ACS Data Users Group

PUMAs were not used until the 2012 ACS. How would I need create comparable PUMAs for 2006-2011 to then convert them to Metropolitan Statistical Areas geographic level areas using the Missouri Census Data center crosswalk tool?

Michelle

www2.census.gov/.../puma_history.pdf

?? PUMAs have been here for a long time, at least as a concept. See the variety of geographic variables at usa.ipums.org/.../group

IPUMS (Jonathan Schroeder maybe? I don't see anybody else from that group here) painstakingly created consistent PUMAs that work between some of the censuses, see usa.ipums.org/.../CPUMA0010 and usa.ipums.org/.../CONSPUMA.

PUMAs have been in use since 1990. Similar units--"county groups"--also exist for 1980 and 1970, and IPUMS USA has defined PUMAs for 1960 as well.

The 2012 ACS is, however, the first ACS year to use _2010_ PUMA definitions. The 2005-2011 ACS instead use _2000_ PUMA definitions

This page on the IPUMS USA website provides definitions for all of these concepts, along with some crosswalks, boundary files, composition files, etc.:
usa.ipums.org/.../tgeotools.shtml

IPUMS USA has also used the PUMA codes in all ACS samples (2005 to the present) to identify 2013 metro areas to the extent possible. See usa.ipums.org/.../MET2013. That page also explains how IPUMS USA handles cases where PUMAs don't align with metro area boundaries, and it provides crosswalks between PUMAs and metro areas (for all ACS years).