---
"title": "Federal Funding and the American Community Survey"
"description": "Data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey help guide the distribution of 29% of federal domestic assistance spending and 69% of federal grant spending, according to a new Brookings Institution report."
"date": "2010-07-27"
"authors":
  -
    "name": "D’Vera Cohn"
    "job_title": "Former Senior Writer/Editor"
    "link": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/staff/dvera-cohn/"
"url": "https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/social-trends/2010/07/27/federal-funding-and-the-american-community-survey/"
---

# Federal Funding and the American Community Survey

Data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey help guide the distribution of 29% of federal domestic assistance spending and 69% of federal grant spending, according to a new [Brookings Institution report](http://www.brookings.edu/utility/page-not-found). In dollar figures, that was $416 billion in assistance spending and $389.2 billion in grant funding during the 2008 fiscal year.

The report explains how the ACS, a monthly household survey that replaced the once-a-decade census long form, guides the distribution of funds. It argues that the nation receives a substantial return from taxpayer investment in the ACS because of its function in equitable distribution of federal money. The report is accompanied by a [slide presentation ](http://www.brookings.edu/utility/page-not-found)from a Capitol Hill briefing that summarizes its main points. The [report web site](http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports/2010/07/26-acs-reamer) also includes a table listing the federal programs whose funds are guided by the ACS data, and a list of funding received in each state as well as large counties and metropolitan areas.

In March, Brookings released a report documenting the range of [federal programs whose funding distribution is guided by census data](https://alpha.pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/social-trends/2010/03/09/dollars-and-census/).