Inconsistencies in ACS 2022 5-Year Estimates: A Case Study of BYUI Gender Ratios

Hello ACS Data Community,

I recently stumbled upon a perplexing issue in the 2022 ACS 5-year estimates that I believe warrants discussion. According to the official enrollment statistics provided by BYU-Idaho (byui.edu/executive-strategy-and-planning/institutional-data/official-enrollment-statistics), the ratio of male to female students is roughly balanced, hovering around a 1:1 ratio.

https://www.byui.edu/executive-strategy-and-planning/institutional-data/official-enrollment-statistics

However, this seems to be in stark contrast with the ACS 2022 5-year estimates for the Rexburg, ID Micro Area, specifically in the S12002 table.

https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5Y2022.B12002?q=B12002:%20Sex%20by%20Marital%20Status%20by%20Age%20for%20the%20Population%2015%20Years%20and%20Over&g=310XX00US39940

The ACS data indicates a surplus of 5643 never married women in the area, which seems implausible given the university's gender ratio. This discrepancy raises serious concerns about the accuracy of the ACS estimates. Could this be a methodological error or a misinterpretation of the data?

I reached out to the ACS team regarding this issue, but they firmly denied any error in their data. This response is a bit disconcerting as it challenges our understanding of the demographic dynamics in university-centric areas like Rexburg. I'm curious to hear your thoughts and experiences regarding similar discrepancies in ACS data, especially in areas with significant young adult populations.

How do we reconcile such stark differences in data from reliable sources? Are there any methodological nuances of the ACS estimates that might explain this discrepancy? I look forward to a vibrant discussion on this issue.