Pew Research Center

FOR RELEASE AUGUST 15, 2011

Census 2010: What It Does Not Include

Some users of Census data may be surprised to learn what the 2010 Census did not ask, because many detailed items about demographics, economics and housing now are included in the American Community Survey. This posting includes a link to an article by sociologist Andrew Beveridge about the differences between Census 2010 and the ACS, as well as links to questionnaire forms.

BY D’Vera Cohn

FOR MEDIA OR OTHER INQUIRIES:

Communications Department
202.419.4372
www.pewresearch.org

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Pew Research Center, August 2011, "Census 2010: What It Does Not Include"

About Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. It studies politics and policy; news habits and media; the internet and technology; religion; race and ethnicity; international affairs; social, demographic and economic trends; science; research methodology and data science; and immigration and migration. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

© Pew Research Center 2026

Table of contents

  • About Pew Research Center

Census 2010: What It Does Not Include

Some users of Census data may be surprised to learn what the 2010 Census did not ask, because many detailed items about demographics, economics and housing now are included in the American Community Survey. This posting includes a link to an article by sociologist Andrew Beveridge about the differences between Census 2010 and the ACS, as well as links to questionnaire forms.

Many people who are interested in using data from the 2010 Census for various purposes may be surprised to learn what was not asked.  In an article for the Gotham Gazette, sociologist Andrew Beveridge points out that even some demographers have asked him about data they think will be published by the 2010 Census, but won’t be.

Many of the detailed, neighborhood-level items about demographics, economics and housing that were included on the census long form in previous decades now are asked about in the American Community Survey. For those who need reminding, here is a link to the 2010 Census form. It asks just 10 questions about each household resident, and a question about how others in the household are related to the householder. Here is the 2010 American Community Survey questionnaire.