Census Definitions & Terms
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Ability to speak English. For people who speak a language other than English at home, the response represents the person’s own perception of his or her ability to speak English, from "very well" to "not at all". Because census questionnaires are usually completed by one household member, the responses may represent the perception of another household member. (For more information, see "Language spoken at home".)
Age. The age classification is based on the age of the person in complete years as of April 1, 2000. The age of the person usually was derived from their date of birth information. Their reported age was used only when date of birth information was unavailable.
Ancestry. Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent, ‘‘roots,’’ heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. The data on ancestry represent self-classification by people according to the ancestry group(s) with which they most closely identify. The ancestry question allowed respondents to report one or more ancestry groups; however, only the first two responses were coded. The data presented in this product refer to the total number of ancestries reported (up to two) by people living in the area.
Armed Forces. People on active duty with the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard. It does not include Armed Forces members stationed abroad in foreign countries.
Average family size. A measure obtained by dividing the number of people in families by the total number of families (or family householders).
Average household size. A measure obtained by dividing the number of people in households by the total number of households (or householders) since the number of households equals the number of householders.
Average household size of owner-occupied units. A measure obtained by dividing the number of people living in owner-occupied housing units by the total number of owner-occupied housing units.
Average household size of renter-occupied units. A measure obtained by dividing the number of people living in renter-occupied housing units by the total number of renter-occupied housing units.
Born at sea. In a small number of cases, place of birth was reported as "At sea", which does not fit into any particular world region. Therefore, the foreign-born universe shown in the ‘‘Region of birth of foreign born’’ section does not match the universe shown for the "Nativity and place of birth" section. (For more information, see "Foreign born" and "Native".)
Child. A child includes a son or daughter by birth, a stepchild, or an adopted child of the householder, regardless of the child's age or marital status.
Class of worker. The class of worker refers to the same job as the respondent's industry and occupation, categorizing people according to the type of ownership of the employing organization. Class of worker categories are private wage and salary workers, government workers, self-employed in own incorporated business workers, self-employed in own not incorporated business workers, and unpaid family workers. Private wage and salary workers includes private-for-profit and private not-for-profit employees. Government workers includes local, state, and federal government employees. Self-employed in own incorporated business is included with private wage and salary workers because they are paid employees of their own companies; whereas, self-employed in own not incorporated business includes people who work in their own unincorporated business, profession, or trade, or who operated a farm. Unpaid family workers includes people who work 15 hours or more without pay in a business or on a farm operated by a relative.
Citizenship status. U.S. citizens include people born as citizens and people who acquire citizenship through naturalization. All natives are U.S. citizens at birth. A foreign-born person is classified as either a "Naturalized citizen" or "Not a citizen". (For more information, see "Native" and "Foreign born".)
Commuting to work. Means of transportation to work refers to the principal mode of travel or type of conveyance that the worker usually used to get from home to work during the reference week. The category "Car, truck, or van — drove alone" includes people who usually drove alone to work, as well as people who were driven to work by someone who then drove back home or to a nonwork destination during the reference week. The category "Car, truck, or van — carpooled" includes workers who reported that two or more people usually rode to work in the vehicle during the reference week. The category "Public transportation (including taxicab)" includes workers who usually used a bus or trolley bus, streetcar or trolley car (publico in Puerto Rico), subway or elevated, railroad, ferryboat, or taxicab during the reference week. The category "Other means" includes workers who used a mode of travel that is not identified separately.
Disability status. People 5 years old and over are considered to have a disability if they have one or more of the following: (a) blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment; (b) a substantial limitation in the ability to perform basic physical activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying; (c) difficulty learning, remembering, or concentrating; or (d) difficulty dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home. In addition to the above criteria, people 16 years old and over are considered to have a disability if they have difficulty going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor's office, and people 16-64 years old are considered to have a disability if they have difficulty working at a job or business.
Earnings. Earnings is defined as the sum of wage and salary income and net income from self-employment. Earnings represent the amount of income received regularly before deductions for personal income taxes, social security, bond purchases, union dues, medicare deductions, etc.
Educational attainment. Educational attainment is the highest degree or level of school completed. The category "Associate degree" includes people whose highest degree is an associate degree, which generally requires two years of college level work and is either in an occupational program that prepares them for a specific occupation, or an academic program primarily in the arts and sciences. The course work may or may not be transferrable to a bachelor's degree. Master's degrees include the traditional MA and MS degrees and field-specific degrees, such as MSW, MEd, MBA, MLS, and MEng. Some examples of professional degrees include medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, law, and theology. Vocational and technical training, such as that in barber school; business, trade, technical, and vocational schools; or other training for a specific trade are specifically excluded.
Employed. All civilians 16 years old and over who are either (1) "at work" - those who did any work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business or (2) are "with a job, but not at work" - those who did not work during the reference week, but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around their own house (painting, repairing, or own home housework) or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations. Also excluded are people on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. The reference week is the full calendar week preceding the date on which the respondent completed the questionnaire or was interviewed by enumerators. (For more information, see "Labor force" and "Unemployed".)
Family household (family). A family includes a householder and one or more people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. A family household may contain people not related to the householder, but those people are not included as part of the householder’s family in census tabulations. Thus, the number of 5–9 family households is equal to the number of families, but family households may include more members than do families. A household can contain only one family for purposes of census tabulations. Not all households contain families since a household may comprise a group of unrelated people or one person living alone.
Female householder, no husband present. A female maintaining a household with no husband of the householder present.
Foreign born. The foreign-born population includes all people who are not U.S. citizens at birth. (For more information, see "Native" and "Born at sea".)
Full-time, year-round workers. This category consists of people 16 years old and over who usually worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in 1999.
Grandparents as caregivers. Data were collected on whether a grandchild lives in the household, whether the grandparent has responsibility for the basic needs of the grandchild, and the duration of that responsibility. The data on grandparents as caregivers were derived from answers to questions asked of the population 15 years and over. Because of the very few numbers of people under 30 years being grandparents, data are only shown for people 30 years and over.
Gross rent. Gross rent is monthly contract rent plus the estimated average monthly cost of utilities and fuels, if these are paid by the renter. (For more information, see "Specified renter occupied units.")
Gross rent as a percentage of household income in 1999. A computed ratio of monthly gross rent to monthly household income (total household income in 1999 divided by 12). Units for which no cash rent is paid and units occupied by households that reported no income or a net loss in 1999 comprise the category "Not computed". (For more information, see "Specified renter occupied units".)
Group quarters population. The group quarters population includes all people not living in households. Two general categories of people in group quarters are recognized: (1) the institutionalized population, which includes people under formally authorized, supervised care or custody in institutions at the time of enumeration (such as correctional institutions, nursing homes, and juvenile institutions), and (2) the non institutionalized population, which includes all people who live in group quarters other than institutions (such as college dormitories, military quarters, and group homes).
Hispanic or Latino. People who identify with the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" are those who classify themselves in one of the specific Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the questionnaire—Mexican", "Puerto Rican", or "Cuban"—as well as those who indicate that they are "other Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino". Origin can be viewed as the heritage, nationality group, lineage, or country of birth of the person or the person's parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. People who identify their origin as Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino may be of any race.
Homeowner vacancy rate. The homeowner vacancy rate is the proportion of the homeowner housing inventory that is vacant for sale. It is computed by dividing the number of vacant units for sale only by the sum of owner-occupied units and vacant units that are for sale only, and then multiplying by 100. (For more information, see "Vacant housing unit".)
House heating fuel. The type of fuel used most often to heat the house, apartment, or mobile home.
Household. A household includes all of the people who occupy a housing unit. People not living in households are classified as living in group quarters.
Householder. In most cases, the householder is the person, or one of the people, in whose name the home is owned, being bought, or rented and who is listed as Person 1 on the census questionnaire. If there is no such person in the household, any adult household member 15 years old and over could be designated as the householder (i.e., Person 1).
Housing unit. A housing unit may be a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live separately from any other individuals in the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall.
Income in 1999. Information on money income received in calendar year 1999 was requested from individuals 15 years and over. "Total income" is the sum of the amounts reported separately for wage or salary income; net self-employment income; interest, dividends, or net rental or royalty income; social security or railroad retirement income; supplemental security income (SSI); public assistance or welfare payments; retirement or disability income; and all other income. Receipts from the following sources are not included as income: money received from the sale of property (unless the recipient was engaged in the business of selling such property); capital gains; the value of income "in kind" from food stamps, public housing subsidies, medical care, employer contributions for individuals, etc.; withdrawal of bank deposits; money borrowed; tax refunds; exchange of money between relatives living in the same household; and gifts and lump-sum inheritances, insurance payments, and other types of lump-sum receipts. Although the income statistics cover calendar year 1999, the characteristics of individuals and the composition of households/families refer to the time of enumeration. Thus, the income of the household or family does not include amounts received by individuals who were members of the household/family during all or part of the calendar year 1999 if these individuals no longer resided with the household/family at the time of enumeration. Similarly, income amounts reported by individuals who did not reside with the household/family during 1999 but who were members of the household/family at the time of enumeration are included. However, the composition of most households/families was the same during 1999 as at the time of enumeration.
Income of families. In compiling statistics on family income, the incomes of all members 15 years old and over in each family are summed and treated as a single amount.
Income of households. Includes the income of the householder and all other individuals 15 years old and over in the household, whether they are related to the householder or not. Because many households consist of only one person, average household income is usually less than average family income.
Income type in 1999
Wage or salary income. Wage or salary income includes total money earnings received for work performed as an employee during calendar year 1999. It includes wages, salary, Armed Forces pay, commissions, tips, piece-rate payments, and cash bonuses earned before deductions were made for taxes, bonds, pensions, union dues, etc.
Self-employment income. Self-employment income includes both farm and nonfarm self-employment income:
Nonfarm self-employment income. Nonfarm self-employment includes net money income (gross receipts minus expenses) from one's own business, professional enterprise, or partnership. Gross receipts include the value of all goods sold and services rendered. Expenses include costs of goods purchased, rent, heat, light, power, depreciation, charges, wages and salaries paid, business taxes (not personal income taxes), etc.
Farm self-employment. Farm self-employment includes net money income (gross receipts minus operating expenses) from the operation of a farm by a person on his or her own account, as an owner, renter, or sharecropper. Gross receipts include the value of all products sold; government farm programs; money received from the rental of farm equipment to others; and incidental receipts from the sale of wood, sand, gravel, etc. Operating expenses include cost of feed, fertilizer, seed, and other farming supplies; cash wages paid to farmhands; depreciation charges; cash rent; interest on farm mortgages; farm building repairs; farm taxes (not state and federal personal income taxes), etc. The value of fuel, food, or other farm products used for family living is not included as part of net income.
Interest, dividends, or net rental income. Interest, dividends, or net rental income includes interests on savings or bonds, dividends from stockholdings or membership in associations, net income from rental of property to others and receipts from boarders or lodgers, net royalties, and periodic payments from an estate or trust fund.
Social security income. Social security income includes social security pensions and survivors benefits and permanent disability insurance payments made by the Social Security Administration prior to deductions for medical insurance, and railroad retirement insurance checks from the U.S. government. Medicare reimbursements are not included.
Supplemental security income (SSI). Supplemental security income is a U.S. federal assistance program administered by the Social Security Administration that guarantees a minimum level of income for needy aged, blind, or disabled individuals. The census questionnaire for Puerto Rico asked about the receipt of SSI; however, SSI is not a federally administered program in Puerto Rico. Therefore, it is not the same concept as SSI in the United States. The only way a resident of Puerto Rico could have appropriately reported SSI would have been if they lived in the United States at any time during calendar year 1999 and received SSI.
Public assistance income. Public assistance income includes general assistance and temporary assistance to needy families (TANF). Separate payments received for hospital or other medical care (vendor payments) are excluded. This does not include supplemental security income (SSI).
Retirement or disability income.Retirement or disability income includes: (1) retirement pensions and survivor benefits from a former employer; labor union; or federal, state, or local government; and the U.S. military; (2) income from workers' compensation; disability income from companies or unions; federal, state, or local government; and the U.S. military; (3) periodic receipts from annuities and insurance; and (4) regular income from IRA and KEOGH plans. This does not include social security income.
All other income. All other income includes unemployment compensation, Veterans' Administration (VA) payments, alimony and child support, contributions received periodically from people not living in the household, military family allotments, and other kinds of periodic income other than earnings.
Industry. Information on industry relates to the kind of business conducted by a person's employing organization. For employed people, the data refer to the person's job during the reference week. For those who worked at two or more jobs, the data refer to the job at which the person worked the greatest number of hours. Some examples of industrial groups shown in this product include agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; and public administration.
Institutionalized population. The institutionalized population includes people under formally authorized, supervised care or custody in institutions at the time of enumeration. (For more information, see "Group quarters population".)
Kitchen facilities. Complete kitchen facilities include all of the following: a sink with piped water, a range or cook top and oven, and a refrigerator. All kitchen facilities must be located in the house, apartment, or mobile home, but they need not be in the same room.
Labor force. The labor force includes all people classified in the civilian labor force (that is, "employed" and "unemployed" people) plus members of the U.S. Armed Forces (people on active duty in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard). (For more information, see "Employed" and "Unemployed".)
Language spoken at home. The population who speaks a language other than English includes only those who sometimes or always speak a language other than English at home. It does not include those who speak a language other than English only at school or work, or those who were limited to only a few expressions or slang of the other language. Most people who speak another language at home also speak English. (For more information, see "Ability to speak English".)
Marital status. Each person is asked whether they are "now married", "widowed", "divorced", "separated", or "never married". Couples who live together (for example, people in common-law marriages) were able to report the marital status they considered the most appropriate.
Married-couple family. A family in which the householder and his or her spouse are enumerated as members of the same household.
Mean earnings. See "Mean Income." For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Mean income. Mean income is the amount obtained by dividing the total income of a particular statistical universe by the number of units in that universe. Thus, mean household income is obtained by dividing total household income by the total number of households. For the various types of income, the means are based on households having those types of income. Care should be exercised in using and interpreting mean income values for small subgroups of the population. Because the mean is influenced strongly by extreme values in the distribution, it is especially susceptible to the effects of sampling variability, misreporting, and processing errors. The median, which is not affected by extreme values, is, therefore, a better measure than the mean when the population base is small.
Mean public assistance income. See "Mean income". For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Mean retirement income. See "Mean income". For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Mean social security income. See "Mean income". For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Mean supplemental security income. See "Mean income". For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Mean travel time to work (minutes). Mean travel time to work is the average travel time in minutes that workers usually took to get from home to work (one-way) during the reference week. This measure is obtained by dividing the total number of minutes taken to get from home to work by the number of workers 16 years old and over who did not work at home. The travel time includes time spent waiting for public transportation, picking up passengers in carpools, and time spent in other activities related to getting to work. For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Means of transportation to work. See "Commuting to work".
Median age. The median divides the age distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median age and one-half above the median.
Median earnings for full-time, year-round workers. The median divides the earnings distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median and one-half above the median. Median earnings for full-time, year-round workers is based on individuals 16 years and over with earnings who usually worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in 1999. This measure is rounded to the nearest dollar. (For more information, see "Earnings".)
Median gross rent. The median divides the gross rent distribution (rent, plus utilities, if paid separately from rent) into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median gross rent and one-half above the median. This measure is rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Housing units that are renter occupied without payment of cash rent are excluded in the calculation of median gross rent.
Median income. The median divides the income distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median income and one-half above the median. For households and families, the median income is based on the distribution of the total number of households or families including those with no income. The median for individuals is based on individuals 15 years and over with income. This measure is rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
Median rooms. The median divides the room distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median number of rooms and one-half above the median. In computing median rooms, the whole number is used as the midpoint of the interval; thus, the category "3 rooms" is treated as an interval ranging from 2.5 to 3.5 rooms. This measure is rounded to the nearest tenth.
Median selected monthly owner costs. The median divides the selected monthly owner costs into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median selected monthly owner costs and one-half above the median. Medians are shown separately for units "with a mortgage" and for units "not mortgaged". This measure is rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
Median value. The median divides the value distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median value of the property (house and lot, mobile home and lot, or condominium unit) and one-half above the median. This measure is rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. (For more information, see "Specified owner-occupied units.")
Mortgage status. "Mortgage" refers to all forms of debt where the property is pledged as security for repayment of the debt, including deeds of trust, trust deed, contracts to purchase, land contracts, junior mortgages, and home equity loans.
Native. The native population includes people born in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Island Areas. People who were born in a foreign country but have at least one American parent also are included in this category. (For more information, see "Born at sea" and "Foreign born".)
No telephone service. See "Telephone".
Nonfamily household. A household consisting of a householder living alone or with nonrelatives only.
Noninstitutionalized population. All people who live in group quarters other than institutions. Also, included are staff residing at institutional group quarters. (For more information, see "Group quarters population".)
Nonrelative. Any household member who is not related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption, including foster children.
Occupants per room. Occupants per room is obtained by dividing the number of people in each occupied housing unit by the number of rooms in the unit. Occupants per room is rounded to the nearest hundredth. Although the Census Bureau has no official definition of crowded units, many users consider units with more than one occupant per room to be crowded.
Occupation. Occupation describes the kind of work the person does on the job. For employed people, the data refer to the person's job during the reference week. For those who worked at two or more jobs, the data refer to the job at which the person worked the greatest number of hours during the reference week. Some examples of occupational groups shown in this product include service, sales, and farming.
Occupied housing unit. A housing unit is classified as occupied if it is the usual place of residence of the person or group of people living in it at the time of enumeration, or if the occupants are only temporarily absent; that is, away on vacation or business.
Other relative. Any household member related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption, but not included specifically in another relationship category.
Own child. A never-married child under 18 years old who is a son or daughter of the householder by birth, marriage (a stepchild), or adoption. For 100-percent tabulations, own children consist of all sons/daughters of householders who are under 18 years of age. For sample data, own children consist of sons/daughters of householders who are under 18 years of age and who have never been married; therefore, numbers of own children of householders may be different in these two tabulations (note: in tabulations of own children by employment status of parents, the number of "own children" includes children in families and subfamilies and may therefore differ from other 100-percent and sample tabulations).
Owner-occupied housing unit. A housing unit is owner occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for.
Per capita income. Per capita income is the mean income computed for every man, woman, and child in a particular group. It is derived by dividing the total income of a particular group by the total population in that group. For more information, see "Conditional rounding" under "Derived measures".
Place of birth. See "Born at sea", "Foreign born" and "Native".
Place of Work The data on place of work were derived from answers to long-form questionnaire Item 22, which was asked of a sample of the population 15 years old and over. This question was asked of people who indicated in question 21 that they worked at some time during the reference week. (For more information, see "Reference Week".)
Data were tabulated for workers 16 years old and over; that is, members of the armed forces and civilians who were at work during the reference week. Data on place of work refer to the geographic location at which workers carried out their occupational activities during the reference week. The exact address (number and street name) of the place of work was asked, as well as the place (city, town, or post office); whether or not the place of work was inside or outside the limits of that city or town; and the county, state or foreign country, and ZIP Code. If the person’s employer operated in more than one location, the exact address of the location or branch where the respondent worked was requested. When the number and street name were unknown, a description of the location, such as the building name or nearest street or intersection, was to be entered.
In areas where the workplace address was coded to the block level, people were tabulated as working inside or outside a specific place based on the location of that address, regardless of the response to Question 22c concerning city/town limits. In areas where it was impossible to code the workplace address to the block level, people were tabulated as working in a place if a place name was reported in Question 22b and the response to Question 22c was either "yes" or the item was left blank. In selected areas, census designated places (CDPs) may appear in the tabulations as places of work. The accuracy of place-of-work data for CDPs may be affected by the extent to which their census names were familiar to respondents, and by coding problems caused by similarities between the CDP name and the names of other geographic jurisdictions in the same vicinity.
Place-of-work data are given for minor civil divisions (MCDs) (generally, cities, towns, and townships) in 12 selected states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin), based on the responses to the place-of-work question. The MCDs in these 12 states also serve as general-purpose local governments that generally can perform the same governmental functions as incorporated places. The U.S. Census Bureau presents data for the MCDs in all data products in which it provides data for places. Many towns and townships are regarded locally as equivalent to a place, and therefore, were reported as the place of work. When a respondent reported a locality or incorporated place that formed a part of a township or town, the coding and tabulating procedure was designed to include the response in the total for the township or town.
Plumbing facilities. The data on plumbing facilities are obtained from both occupied and vacant housing units. Complete plumbing facilities include: (1) hot and cold piped water, (2) a flush toilet, and (3) a bathtub or shower. All three facilities must be located in the housing unit.
Poverty status in 1999. The poverty data were derived from answers to long-form questionnaire Items 31 and 32, the same questions used to derive income data. (For more information, see "Income in 1999".) The Census Bureau uses the federal government's official poverty definition. The Social Security Administration (SSA) developed the original poverty definition in 1964, which federal interagency committees subsequently revised in 1969 and 1980. The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) Directive 14 prescribes this definition as the official poverty measure for federal agencies to use in their statistical work.
Derivation of the Current Poverty Measure. When the Social Security Administration (SSA) created the poverty definition in 1964, it focused on family food consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) used its data about the nutritional needs of children and adults to construct food plans for families. Within each food plan, dollar amounts varied according to the total number of people in the family and the family’s composition, such as the number of children within each family. The cheapest of these plans, the Economy Food Plan, was designed to address the dietary needs of families on an austere budget.
Since the USDA's 1955 Food Consumption Survey showed that families of three or more people across all income levels spent roughly one-third of their income on food, the SSA multiplied the cost of the Economy Food Plan by three to obtain dollar figures for the poverty thresholds. Since the Economy Food Plan budgets varied by family size and composition, so too did the poverty thresholds. For 2-person families, the thresholds were adjusted by slightly higher factors because those households had higher fixed costs. Thresholds for unrelated individuals were calculated as a fixed proportion of the corresponding thresholds for 2-person families.
The poverty thresholds are revised annually to allow for changes in the cost of living as reflected in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The poverty thresholds are the same for all parts of the country — they are not adjusted for regional, state or local variations in the cost of living. For a detailed discussion of the poverty definition, see U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, "Poverty in the United States: 1999", P-60-210.
How Poverty Status is Determined
The poverty status of families and unrelated individuals in 1999 was determined using 48 thresholds (income cutoffs) arranged in a two dimensional matrix. The matrix consists of family size (from 1 person to 9 or more people) cross-classified by presence and number of family members under 18 years old (from no children present to 8 or more children present). Unrelated individuals and 2-person families were further differentiated by the age of the reference person (RP) (under 65 years old and 65 years old and over). To determine a person’s poverty status, one compares the person’s total family income with the poverty threshold appropriate for that person’s family size and composition (see table below). If the total income of that person’s family is less than the threshold appropriate for that family, then the person is considered poor, together with every member of his or her family. If a person is not living with anyone related by birth, marriage, or adoption, then the person’s own income is compared with his or her poverty threshold.
Weighted average thresholds. Even though the official poverty data are based on the 48 thresholds arranged by family size and number of children within the family, data users often want to get an idea of the "average" threshold for a given family size. The weighted average thresholds provide that summary. They are weighted averages because for any given family size, families with a certain number of children may be more or less common than families with a different number of children. In other words, among 3-person families, there are more families with two adults and one child than families with three adults. To get the weighted average threshold for families of a particular size, multiply each threshold by the number of families for whom that threshold applies; then add up those products, and divide by the total number of families who are of that family size.
For example, for 3-person families, 1999 weighted thresholds were calculated in the following way using information from the 2000 Current Population Survey: Family type Number of families Threshold No children (three adults) 5,213 * $13,032 = $67,935,816
One child (two adults) 8,208 * $13,410 = $110,069,280
Two children (one adult) 2,656 * $13,423 = $35,651,488
Totals 16,077 $213,656,584
Source: Current Population Survey, March 2000. Dividing $213,656,584 by 16,077 (the total number of 3-person families) yields $13,290, the weighted average threshold for 3-person families. Please note that the thresholds are weighted not just by the number of poor families, but by all families for which the thresholds apply: the thresholds are used to determine which families are at or above poverty, as well as below poverty. Individuals for whom poverty status is determined. Poverty status was determined for all people except institutionalized people, people in military group quarters, people in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years old. These groups also were excluded from the numerator and denominator when calculating poverty rates. They are considered neither "poor" nor "nonpoor".
Specified poverty levels. For various reasons, the official poverty definition does not satisfy all the needs of data users. Therefore, some of the data reflect the number of people below different percentages of the poverty level. These specified poverty levels are obtained by multiplying the official thresholds by the appropriate factor. For example, the average income cutoff at 125 percent of the poverty level was $21,286 ($17,029 x 1.25) in 1999 for family of four people.
Race. The concept of race as used by the Census Bureau reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify. The categories are sociopolitical constructs and should not be interpreted as being scientific or anthropological in nature.
Furthermore, the race categories include both racial and national-origin groups. The racial classifications used by the Census Bureau adhere to the October 30, 1997, Federal Register Notice entitled, "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity" issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). These standards govern the categories used to collect and present federal data on race and ethnicity. The OMB requires five minimum categories (White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander) for race. The race categories are described below with a sixth category, "Some other race", added with OMB approval. In addition to the five race groups, the OMB also states that respondents should be offered the option of selecting one or more races.
If an individual could not provide a race response, the race or races of the householder or other household members were assigned by the computer using specific rules of precedence of household relationship. For example, if race was missing for a natural-born child in the household, then either the race or races of the householder, another natural-born child, or the spouse of the householder were assigned. If race was not reported for anyone in the household, the race or races of a householder in a previously processed household were assigned.
White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.
Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro", or who provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.
American Indian and Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. It includes people who classify themselves as described below.
American Indian. Includes people who indicate their race as "American Indian", entered the name of an Indian tribe, or report such entries as Canadian Indian, French-American Indian, or Spanish-American Indian.
Alaska Native. Includes written responses of Eskimos, Aleuts, and Alaska Indians as well as entries such as Arctic Slope, Inupiat, Yupik, Alutiiq, Egegik, and Pribilovian. The Alaska tribes are the Alaskan Athabascan, Tlingit, and Haida. The information for Census 2000 is derived from the American Indian Detailed Tribal Classification List for the 1990 census and was expanded to list the individual Alaska Native Villages when provided as a written response for race.
Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian Indian", "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Japanese", "Vietnamese", and "Other Asian".
Asian Indian. Includes people who indicate their race as "Asian Indian" or identify themselves as Bengalese, Bharat, Dravidian, East Indian, or Goanese.
Chinese. Includes people who indicate their race as "Chinese" or who identify themselves as Cantonese or Chinese American. In some census tabulations, written entries of Taiwanese are included with Chinese while in others they are shown separately.
Filipino. Includes people who indicate their race as "Filipino" or who report entries such as Philipino, Philipine, or Filipino American.
Japanese. Includes people who indicate their race as "Japanese" or who report entries such as Nipponese or Japanese American.
Korean. Includes people who indicate their race as "Korean" or who provide a response of Korean American.
Vietnamese. Includes people who indicate their race as "Vietnamese" or who provide a response of Vietnamese American.
Other Asian. Includes people who provide a response of Bangladeshi, Burmese, Cambodian, Hmong, Indonesian, Laotian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, or Thai.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as "Native Hawaiian", "Guamanian or Chamorro", "Samoan", and "Other Pacific Islander".
Native Hawaiian. Includes people who indicate their race as "Native Hawaiian" or who identify themselves as "Part Hawaiian" or "Hawaiian".
Guamanian or Chamorro. Includes people who indicate their race as such, including written entries of Chamorro or Guam.
Samoan. Includes people who indicate their race as "Samoan" or who identified themselves as American Samoan or Western Samoan.
Other Pacific Islander. Includes people who provided a write-in response of a Pacific Islander group such as Tahitian, Northern Mariana Islander, Palauan, Fijian, or a cultural group, such as Melanesian, Micronesian, or Polynesian.
Some other race. Includes all other responses not included in the "White", "Black or African American", "American Indian and Alaska Native", "Asian", and the "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" race categories described above. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, or a Hispanic/Latino group (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) in the "Some other race" category are included in this category.
Two or more races. People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses. The race response categories shown on the questionnaire are collapsed into the five minimum race groups identified by the OMB, plus the Census Bureau "Some other race" category. For data product purposes, "Two or more races" refers to combinations of two or more of the following race categories:
White
Black or African American
American Indian and Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
Some other race
Coding of write-in entries. During 100-percent processing of Census 2000 questionnaires, written entries were coded from four response categories on the race item—American Indian or Alaska Native, Other Asian, Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race—for which an area for a write-in response was provided. The Other Asian and Other Pacific Islander response categories shared the same write-in area on the questionnaire.
Reference week. The data on employment status and commuting to work are related to a one week time period, known as the reference week. For each person, this week is the full calendar week, Sunday through Saturday, preceding the date the questionnaire was completed. This calendar week is not the same for all people since the enumeration was not completed in one week.
Related children. Related children include all people under 18 years old related to the householder, regardless of their marital status. Excluded are spouses of householders.
Rental vacancy rate. The proportion of the rental inventory that is vacant for rent. It is computed by dividing the number of vacant units for rent by the sum of the renter-occupied units and the number of vacant units for rent, and then multiplying by 100.
Renter-occupied housing unit. All occupied housing units that are not owner occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter occupied. Housing units in "continuing care" or life care facilities are included in the "rented for cash rent" category.
Residence in 1995. Residence in 1995 indicates an individual’s area of residence on April 1, 1995.
Resident parents of own children. Resident parents of own children are those parents whose usual residence was the same as that of their own children.
Rooms. The data on rooms were obtained from both occupied and vacant housing units. The intent of this question is to count the number of whole rooms used for living purposes. For each unit, rooms include living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, finished recreation rooms, enclosed porches suitable for year-round use, and lodger's rooms. Excluded are strip or pullman kitchens, bathrooms, open porches, balconies, halls or foyers, half-rooms, utility rooms, unfinished attics or basements, or other unfinished space used for storage. A partially divided room is a separate room only if there is a partition from floor to ceiling, but not if the partition consists solely of shelves or cabinets.
School enrollment. People are classified as enrolled in school if they reported attending a "regular" public or private school or college at anytime between February 1, 2000, and the time of enumeration. The question includes instructions to "include only nursery school, kindergarten, elementary school, and schooling that would lead to a high school diploma or college degree" as regular school. Tutoring or correspondence school counts if credit can be obtained in a "regular school". Schools supported and controlled primarily by a local, county, state or federal government are defined as public. Those supported and controlled primarily by religious organizations or other private groups are private. People who are enrolled also report the level in which they are enrolled, from nursery school or preschool through college undergraduate years and graduate and professional school. Vocational, trade, and business schools are not included.
Seasonal, recreational, or occasional use housing unit. Seasonal, recreational, or occasional use housing units include vacant units used or intended for use only in certain seasons, for weekends, or other occasional use throughout the year. Interval ownership units, sometimes called shared ownership or time-sharing condominiums are included in this category. (For more information, see "Vacant housing unit".)
Selected monthly owner costs. Selected monthly owner costs are the sum of payments for mortgages, deeds of trust, contracts to purchase, or similar debts on the property; real estate taxes; fire, hazard, and flood insurance on the property; utilities; and fuels. It also includes, where appropriate, the monthly condominium fees or mobile home costs.
Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income in 1999. Selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income is the computed ratio of selected monthly owner costs to monthly household income in 1999. The ratio was computed separately for each unit and rounded to the nearest whole percentage. Units occupied by households reporting no income or a net loss in 1999 are included in the "Not computed" category.
Sex. The data on sex were derived from answers to a question that was asked of all people. Individuals were asked to mark either "male" or "female" to indicate their sex. For most cases in which sex was not reported, it was determined by the appropriate entry from the person’s given (i.e., first) name and household relationship. Otherwise, sex was imputed according to the relationship to the householder and the age of the person.
Specified owner-occupied units. Specified owner-occupied units are owner-occupied, one-family, attached and detached houses on less than 10 acres without a business or medical office on the property.
Specified renter-occupied units. Specified renter-occupied units include all renter-occupied units except 1-unit attached or detached houses on 10 acres or more.
Spouse. A person who is married to and living with the householder. This category includes people in formal marriages, as well as people in common-law marriages.
Telephone. Households with telephone service have a telephone in working order and are able to make and receive calls.
Tenure. All occupied housing units are classified as either owner occupied or renter occupied. A housing unit is owner occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. All occupied housing units that are not owner occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter occupied.
Unemployed. Civilians 16 years old and over are classified as unemployed if they (1) were neither "at work" nor "with a job but not at work" during the reference week, (2) were looking for work during the last four weeks, and (3) were available to start a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians 16 years old and over who did not work at all during the reference week, were on temporary layoff from a job, expected to be recalled to work within the next 6 months, or had been given a date to return to work, and were available for work during the reference week. (For more information, see "Employed" and "Labor force".)
Units in structure. The data on units in structure (also referred to as "type of structure") were obtained from both occupied and vacant housing units. A structure is a separate building that either has open spaces on all sides or is separated from other structures by dividing walls that extend from ground to roof. In determining the number of units in a structure, all housing units, both occupied and vacant, are counted. Stores and office space are excluded. The statistics are presented for the number of housing units in structures of specified type and size, not for the number of residential buildings.
Unmarried partner. An unmarried partner is a person who is not related to the householder, who shares living quarters with, and who has a close personal relationship with the householder.
URBAN AND RURAL. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies as urban all territory, population, and housing units located within urbanized areas (UAs) and urban clusters (UCs). It delineates UA and UC boundaries to encompass densely settled territory, which generally consists of:
A cluster of one or more block groups or census blocks each of which has a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile at the time.
Surrounding block groups and census blocks each of which has a population density of at least 500 people per square mile at the time.
Less densely settled blocks that form enclaves or indentations, or are used to connect discontiguous areas with qualifying densities. Rural consists of all territory, population, and housing units located outside of UAs and UCs.
Geographic entities, such as metropolitan areas, counties, minor civil divisions, and places, often contain both urban and rural territory, population, and housing units. This urban and rural classification applies to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.
Urbanized Area (UA). An urbanized area (UA) consists of densely settled territory that contains 50,000 or more people. The U.S. Census Bureau delineates UAs to provide a better separation of urban and rural territory, population, and housing in the vicinity of large places.
For Census 2000, the UA criteria were extensively revised and the delineations were performed using a zero-based approach. Because of more stringent density requirements, some territory that was classified as urbanized for the 1990 census has been reclassified as rural. (Area that was part of a 1990 UA has not been automatically grandfathered into the 2000 UA.) In addition, some areas that were identified as UAs for the 1990 census have been reclassified as urban clusters.
Urban Cluster (UC). An urban cluster (UC) consists of densely settled territory that has at least 2,500 people but fewer than 50,000 people.
The U.S. Census Bureau introduced the UC for Census 2000 to provide a more consistent and accurate measure of the population concentration in and around places. UCs are defined using the same criteria that are used to define UAs. UCs replace the provision in the 1990 and previous censuses that defined as urban only those places with 2,500 or more people located outside of urbanized areas.
Urban Area Title and Code. The title of each urbanized area (UA) and urban cluster (UC) may contain up to three incorporated place names, and will include the two-letter U.S. Postal Service abbreviation for each state into which the UA or UC extends. However, if the UA or UC does not contain an incorporated place, the urban area title will include the single name of a census designated place, minor civil division, or populated place recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System.
Each UA and UC is assigned a five-digit numeric code, based on a national alphabetical sequence of all urban area hrefs. For the 1990 census, the U.S. Census Bureau assigned a four-digit UA code based on the metropolitan area codes. A separate flag is included in data tabulation files to differentiate between UAs and UCs. In printed reports, this differentiation is included in the name. Urban Area Central Place A central place functions as the dominant center of an urban area. The U.S. Census Bureau identifies one or more central places for each urbanized area (UA) or urban cluster (UC) that contains a place. Any incorporated place or census designated place (CDP) that is in the title of the urban area is a central place of that UA or UC. In addition, any other incorporated place or CDP that has an urban population of 50,000 or an urban population of at least 2,500 people and is at least 2/3 the size of the largest place within the urban area also is a central place.
Extended Place. As a result of the urbanized area (UA) and urban cluster (UC) delineations, an incorporated place or census designated place may be partially within and partially outside of a UA or UC. Any place that is split by a UA or UC is referred to as an extended place. Documentation of the UA, UC, and extended place criteria is available from the Geographic Areas Branch, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-7400; telephone 301-457-1099.
URBAN GROWTH AREA (UGA)
An urban growth area (UGA) is a legally defined geographic entity in Oregon that the U.S. Census Bureau includes in the TIGER® database in agreement with the state. UGAs, which are defined around incorporated places, are used to control urban growth. UGA boundaries, which need not follow visible features, are delineated cooperatively by state and local officials and then confirmed in state law. UGAs are a new geographic entity for Census 2000.
Each UGA is identified by a five-digit census code, which generally is the same as the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code for the incorporated place for which the UGA is named. The codes are assigned alphabetically within Oregon.
Unrelated individuals. Unrelated individuals include: (1) a householder living alone or with nonrelatives only, (2) a household member who is not related to the householder, or (3) a person living in group quarters who is not an inmate of an institution.
Vacant housing unit. A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of enumeration, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. Units temporarily occupied at the time of enumeration entirely by people who have a usual residence elsewhere are also classified as vacant. (For more information, see "Housing unit".)
Value. Value is the respondent’s estimate of how much the property (house and lot, mobile home and lot, or condominium unit) would sell for if it were for sale.
Vehicles available. Vehicles available are the number of passenger cars, vans, and pick-up or panel trucks of one-ton capacity or less kept at home and available for use by household members.
Veteran status. A "civilian veteran" is a person 18 years old or over who, at the time of enumeration, had served on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard in the past (even for a short time), but was not then on active duty, or who had served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. People who had served in the National Guard or military Reserves are classified as veterans only if they had ever been called or ordered to active duty, not counting the four to six months for initial training or yearly summer camps.
Workers.Workers 16 years and over are members of the Armed Forces and civilians who were at work during the reference week. (For more information, see "Reference week".)
Year householder moved into unit. Year householder moved into unit is the year of the latest move by the householder. If the householder moved back into a housing unit he or she previously occupied, the year of the latest move was reported. The intent is to establish the year the present occupancy began.
Year of entry. The year in which a person born outside the United States came to live in the United States.
Year structure built. The data on year structure built are obtained from both occupied and vacant housing units. Year structure built refers to when the building was first constructed, not when it was remodeled, added to, or converted. The data relate to the number of units built during the specified periods that were still in existence at the time of enumeration.
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