ACS Answers Are Required, Not Shared With Law Enforcement
The U.S. Census Bureau says that if your address was selected for the American Community Survey (ACS), you are legally obligated to answer all the questions, as accurately as you can. The Census Bureau also says that when you respond to the ACS, your individual records are not shared with anyone, including federal agencies and law enforcement entities; by law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including companies, other federal agencies and law enforcement.
The Census Bureau says the ACS is a legitimate survey it conducts, contacting over 3.5 million households across the country every year; the ACS never asks for your Social Security number (SSN), your mother's maiden name, your personal information through email, money or donations, or credit card or bank account information. This article follows the Census Bureau's ACS top questions page: how to verify the survey is real, why you must answer, how to respond, and how your information is protected. It follows only the Census Bureau page and does not give legal advice.
Is it a real survey?
The Census Bureau explains (Census Bureau, ACS Top Questions):
- A legitimate survey: The ACS is a legitimate survey conducted by the Census Bureau; unlike the every-10-year census, it continues all year, every year, randomly sampling addresses in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
- What it's for: Answers are used to create up-to-date statistics for federal, state, tribal and local leaders; some ACS questions have been asked since the first census in 1790.
- How many are sampled: About 3.5 million addresses are randomly selected each year; your address was chosen through scientific sampling and represents thousands of households like yours.
- Can't be removed: A selected address may not be removed from the sample, because the validity of the data would quickly deteriorate; the Census Bureau takes steps to reduce the chance a household gets the survey more than once in 5 years.
How to verify it's the Census Bureau
- Letters: If your household was contacted and you want to verify the survey is legitimate, call toll-free 1-800-354-7271.
- Phone calls: If you got a call about the ACS and want to verify it, call a Census Bureau telephone center directly: Jeffersonville, IN at 1-800-523-3205 or Tucson, AZ at 1-800-642-0469.
- Home visits: To verify a visit, call your Census Regional Office, or confirm the person is a Census Bureau employee with the Census Bureau Staff Search; field staff will always show a valid Census Bureau ID and a copy of the letter sent to you.
Do you have to answer?
- Legally obligated: If your address was selected, you are legally obligated to answer all the questions as accurately as you can; the relevant laws are Title 18 U.S.C. Sections 3571 and 3559, which amend Title 13 U.S.C. Section 221.
- Why it's required: The ACS is part of the decennial census, replacing the "long form" that used to be sent to a share of households every 10 years.
- How to respond: The ACS collects responses four ways: internet, mail, telephone and in-person interviews.
- What the data does: The Census Bureau says the data helps inform how trillions of dollars in federal funds are distributed each year, and helps communities plan hospitals, schools, school lunch programs, emergency services, bridges and more.
How your information is protected
- Not shared: Your individual records are not shared with anyone, including federal agencies and law enforcement; by law, answers cannot be shared with companies, other federal agencies or law enforcement.
- Lifetime confidentiality: All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect information that could identify individuals; an employee who violates it faces a fine of up to $250,000, up to 5 years in prison, or both.
- Names removed: When ACS data is processed, names and other personal identifiers are deleted from the files used to tabulate the data; the Census Bureau does not keep a national database of names, addresses and personal information from the ACS.
- Never asked: The ACS never asks for your Social Security number, your mother's maiden name, your personal information through email, money or donations, or credit card or bank account information.
For spotting scam calls that pretend to be government agencies, see USCIS or the IRS Won't Call for Gift Card Payment; for blocking robocalls, see Block Robocalls With an App, Do Not Call Won't Stop Scams; for reporting stolen mail, see Report Stolen Mail to Postal Inspectors, Online or by Phone.
What this article did not check
- Consequences of not answering: The page lists the relevant laws but does not say what happens if you don't answer, so this article does not infer it.
- Why each question is asked: The Census Bureau has a separate page; this article did not check it.
- How to fill out each response method: The Census Bureau has a separate page on answering online, by mail or by phone; this article did not check it.
FAQ
Is an ACS letter a scam?
The Census Bureau says the ACS is a legitimate survey it conducts; to verify, call 1-800-354-7271, and field staff will always show a valid Census Bureau ID and a copy of the letter sent to you. The ACS never asks for money, donations, credit card or bank account information, or your Social Security number.
Do I have to answer?
The Census Bureau says that if your address was selected, you are legally obligated to answer all the questions as accurately as you can.
Will my answers be given to other government agencies or law enforcement?
No. The Census Bureau says your individual records are not shared with anyone, including federal agencies and law enforcement.
Can I ask to have my address removed from the survey?
No. The Census Bureau says a selected address may not be removed from the sample.
Sources and date checked
All checked on 2026-11-02.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Top Questions About the Survey (page updated 2026-10-22):https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/about/top-questions-about-the-survey.html