The universe for the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Decennial Censuses is the resident population. This universe includes all persons who are “usually resident” in a specified geographic area. For the United States, the resident population includes all persons who usually reside in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, but excludes residents of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Island areas under U.S. sovereignty or jurisdiction (principally American Samoa, Guam, United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). In addition, the U.S. resident population excludes U.S. Armed Forces overseas and civilian U.S. citizens whose usual place of residence is outside the United States.

There are slight differences in the residence rules between the ACS and the Decennial Census. More information on this can be found in Chapter 9 of the ACS Handbook: What All Data Users Need to Know.

The universe for the Current Population Survey is the civilian non-institutionalized population. This universe includes everyone in the civilian non-institutionalized population living in the United States. Members of the Armed Forces living off post, or with their families on post, are included if at least one civilian adult lives in the household.   

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