United States Census Bureau | An official website of the United States Government
Population Controls for the
2023 ACS
September 2024
The American Community Survey (ACS) makes use of the Population Estimates Program’s (PEP) official population
estimates as survey controls in order to improve the ACS estimates for those characteristics which overlap with the
PEP. This results in ACS estimates being equal or similar to the PEP estimates for total population as well as having
similar age, sex, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic by race distributions. In addition, the ACS estimates for the total group
quarters population are equal to the PEP estimates at the state and national level.
The 2023 ACS data products will use the Vintage 2023 “Blended Base” population estimates
[https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020-2023/2023-est-
relnotes.pdf] that incorporate the 2020 Census, Vintage 2020 population estimates, and 2020 Demographic Analysis
(DA) estimates. In general, these estimates can be described as follows: resident, household, and group quarters (GQ)
population totals are derived from the 2020 Census; national age and sex detail is drawn from the 2020 DA; race detail
comes from the Vintage 2020 population estimates; and Hispanic origin detail generally comes from the 2020
Census.
Related Information
USER NOTES
Population Controls for the 2022 ACS [/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/user-notes/2023-06.html]
USER NOTES
Population Controls for the 2021 ACS [/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/user-notes/2022-10.html]
USER NOTES
Population Controls for the 2020 ACS [/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/user-notes/2021-01.html]
Page Last Revised - September 11, 2024