Is the American Community Survey Legitimate? What It Is and How to Verify It
An official-looking envelope arrives addressed not to you but to "RESIDENT," stamped from the U.S. Census Bureau, asking detailed questions about your income, your commute, and your home. Is it real, or is it a scam? It is almost certainly real. It is the American Community Survey, the government's most important ongoing count, and responding to it is required by law. Because it looks like exactly the kind of official mail scammers imitate, the Better Business Bureau has been reminding people how to tell the genuine article from a fraud. Jo Ann Deal of the Better Business Bureau of Monroe walked through the details on KNOE's Good Morning ArkLaMiss, and the short version is worth knowing before you toss that envelope.
What the American Community Survey actually is
The American Community Survey, or ACS, is an ongoing survey the Census Bureau has run since 2005. Unlike the once-a-decade headcount, it never stops. Each year the Bureau mails it to a rotating sample of about 3.5 million addresses across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, gathering detailed social, economic, housing, and demographic information from the households that receive it.
It covers more than 40 topics, including education, employment, income, housing, and transportation. That breadth is the point: the ACS is where the country's up-to-date numbers come from between the big decennial censuses. Nearly every current statistic on this site, from median household income to commute times, traces back to it. For the difference between this survey and the ten-year count, see our primer on what census terms actually mean.
How to tell it is legitimate
The features that make the ACS look suspicious are actually its safeguards. It is addressed to "RESIDENT" rather than to you by name, precisely so that no individual's name travels with the survey, which protects the confidentiality of the households chosen. The Bureau reaches people through several channels on purpose: internet, mail, and in-person visits from field representatives. If you start online, a reminder email may follow, sent on the Bureau's behalf from [email protected].
The bright line is what a legitimate survey will never do. The Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, your bank or credit card numbers, money, or payment of any kind. If a message asks for any of those, it is not the Census Bureau. If you want to confirm that a call, email, or visit is genuine, you can:
- Call the Census Bureau to verify a visit or call at 1-800-923-8282 or 301-763-4636.
- Look up your regional office at census.gov/regions.
- Forward or report a suspicious message to [email protected].
- Reach the ACS help line at 1-800-354-7271, open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and press zero for a representative.
Do you have to answer it?
Yes. Response to the American Community Survey is mandatory under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, the same law that requires participation in the decennial census, and you are asked to answer every question as accurately as you can. Although the legal obligation is real, the practical consequences of not responding are a common point of confusion. We sorted the facts from the myths in what happens if you don't fill out the census.
Why the survey matters
The reason the government works so hard to reach 3.5 million households a year is that the answers steer real money and real decisions. ACS data is used to plan roads, schools, and emergency services, and to guide how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are distributed. Local officials, community leaders, and businesses lean on it to understand how their communities are changing. For the bigger picture of what the count is for and who receives it, see the purpose of a census and who gets the U.S. census, or read how we turn this survey into the numbers on the site on our methodology page.
Sources
Guidance is from the Better Business Bureau of Monroe, via Jo Ann Deal's segment on KNOE, and from the U.S. Census Bureau's own guidance on the American Community Survey and how to verify its communications. The annual sample size and survey scope are from the Census Bureau.
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Is the American Community Survey a scam?
No. The American Community Survey is a legitimate, ongoing survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau since 2005. It is addressed to 'RESIDENT' to protect confidentiality and may arrive by mail, email, or in-person visit. To confirm a request is genuine, call the Census Bureau at 1-800-923-8282 or 301-763-4636, or report a suspicious message to [email protected].
Do I have to respond to the American Community Survey?
Yes. Response to the American Community Survey is required by law under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, the same law that governs the decennial census, and you are asked to answer every question as accurately as you can.
What information will the American Community Survey never ask for?
The Census Bureau will never ask for your full Social Security number, your bank or credit card numbers, money, or any form of payment. Any message requesting those is not from the Census Bureau. Legitimate email reminders come from [email protected].
