The Measurement of Internationally Adopted Children in the U.S.: Evidence from the ACS

Robert Kominski, U.S. Census Bureau
Daphne A. Lofquist, U.S. Census Bureau

This paper examines data from the American Community Survey to assess its utility as a data source for studying internationally adopted children. The group in question is relatively small in size – on the order of 8-10,000 children a year, based on recent administrative estimates. We use data from a five-year data file of the ACS (the 2008-12 file) in an attempt to assess both the overall level of the population, the nations of origin, and some of the characteristics of the children. In doing so, we provide further information for understanding and using the ACS as a source of small-scale subpopulations.