. "PART I: Using the American Community Survey, 2 Essentials for Users." Using the American Community Survey: Benefits and Challenges. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2007.
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Using the American Community Survey: Benefits and Challenges
TABLE 2-7c Illustrative, Approximate 90 Percent Confidence Intervals (CIs) Around an Estimate of 15 Percent Poor School-Age Children from the ACS and the 2000 Census Long-Form Sample, by Population Size of Area
Population Size of Area
Children Ages 5–17
ACS 1-Year Period Estimate 90% CI
ACS 3-Year Period Estimate 90% CI
ACS 5-YearPeriod Estimate 90% CI
2000 Long-Form Sample Estimate 90% CI
Total (20%of pop. total)
Poor (15% of ages 5–17)
2,500,000
500,000
75,000
14.1–15.9%
14.5–15.5%
14.6–15.4%
14.7–15.3%
1,000,000
200,000
30,000
13.5–16.5
14.1–15.9
14.3–15.7
14.6–15.4
500,000
100,000
15,000
12.9–17.1
13.8–16.2
14.1–15.9
14.4–15.6
250,000
50,000
7,500
12.0–18.0
13.3–16.7
13.7–16.3
14.1–15.9
100,000
20,000
3,000
10.3–19.7
12.3–17.7
12.9–17.1
13.6–16.4
65,000
13,000
1,950
9.1–20.9
11.6–18.4
12.4–17.6
13.3–16.7
50,000
10,000
1,500
8.3–21.7
11.2–18.8
12.0–18.0
13.0–17.0
25,000
5,000
750
5.5–24.5
9.6–20.4
10.8–19.2
12.2–17.8
20,000
4,000
600
4.4–25.6
8.9–21.1
10.3–19.7
11.9–18.1
10,000
2,000
300
0.1–29.9
6.4–23.6
8.3–21.7
10.6–19.4
5,000
1,000
150
(0.0–36.1)
2.8–27.2
5.6–24.4
8.8–21.2
3,000
600
90
(0.0–38.6)
1.4–28.6
4.4–25.6
8.0–22.0
1,500
300
45
(0.0–33.0)
4.6–25.4
7.0–23.0
9.7–20.3
500
100
15
(0.0–39.8)
0.7–29.3
3.9–26.1
5.8–24.2
NOTES: The 90 percent confidence interval (CI) ranges from an estimate minus the 90 percent margin of error to the estimate plus the 90 percent margin of error (see Table 2-7b). The 90 percent confidence intervals in parentheses are inexact. The lower limit of the confidence interval calculated in the standard way is a negative number, which is not possible. For simplicity, the lower limit has been set to 0 in these cases. See also the notes for Table 2-7b.
