New Set of ACS Five-year Estimates Released; Report from PA State Data Center Published

A new set of five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) have been released today, providing data users with demographic and socio-economic data for all geographic areas.

With this year’s release, users can now compare estimates across three distinct periods of time. The newest estimates can be compared with other non-overlapping releases (i.e., 2010-2014 and 2005-2009) to show change over time.

The Pennsylvania State Data Center has developed a report that highlights trends in marital status across all three non-overlapping five-year periods. Some findings include that the percentage of individuals who were married decreased consistently in 39 counties across each five-year period while the percentage of individuals who were divorced increased in 39 counties during that time.

Perry County had the highest percentage of individuals who were currently married (excluding those separated) at 57.1% while Philadelphia County had the lowest (30.6%). Cameron County had the highest percentage of those who were divorced (15.5%) while Centre County had the lowest (7.3%).

For more information on marital status trends or the ACS Five-Year Estimates, click here to read the Data Center’s latest brief.