Federal Data Users

📊 ACS revisions open for public comment-deadline Feb 17

@Beth Jarosz, @Chris Dick, @Meeta Anand, and I break down proposed changes to the 2027 American Community Survey in a new post for dataindex.us.

Key proposed revisions:

• Combined race/ethnicity question with expanded response categories
• Enhanced internet self-response option for PRCS

The comment period closes February 17, 2026. Read the full analysis and submit your comments:

https://dataindex.us/newsletter/article/337d6587-41a5-42cd-9291-a2d0e50df5fe

 I went back to review the federal register notice, but there's absolutely no mention of the race ethnicity question. Has this changed? Should we still submit comments under this docket number?

Thank you for your help.

The information about the changing race/ethnicity standards is provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of the FRN. It's only mentioned briefly:

"In addition to the internet self-response option for PRCS, the proposed content for the 2027 ACS and PRCS includes the updated race and ethnicity question, which follows OMB's 2024 Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15). Currently, race and ethnicity data are collected and tabulated following OMB's 1997 SPD 15 on Federal race and ethnicity data standards."