release, the Census Bureau found high non-response rates among respondents with lower incomes, lower education levels and who were less likely to be homeowners. Jarmin noted this means the data could not be relied upon. The data was considered unreliable due to the collection issues created by the pandemic, and did not meet the bureau’s stringent standards.
“Because of that, it is essential that ACS data truly represent our communities, and the standard one-year products from the 2020 ACS don’t do that,” Jarmin concluded in the release.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) uses the U.S. Census Bureau’s Pulse Study to track progress against hardship. It noted in a release that while employment is trending upward, helped by the adoption of the American Rescue Plan in March, it remains below levels seen before the pandemic. However, its release noted that many families are still struggling to pay rent and put food on the table.
In a media advisory, Every Texan, formerly the Center for Public Policy Priorities, noted that without the ACS data, its policy experts have relied on other sources, including the Pulse Survey, finding that the pandemic has created challenges impacting Texans and creating the need for policies to address issues of racial and economic equality.
And the CBPP noted in its statement that few Texans have been able to evade the economic impact of the pandemic, and it has hit minority communities hardest, highlighting existing inequities in health care, housing, jobs and education. It also noted that households with children continue to be adversely impacted.