Poverty |
|
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Warnings:
·
Definitions
shown are those currently used – if a definition changes, we will update
this list.
·
Definitions
may change over time.
o If you are using data from before 1990,
check the appendix of an old report, to be sure the definition did not change
since then.
o If you don’t have an old report, contact
our information staff at (301)763-2242 or e-mail popinfo@census.gov.
·
Definitions
vary from survey to survey. These definitions apply to Current
Population Survey (CPS) data.
Alimony. See
Income, official definition of.
Birth cohort. A birth cohort is a group of people who were born
in a specified calendar period.
Births, Out of wedlock. Out-of-wedlock births are defined as births
occurring in the 12-month period preceding the survey date to women who were
currently divorced, widowed, or never married at the time of the interview.
Child Support. Data on award of child support payments were
collected from people 15 years or older with children under 21 years of age
whose other parent was not living in the household. Information on recipiency
and amount of payments was obtained from people who reported that they were
awarded or had agreements to receive child support payments.
Reason for nonaward of child support.
Final agreement pending: A child support agreement was awaiting final
court, magisterial, or legal action before becoming final, and/or a voluntary
written agreement was not yet final.
Joint custody granted: Housing, care, and support of the child(ren) was
shared by both parents; therefore, no money or other support was exchanged.
Did not want child support: The custodial parent indicated he/she did
not want child support for own child(ren).
Unable to locate other parent: Child support was desired, but the
child(ren)'s noncustodial parent could not be located.
Unable to establish paternity: Child support arrangements could not be
made because the child(ren)'s paternity could not be established.
Some other reason: The custodial parent wanted child support, and
the reason for nonaward did not fit any of the reasons listed above.
Inclusion of health insurance in child support
award. This item
refers to whether the child(ren)'s noncustodial parent had made health
insurance arrangements for his/her child(ren) as part of the child support
award. Arrangements for health insurance could have been made by the
noncustodial parent purchasing a separate policy for the child(ren) or
including the child(ren) under the health insurance provided by his/her
employer. In either event, the purchase of, or inclusion of, health insurance
must be part of the child support agreement. Insurance taken out by the
custodial parent but paid for from child support payment by the noncustodial
parent is not included.
Type of child support arrangement.
Voluntary
written agreement:
Voluntary written agreements between the parties. This agreement may or may not
have been recognized by the courts as part of the divorce or separation
proceedings. This type of agreement was not ordered by the courts.
Court
ordered: Payments ordered
by the court. Court-ordered payments usually take place when a mutually
acceptable agreement cannot be worked out between the parties.
Other: Arrangements not within either of the two
cases above. This category includes informal verbal agreements.
Children. The term "children," as used in tables on living arrangements of
children under 18, are all persons under 18 years, excluding people who
maintain households, families, or subfamilies as a reference person or spouse.
Own children in
a family are sons and daughters, including stepchildren and adopted children,
of the householder. Similarly, "own" children in a subfamily are sons
and daughters of the married couple or parent in the subfamily. (All children
shown as members of related subfamilies are own children of the person(s)
maintaining the subfamily.) For each type of family unit identified in the CPS,
the count of "own children under 18 years old" is limited to never-married
children; however, "own children under 25" and "own children of
any age," as the terms are used here, include all children regardless of
marital status. The counts include never-married children living away from home
in college dormitories.
Related children in a family include own children and all other children under 18 years old
in the household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or
adoption. The count of related children in families was formerly restricted to
never-married children. However, beginning with data for 1968 the Bureau of the
Census includes ever-married children under the category of related children.
This change added approximately 20,000 children to the category of related
children in March 1968.
Children ever born. The question "How many babies has...ever had, if any? (Do not count
stillbirths)" is asked of all women 15 to 44 years old. When asking about
children ever born, interviewers are instructed to include children born to the
women before her present marriage, children no longer living, and children away
from home as well as children who are still living in the home. It is possible
that some never-married mothers living with one or more of their natural
children reported themselves as having been married. In addition, many mothers
who first married after the birth of one or more children counted those
children, as they were expected to do. Nevertheless, data are probably less
complete for births out of wedlock than for births within marriage.
Citizenship status. There are five categories of citizenship status:
1) Born in the United States; 2) Born in Puerto Rico or another outlying area
of the U.S.; 3) Born abroad of U.S. citizen parents; 4) Naturalized citizens;
5) Non-citizens. Place of birth was asked for every household member in the CPS
sample, and for the parents of every household member. People born in the U.S.
or it's outlying areas, or whose parents were born in the U.S. or it's outlying
areas, were not asked citizenship questions. Citizenship status (1), (2), or
(3) was assigned during the editing phase of data preparation based on the
place of birth of the household member, or the place of birth of his or her
parents. People born outside the U.S. and it's outlying areas, and whose
parents were born outside the U.S. and it's outlying areas, were asked,
"Are you a citizen of the United States." 'Yes' answers were assigned
to the naturalized citizen category (4) and 'No' answers were assigned to the
"Not a citizen" category (5) during the editing process. People for
whom no birthplace was provided were assigned a citizenship status during the
editing process. For example, the citizenship status of a child might have been
assigned based on the citizenship status of it's mother.
Country of birth. Birth place codes available in the CPS
include; one code for the United States (fifty states and Washington DC); one
code for Puerto Rico; one code for all other outlying areas of the United
States (American Samoa, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Marinas, etc.);
separate codes for 100 individual foreign countries or areas; residual codes
for other cases (At Sea, etc.). People for whom no birthplace was provided were
assigned a birthplace during the editing process based on several criteria. For
example, the birthplace of a child might have been assigned based on the
birthplace of it's mother and/or father.
Country of birth and Year of entry. People born outside the United States (see
Country of Birth) were asked the year they came to the United States to live.
Persons in citizenship categories (2) to (5) (see Citizenship Status) for whom
no year of entry was reported were assigned a value for "Year of Entry'
during the editing process based on other reported information.
Earnings. See Income, official definition of.
Educational attainment. Data on educational attainment are derived
from a single question that asks, "What is the highest grade of
school...has completed, or the highest degree...has received?"
The
single educational attainment question now in use was introduced in the CPS
beginning January 1992, and is similar to that used in the 1990 Decennial
Census of Population and Housing. Consequently, data on educational attainment
from the 1992 CPS are not directly comparable to CPS data from earlier years.
The new question replaces the previous two-part question used in the CPS that
asked respondents to report the highest grade they had attended, and whether or
not they had completed that grade.
The
questions on educational attainment apply only to progress in
"regular" schools. Such schools include graded public, private, and
parochial elementary and high schools (both junior and senior high schools),
colleges, universities, and professional schools, whether day schools or night
schools. Thus, regular schooling is that which may advance a person toward an
elementary school certificate or high school diploma, or a college, university,
or professional school degree. Schooling in other than regular schools was
counted only if the credits obtained are regarded as transferable to a school in
the regular school system.
Ethnic origin. People of Hispanic origin were identified by a
question that asked for self-identification of the persons' origin or descent.
Respondents were asked to select their origin (and the origin of other
household members) from a "flash card" listing ethnic origins. People
of Hispanic origin, in particular, were those who indicated that their origin
was Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or some other
Hispanic origin. It should be noted that people of Hispanic origin may be of
any race.
People
who were Non-Hispanic White origin, were identified by crossing the responses
to two self-identification questions: (1) origin or descent and (2) race.
Respondents were asked to select their race (and the race of other household
members) from a "flash card" listing racial groups. Beginning with
March 1989, the population is divided into five groups on the basis of race:
White, Black, American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut, Asian or Pacific Islander, and
Other races. The last category includes any other race except the four
mentioned. Respondents who selected their race as White and indicated that
their origin was not one of the Hispanic origin subgroups Mexican, Puerto
Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, were called Non-Hispanic White origin.
Family. A family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder)
related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people
(including related subfamily members) are considered as members of one family.
Beginning with the 1980 Current Population Survey, unrelated subfamilies
(referred to in the past as secondary families) are no longer included in the
count of families, nor are the members of unrelated subfamilies included in the
count of family members. The number of families is equal to the number of
family households, however, the count of family members differs from the count
of family household members because family household members include any
non-relatives living in the household.
Family group. A
family group is any two or more people (not necessarily including a
householder) residing together, and related by birth, marriage, or adoption. A
household may be composed of one such group, more than one, or none at all. The
count of family groups includes family households, related subfamilies, and
unrelated subfamilies.
Family household. A family household is a household maintained by a householder who is in a
family (as defined above), and includes any unrelated people (unrelated subfamily
members and/or secondary individuals) who may be residing there. The number of
family households is equal to the number of families. The count of family
household members differs from the count of family members, however, in that
the family household members include all people living in the household,
whereas family members include only the householder and his/her relatives. See
the definition of family.
Foreign-born. (See Native born)
Geographic regions. (See Regions, geographic)
Gini ratio. A statistical measure of
income equality ranging from 0 to 1.
See Income, official definition of.
Group quarters. As of 1983, group quarters were defined in the
current population survey as noninstitutional living arrangements for groups
not living in conventional housing units or groups living in housing units
containing ten or more unrelated people or nine or more people unrelated to the
person in charge. (Prior to 1983, group quarters included housing units
containing five or more people unrelated to the person in charge.) Examples of
people in group quarters include a person residing in a rooming house, in staff
quarters at a hospital, or in a halfway house. Beginning in 1972, inmates of
institutions have not been included in the Current Population Survey.
Head Start. Children enrolled in Head Start programs or
similar programs sponsored by local agencies to provide preschool education to
young children are counted under nursery school or kindergarten as appropriate.
(Also see, Schools, Nursery)
Health Insurance Coverage. A person was considered covered by health
insurance at some time during the year if he or she was covered by at least one
of the following types of coverages:
1.
Employer/union
2.
Privately
purchased (not related to employment)
3.
Medicare
4.
Medicaid
5.
Military
health care (military, CHAMPUS, CHAMPVA, VA, Indian Health Services)
6.
Someone
outside the household
7.
Other
An individual can have more than one type of
coverage during the year.
Household. A household consists of all the people who occupy a housing unit. A house,
an apartment or other group of rooms, or a single room, is regarded as a
housing unit when it is occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living
quarters; that is, when the occupants do not live and eat with any other
persons in the structure and there is direct access from the outside or through
a common hall.
A
household includes the related family members and all the unrelated people, if
any, such as lodgers, foster children, wards, or employees who share the
housing unit. A person living alone in a housing unit, or a group of unrelated
people sharing a housing unit such as partners or roomers, is also counted as a
household. The count of households excludes group quarters. There are two major
categories of households, "family" and "nonfamily". (See
definitions of Family household and Nonfamily household).
Household, family, or subfamily, Size of. The term "size of household" includes
all the people occupying a housing unit. "Size of family" includes
the family householder and all other people in the living quarters who are
related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. "Size of
related subfamily" includes the husband and wife or the lone parent and
their never- married sons and daughters under 18 years of age. "Size of
unrelated subfamily" includes the reference person and all other members
related to the reference person. If a family has a related subfamily among its
members, the size of the family includes the members of the related subfamily.
Household, nonfamily. A nonfamily household consists of a householder living alone (a one-person
household) or where the householder shares the home exclusively with people to
whom he/she is not related.
Householder. The
householder refers to the person (or one of the people) in whose name the
housing unit is owned or rented (maintained) or, if there is no such person,
any adult member, excluding roomers, boarders, or paid employees. If the house
is owned or rented jointly by a married couple, the householder may be either
the husband or the wife. The person designated as the householder is the
"reference person" to whom the relationship of all other household
members, if any, is recorded.
The
number of householders is equal to the number of households. Also, the number
of family householders is equal to the number of families.
Head versus householder. Beginning with the 1980 CPS, the Bureau
of the Census discontinued the use of the terms "head of household"
and "head of family." Instead, the terms "householder" and
"family householder" are used. Recent social changes have resulted in
greater sharing of household responsibilities among the adult members and,
therefore, have made the term "head" increasingly inappropriate in
the analysis of household and family data. Specifically, beginning in 1980, the
Census Bureau discontinued its longtime practice of always classifying the husband
as the reference person (head) when he and his wife are living together.
Income, official definition of:
For each person in the sample 15
years old and over, the CPS asks questions on the amount of money income received
in the preceding calendar year from each of the following sources:
1.
Earnings
2.
Unemployment
compensation
3.
Workers'
compensation
4.
Social
security
5.
Supplemental
security income
6.
Public
assistance
7.
Veterans'
payments
8.
Survivor
benefits
9.
Disability
benefits
10.
Pension or
retirement income
11.
Interest
12.
Dividends
13.
Rents,
royalties, and estates and trusts
14.
Educational
assistance
15.
Alimony
16.
Child
support
17.
Financial
assistance from outside of the household
18.
Other income
It
should be noted that although the income statistics refer to receipts during
the preceding calendar year, the demographic characteristics, such as age,
labor force status, and family or household composition, are as of the survey
date. The income of the family/household does not include amounts received by
people who were members during all or part of the income year if these people
no longer resided in the family/household at the time of interview. However,
the CPS collects income data for people who are current residents but did not
reside in the household during the income year.
Data on
consumer income collected in the CPS by the Census Bureau cover money income
received (exclusive of certain money receipts such as capital gains) before
payments for personal income taxes, social security, union dues, medicare
deductions, etc. Therefore, money income does not reflect the fact that some
families receive part of their income in the form of noncash benefits, such as
food stamps, health benefits, rent-free housing, and goods produced and
consumed on the farm. In addition, money income does not reflect the fact that
noncash benefits are also received by some nonfarm residents which often take
the form of the use of business transportation and facilities, full or partial
payments by business for retirement programs, medical and educational expenses,
etc. Data users should consider these elements when comparing income levels.
Moreover, readers should be aware that for many different reasons there is a
tendency in household surveys for respondents to underreport their income.
Based on an analysis of independently derived income estimates, the Census
Bureau determined that respondents report income earned from wages or salaries
much better than other sources of income and that the reported wage and salary income
is nearly equal to independent estimates of aggregate income.
The
Census Bureau collects data for the following income sources.
Earnings. The Census Bureau classifies earnings from
longest job (or self-employment) and other employment earnings into three
types:
1.
Money wage
or salary income is the total income people receive for work performed as an
employee during the income year. This category includes wages, salary, armed
forces pay, commissions, tips, piece-rate payments, and cash bonuses earned,
before deductions are made for items such as taxes, bonds, pensions, and union
dues.
2.
Net income
from nonfarm self-employment is the 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 items such as costs of goods purchased, rent, heat, power,
depreciation charges, wages and salaries paid, and business taxes (not personal
income taxes). In general, the Census Bureau considers inventory changes in
determining net income from nonfarm self- employment; replies based on income
tax returns or other official records do reflect inventory changes. However, when
respondents do not report values of inventory changes, interviewers will accept
net income figures exclusive of inventory changes. The Census Bureau does not
include the value of saleable merchandise consumed by the proprietors of retail
stores as part of net income.
3.
Net income
from farm self-employment is the net money income (gross receipts minus
operating expenses) from the operation of a farm by a person on their own
account, as an owner, renter, or sharecropper. Gross receipts include the value
of all products sold, payments from government farm programs, money received
from the rental of farm equipment to others, rent received from farm property
if payment is made based on a percent of crops produced, and incidental
receipts from the sale of items such as wood, sand, and gravel. Operating
expenses include items such as 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; and farm taxes (not
state and federal personal income taxes). The Census Bureau does not include
the value of fuel, food, or other farm products used for family living as part
of net income. In determining farm self-employment income, the Census Bureau
considers inventory changes in determining net income only when they are
accounted for in replies based on income tax returns or other official records
which reflect inventory changes; otherwise, the Census Bureau does not take
inventory changes into account.
Unemployment compensation includes payments the respondent received
from government unemployment agencies or private companies during periods of
unemployment and any strike benefits the respondent received from union funds.
Workers' compensation includes payments people receive
periodically from public or private insurance companies for injuries received
at work.
Social security includes social security pensions and survivors'
benefits and permanent disability insurance payments made by the Social
Security Administration prior to deductions for medical insurance. The Census
Bureau does not include medicare reimbursements for health services as social
security benefits.
Supplemental security income includes federal, state, and local
welfare agency payments to low-income people who are 65 years old and over or
people of any age who are blind or disabled.
Public assistance or welfare payments include cash public assistance payments
low-income people receive, such as aid to families with dependent children
(AFDC, ADC), temporary assistance to needy families (TANF), general assistance,
and emergency assistance.
Veterans' payments include payments disabled members of the armed
forces or survivors of deceased veterans receive periodically from the
Department of Veterans Affairs for education and on-the- job training, and
means-tested assistance to veterans.
Survivor benefits include payments people receive from survivors'
or widows' pensions, estates, trusts, annuities, or any other types of survivor
benefits. Respondents can report payments from ten different sources: private
companies or unions; federal government (Civil Service); military; state or
local governments; railroad retirement; workers' compensation; Black lung
payments; estates and trusts; annuities or paid-up insurance policies; and
other survivor payments.
Disability benefits include payments people receive as a result of a
health problem or disability (other than those from social security).
Respondents can report payments from ten sources: workers' compensation;
companies or unions; federal government (Civil Service); military; state or
local governments; railroad retirement; accident or disability insurance; Black
lung payments; state temporary sickness; or other disability payments.
Pension or retirement income includes payments people receive from
eight sources: companies or unions; federal government (Civil Service);
military; state or local governments; railroad retirement; annuities or paid-up
insurance policies; individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Keogh, or 401(k)
payments; or other retirement income.
Interest income includes payments people receive (or have
credited to accounts) from bonds, treasury notes, IRAs, certificates of
deposit, interest-bearing savings and checking accounts, and all other
investments that pay interest.
Dividends include income people receive from stock holdings
and mutual fund shares. The CPS does not include capital gains from the sale of
stock holdings as income.
Rents, royalties, and estates and trusts include net income people receive from
the rental of a house, store, or other property, receipts from boarders or
lodgers, net royalty income, and periodic payments from estate or trust funds.
Educational assistance includes Pell Grants; other government
educational assistance; any scholarships or grants; or financial assistance
students receive from employers, friends, or relatives not residing in the
student's household.
Child support includes all periodic payments a parent receives
from an absent parent for the support of children, even if these payments are
made through a state or local government office.
Alimony includes all periodic payments people receive
from ex-spouses. Alimony excludes one-time property settlements.
Financial assistance from outside of the household includes periodic payments people receive
from nonhousehold members. This type of assistance excludes gifts or sporadic
assistance.
Other income includes all other payments people receive
regularly that are not included elsewhere on the questionnaire. Some examples
are state programs such as foster child payments, military family allotments,
and income received from foreign government pensions.
Government transfers include payments people receive from the
following sources: (1) unemployment compensation, (2) state workers'
compensation, (3) social security, (4) Supplemental Security Income (SSI), (5)
public assistance, (6) veterans' benefits, (7) government survivor benefits,
(8) government disability benefits, (9) government pensions, and (10)
government educational assistance.
The
Census Bureau does not count the following receipts as income: (1) capital
gains people received (or losses they incur) from the sale of property,
including stocks, bonds, a house, or a car (unless the person was engaged in
the business of selling such property, in which case the CPS counts the net
proceeds as income from self-employment); (2) withdrawals of bank deposits; (3)
money borrowed; (4) tax refunds; (5) gifts; and (6) lump-sum inheritances or
insurance payments.
The
Census Bureau combines all sources of income into two major types:
1.
Total
money earnings is the
algebraic sum of money wages and salary and net income from farm and nonfarm
self-employment.
2.
Income
other than earnings is
the algebraic sum of all sources of money income except wages and salaries and
income from self-employment.
Alternative Measures of income
1.
Money
income excluding capital gains before taxes. This is the official definition used in Census
Bureau reports.
2.
Definition
1 less government cash transfers. Government cash transfers include nonmeans-tested transfers such as social
security payments, unemployment compensation, and government educational
assistance (e.g., Pell Grants), as well as means-tested transfers such as aid
to families with dependent children (AFDC, ADC), temporary assistance to needy
families (TANF), and supplemental security income (SSI). (For a complete
listing of transfer income, see definitions 9 and 12.)
3.
Definition
2 plus capital gains.
Realized capital gains and losses are simulated as part of the Census Bureau's
federal individual income tax estimation procedure.
4.
Definition
3 plus imputed health insurance supplements to wage and salary income. Employer-paid health insurance coverage
is treated as part of total work compensation.
5.
Definition
4 less payroll taxes.
Payroll taxes are payments for social security old age, survivors, and
disability insurance, and for hospital insurance (medicare).
6.
Definition
5 less federal income taxes. Definition 7 shows the effect of the earned income credit (targeted to
low-income workers) separately.
7.
Definition
6 plus the earned income credit.
8.
Definition
7 less state income taxes.
9.
Definition
8 plus nonmeans-tested government cash transfers. Nonmeans-tested government cash transfers include
social security payments, unemployment compensation, workers' compensation,
nonmeans-tested veterans' payments, U.S. railroad retirement, Black lung
payments, Pell Grants, and other government educational assistance. (Pell
Grants are income-tested but are included here because they are very different
from the assistance programs included in the means-tested category.)
10.
Definition
9 plus the value of medicare. Medicare is counted at its fungible value.1
11.
Definition
10 plus the value of regular-price school lunches.
12.
Definition
11 plus means-tested government cash transfers. Means-tested government cash transfers include
AFDC, ADC, TANF, SSI, other public assistance programs, and means-tested
veterans' payments.
13.
Definition
12 plus the value of medicaid. This definition counts medicaid at its fungible value.
14.
Definition
13 plus the value of other means-tested government noncash transfers, including food stamps, rent subsidies,
and free and reduced-price school lunches.
15.
Definition
14 plus net imputed return on equity in one's own home. This definition includes the estimated
annual benefit of converting one's home equity into an annuity, net of property
taxes.
1 The fungible approach for valuing medical
coverage assigns income to the extent that having the insurance would free up
resources that would have been spent on medical care. The estimated fungible
value depends on family income, the cost of food and housing needs, and the
market value of the medical benefits. If family income is not sufficient to
cover the family's basic food and housing requirements, the fungible value
methodology treats medicare and medicaid as having no income value. If family
income exceeds the cost of food and housing requirements, the fungible value of
medicare and medicaid is equal to the amount which exceeds the value assigned
for food and housing requirements (up to the amount of the market value of an
equivalent insurance policy (total cost divided by the number of participants
in each rish class)).
Gini ratio. The
Gini ratio (or index of income concentration) is a statistical measure of
income equality ranging from 0 to 1. A measure of 1 indicates perfect
inequality; i.e., one person has all the income and rest have none. A measure
of 0 indicates perfect equality; i.e., all people have equal shares of income.
The Census Bureau used grouped data to compute all Gini ratios. For a more
detailed discussion, see Current Population Reports, Series P-60, No. 123.
Mean (Average) income. Mean (average) income is the amount obtained by dividing the total
aggregate income of a group by the number of units in that group. The means for
households, families, and unrelated individuals are based on all households,
families, and unrelated individuals, respectively. The means (averages) for
people are based on people 15 years old and over with income.
Median income.
Median income is the amount which divides the income distribution into two
equal groups, half having incomes above the median, half having incomes below
the median. The medians for households, families, and unrelated individuals are
based on all households, families, and unrelated individuals, respectively. The
medians for people are based on people 15 years old and over with income.
Per capita income. Per capita income is the average income computed for every man, woman, and
child in a particular group. The Census Bureau derived per capita income by
dividing the total income of a particular group by the total population in that
group (excluding patients or inmates in institutional quarters).
Marital status. The marital status classification identifies four
major categories: never married, married, widowed, and divorced. These terms
refer to the marital status at the time of the enumeration.
The
category "married" is further divided into "married, spouse
present," "separated," and "other married, spouse
absent." A person was classified as "married, spouse present" if
the husband or wife was reported as a member of the household, even though he
or she may have been temporarily absent on business or on vacation, visiting,
in a hospital, etc., at the time of the enumeration. People reported as
separated included those with legal separations, those living apart with
intentions of obtaining a divorce, and other people permanently or temporarily
separated because of marital discord. The group "other married, spouse
absent" includes married people living apart because either the husband or
wife was employed and living at a considerable distance from home, was serving
away from home in the Armed Forces, had moved to another area, or had a
different place of residence for any other reason except separation as defined
above.
Single, when
used as a marital status category, is the sum of never-married, widowed, and divorced
people. "Single," when used in the context of "single-parent
family/household," means only one parent is present in the home. The
parent may be never- married, widowed, divorced, or married, spouse absent.
Marriage cohort. A marriage cohort is a group of women who were
first married in a specified calendar period,regardless of any subsequent
changes in marital status.
Marriage, Age at first. The estimated median age at first marriage, is an
approximation derived indirectly from tabulations of marital status and age. In
computing this median, several steps are involved. First, the expected
proportion of young people who will ever marry during their lifetime is
computed. Second, one-half of this expected proportion is calculated. And
third, the current age of young people who are at this halfway mark is
computed. From the assumptions made and the procedures used, it follows that
the date of the survey is also the date when this halfway mark is reached. Half
of the young people of the given age who will ever get married had done so
prior to the survey date and half are expected to marry in years to come.
Married couple. A married couple, as defined for census purposes,
is a husband and wife enumerated as members of the same household. The married
couple may or may not have children living with them. The expression
"husband-wife" or "married- couple" before the term
"household," "family," or "subfamily" indicates
that the household, family, or subfamily is maintained by a husband and wife.
The number of married couples equals the count of married-couple families plus
related and unrelated married-couple subfamilies.
Metropolitan-nonmetropolitan residence. The general concept of a metropolitan
area (MA) is one of a large population nucleus, together with
adjacent communities that have a high degree of economic and social integration
with that nucleus. Some MA's are defined around two or more nuclei.
The MA
classification is a statistical standard, developed for use by Federal agencies
in the production, analysis, and publication of data on MA's. The MA's are
designated and defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget,
following a set of official published standards. These standards were developed
by the interagency Federal Executive Committee on Metropolitan Areas, with the
aim of producing definitions that are as consistent as possible for all MA's
nationwide.
Each MA
must contain either a place with a minimum population of 50,000 or a Census
Bureau-defined urbanized area and a total MA population of at least 100,000
(75,000 in New England). An MA is comprised of one or more central counties,
and an MA may also include one or more outlying counties that have closed
economic and social relationships with the central county. An outlying county
must have a specified level of commuting to the central counties and also must
meet certain standards regarding metropolitan character, such as population
density, urban population, and population growth. In New England, MA's are
composed of cities and towns rather than whole counties.
The
territory, population, and housing units in MA's are referred to as
"metropolitan." The metropolitan category is subdivided into
"inside central city" and "outside central city." The
territory, population, and housing units located outside MA's are referred to
as "nonmetropolitan."
To meet
the needs of various users, the standards provide for a flexible structure of
metropolitan definitions that classify an MA either as a metropolitan
statistical area (MSA) or as a consolidated metropolitan statistical area
(CMSA) that is divided into primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA's).
Documentation of the MA standards and how they are applied is available from
the Secretary, Federal Executive Committee on Metropolitan Areas, Population
Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Washington, DC 20233.
Central city. In each MSA and CMSA, the largest place and, in some cases, additional
places are designated as "central cities" under the official
standards. A few PMSA's do not have central cities. The largest central city
and, in some cases, up to two additional central cities are included in the
title of the MA; there are also central cities that are not included in an MA
title. An MA central city does not include any part of that city that extends
outside the MA boundary.
Consolidated and primary metropolitan statistical area. If an area that qualifies as an MA has
more than one million people, primary metropolitan statistical areas (PMSA's)
may be defined within it. PMSA's consist of a large urbanized county or cluster
of counties that demonstrates very strong internal economic and social links,
in addition to close ties to other portions of the larger area. When PMSA's are
established, the larger area of which they are component parts is designated a
consolidated metropolitan statistical area (CMSA).
Metropolitan statistical area. Metropolitan statistical areas are relatively
freestanding MA's and are not closely associated with other MA's. These areas
are typically surrounded by nonmetropolitan counties.
Migration, allocations of data. In the March CPS,
complete mobility information is usually not reported for about 10 percent of
all people. In these cases, people missing mobility data are assigned the
mobility status and previous residence obtained for other family members or
allocated using the data for another sample person who did respond to the
questions. The mobility status and previous residence allocated to a
nonrespondent is that obtained for another person with similar demographic
characteristics who has been selected systematically in the order in which
individual records are processed. Characteristics used in these allocations
(when assignment of data for other family members is not possible) are age,
race, years of school completed, and metropolitan status and state of current
residence. State of previous residence is used instead of state of current
residence if the individual being allocated data reported state of previous
residence but not city or county.
Migration universe. The mobility data are derived from the answers to
questions on residence 1 year before the survey date and the geographical
location of the respondent's current residence. These questions were asked for
all members of the survey household who were 1 year old and over on the survey
date. (See the section, "Migration, Allocations of Data"
for a discussion of the allocation of mobility data for people for whom no
response or only partial responses to the mobility questions were given.)
Mobility status. The population was classified according to
mobility status on the basis of a comparison between the place of residence of
each individual to the time of the March survey and the place of residence 1
year earlier. Nonmovers are all people who were living in the same house at the
end of the migration period and the beginning of the migration period. Movers
are all people who were living in a different house at the end of the period
rather than at the beginning. Movers are further classified as to whether they
were living in the same or different county, state, region, or were movers from
abroad. Movers are also categorized by whether they moved within or between
central cities, suburbs, and nonmetropolitan areas of the United States.
Modal grade: (see School, Modal grade)
Moving, Reasons for. Reasons for moving were collected from the
householder and other persons, 1 year old and over, who were living in a
different house/apartment 1 year prior to the March survey. Persons who moved
with the householder were assigned the reason of the householder.
Reasons for moving.
Change
in marital status: Person
moved because of family formation or dissolution resulting in a change in
marital status classification to one of the following categories: married,
widowed, separated or divorced.
To
establish own household:
People who moved out of an existing household in order to establish a separate
one.
Other
family reason: All other
reasons not listed above that are family related.
New
job or job transfer:
People who moved because of a new job or location of existing job moved. This
also included military transfers.
To
look for work or lost job: People who move in order to find work.
To
be closer to work/easier commute: People who move to be closer to their work and/or cut their commuting
time.
Retired: People who, after retirement from a job,
have changed their place of residence.
Other
job related reason: All
other reasons not listed above that are job related.
Wanted
to own home/not rent: People
who wanted to own their own home and not rent a house or apartment.
Wanted
a new or better house/apartment: People who wanted to move from their current home/apartment to a new,
bigger/better house/apartment.
Wanted
better neighborhood/less crime: People who wanted to move to a better neighborhood and or a neighborhood
with less crime.
Wanted
cheaper housing: People
who moved to cheaper/less expensive house/apartment.
Other
housing reason: All other
reasons not listed above that are housing related.
To
attend/leave college:
People who leave a place of residence to attend college or who leave college to
return to previous place of residence or move elsewhere.
Change
of climate: People who
moved to a better climate.
Health
reasons: Any change of residence
based on the health of the individual or another person.
Other
reason: All other reasons
not listed.
Native born. Native born people are citizens at birth. All
people with the following citizenship status are native born: (1) Born in the
United States; (2) Born in Puerto Rico or a U.S., outlying area; or (3) Born
abroad of American parents (see Citizenship status). All other people
are foreign born.
Nativity. There are two major categories of nativity, Native born and Foreign
born (see Native born above).
Parity. Parity is the number of children ever born to a woman. In some cases, use
of the term "parity" provides a less cumbersome expression, e.g.,
"two-parity women" as opposed to "women with two children ever
born."
Population coverage. The universe for the CPS includes the civilian
noninstitutional population of the United States and members of the Armed
Forces in the United States living off post or with their families on post, but
excludes all other members of the Armed Forces. The information on the Hispanic
population from the CPS was collected in the 50 States and the District of
Columbia and, therefore, does not include residents of outlying areas or U.S.
territories such as Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
Poverty definition. Following the Office of Management and Budget's
(OMB's) Directive 14, the Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds
that vary by family size and composition to detect who is poor. If a family's
total income is less than that family's threshold, then that family, and every
individual in it, is considered poor. The poverty thresholds do not vary
geographically, but they are updated annually for inflation with the Consumer
Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition counts money income before
taxes and excludes capital gains and noncash benefits (such as public housing,
medicaid, and food stamps).
Poverty statistics are based on a definition
developed by Mollie Orshansky of the Social Security Administration (SSA)in
19641 and revised in 1969 and 1981 by interagency committees. This
definition was established as the official definition of poverty for
statistical use in all Executive departments by the Bureau of the Budget (BoB)
in 1969 (in Circular No. A-46); after BoB became The Office of Management and
Budget, this was reconfirmed in Statistical Policy Directive No. 14.
The original poverty definition provided a range
of income cutoffs or thresholds adjusted by such factors as family size, sex of
the family head, number of children under 18 years old, and farm-nonfarm
residence. At the core of this definition of poverty was the economy food plan,
the least costly of four nutritionally adequate food plans designed by the
Department of Agriculture. It was determined from the Department of
Agriculture's 1955 Household Food Consumption Survey that families of three or
more people spent approximately one-third of their after-tax money income on
food; accordingly, poverty thresholds for families of three or more people were
set at three times the cost of the economy food plan. Different procedures were
used to calculate poverty thresholds for two-person families and people living
alone in order to compensate for the relatively larger fixed expenses of these
smaller units. For two-person families, the cost of the economy food plan was
multiplied by a factor of 3.7 (also derived from the 1955 survey). For
unrelated individuals (one-person units), no multiplier was used; poverty
thresholds were instead calculated as a fixed proportion of the corresponding
thresholds for two-person units. Annual updates of these SSA poverty thresholds
were based on price changes of the items in the economy food plan.
As a result of deliberations of a Federal
interagency committee in 1969, the following two modifications to the original
SSA definition of poverty were adopted2:
1.
The SSA
thresholds for nonfarm families were retained for the base year 1963, but
annual adjustments in the levels were based on changes in the Consumer Price
Index (CPI) rather than on changes in the cost of foods in the economy food
plan.
2.
The farm
thresholds were raised from 70 to 85 percent of the corresponding nonfarm
levels. The combined impact of these two modifications resulted in an increase
in the tabulated totals for 1967 of 360,000 poor families and 1.6 million poor
people.
In 1981, three additional modifications in the
poverty definition recommended by another interagency committee were adopted
for implementation in the March 1982 CPS as well as the 1980 census:
1.
Elimination of
separate thresholds for farm families.
2.
Elimination
(by averaging) of separate thresholds for female-householder families and
"all other" families (earlier termed "male-headed"
families).
3.
Extension of
the detailed poverty threshold matrix to make the largest family size category
"nine people or more"
For further details, see the section,
"Changes in the Definition of Poverty," in Current Population
Reports, Series P- 60, No. 133.
The poverty thresholds are increased each year by
the same percentage as the annual average Consumer Price Index (CPI). The
poverty thresholds are currently adjusted using the annual average CPI-U
(1982-84 = 100). This base year has been used since 1988. From 1980 through
1987, the thresholds were adjusted using the CPI-U (1967 = 100). The CPI (1963
= 100) was used to adjust thresholds prior to 1980.
For further information on how the poverty
thresholds were developed and subsequent changes in them, see Gordon M. Fisher,
"The Development and History of the Poverty Thresholds,"
Social Security Bulletin, vol.55, no.4, Winter 1992, pp. 3-14.
1 For a detailed discussion of the original
SSA poverty thresholds, see Mollie Orshansky, Counting the Poor: Another Look at
the Poverty Profile, Social Security Bulletin, vol. 28, no. 1, January 1965,
pp. 3-29 (reprinted in Social Security Bulletin, vol. 51, no. 10, October 1988,
pp. 25-51); and Who's Who Among the Poor: A Demographic View of Poverty, Social
Security Bulletin, vol. 28, no. 7, July 1965, pp. 3-32.
2 Poverty thresholds for 1959-1967 were recalculated on this basis, and
revised poverty population figures for those years were tabulated using the
revised thresholds. These revised 1959- 1967 poverty population figures have
been published in Census Bureau reports issued since August 1969 (including the
present report). Because of this revision, poverty statistics from documents
dated before August 1969 are not comparable with current poverty statistics.
Income-to-poverty ratios. Income-to-poverty ratios represent the
ratio of family or unrelated individual income to their appropriate poverty
threshold. Ratios below 1.00 indicate that the income for the respective family
or unrelated individual is below the official definition of poverty, while a
ratio of 1.00 or greater indicates income above the poverty level. A ratio of
1.25, for example, indicates that income was 125 percent above the appropriate
poverty threshold.
Race. The race of individuals was identified by a question that asked for
self-identification of the person's race. Respondents were asked to select
their race from a "flashcard" listing racial groups.
The population is divided into
five groups on the basis of race: White; Black; American Indian, Eskimo or
Aleut; Asian or Pacific Islander; and Other races beginning with March 1989.
The last category includes any other race except the four mentioned. In most of
the published tables "Other races" are included in the total
population data line but are not shown individually.
Reference person. The reference person is the person to whom the
relationship of other people in the household is recorded. The household
reference person is the person listed as the householder (see definition of
"Householder"). The subfamily reference person is either the single
parent or the husband/wife in a married-couple situation.
Regions, Geographic. The four major regions of the United States for
which data are presented represent groups of States as follows:
Northeast.
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.
Midwest.
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin.
South.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.
West.
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New
Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Sunbelt.
Consists of 13 states plus one county in Nevada and nine counties in
California. The states that are entirely inside the Sunbelt are: North
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana,
Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Also included
are Clark County, Nevada, and Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside,
San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties in California.
Residence, Duration of (Voting Supplements). Data on duration of residence were
obtained from replies to the following question asked in the November Voting
Supplements: "How long has (this person) lived at this address?"
Less than 1
month 1 to 6 months 7 to 11 months 1 to 2 years 3 to 4 years 5 years or longer
Don't know
Rounding. Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent; therefore, the
percentages in a distribution do not always add to exactly 100.0 percent.
Size of household, family, or subfamily. (See Household,
family, or subfamily, size of)
School, dropout rate, annual high school. The annual high school
dropout rate is an estimate of the proportion of students who drop out of
school in a single year. This section briefly explains how the annual dropout
rate is calculated; for further explanation and details of its derivation see
Current Population Report, Series P-20, No. 413, "School
Enrollment--Social and Economic Characteristics of Students: October
1983."
Annual
dropout rates for a single grade (x) are estimated as the ratio of the number
of people who were enrolled in grade (x) in the year preceding the survey and
who did not complete grade (x) and are not currently enrolled, to the number
enrolled in grade (x) at the start of the year preceding this survey. People
reported as enrolled last year but not currently enrolled are presented in
table 8 of Current Population Reports on school enrollment, by the highest
grade completed and are presumed to have dropped out of the succeeding grade
(except those who graduated this year). Thus, individuals counted as 10th grade
dropouts are those not enrolled in school whose highest grade completed is the
9th grade. (They include not only those people who were enrolled in the 10th
grade in the fall of the year preceding the survey and left school without
completing the year, but also those people who finished the 9th grade in the
spring preceding the survey and were not enrolled at the survey date.) These
estimates form the numerator of estimates of the annual grade specific dropout
rate.
People
currently enrolled in high school are presumed to have successfully completed
and been enrolled in the preceding grade in the preceding year. Thus, those who
have successfully completed the 10th grade are enrolled in the 11th grade.
Along with the people who dropped out of that grade, they comprise the
denominator of the estimate of the annual grade-specific dropout rate.
Dropout |
Not enrolled and highest grade completed = n-1 |
|
=
Enrolled in |
Not
enrolled and highest |
Since
people who complete the 12th grade cannot be presumed to enroll in college, the
estimate of the number of people enrolled in the 12th grade one year prior to
the survey is constructed as the sum of the number of people reported as having
graduated from high school "this year" (both those enrolled in the
first year of college and people not currently enrolled whose highest grade
completed is the 12th grade) and those people not currently enrolled who were
enrolled last year and whose highest grade completed is the 11th grade
(dropouts). The annual dropout rate for all grades during one year can be
obtained by summing the components of the rates for the individual grades. In
other words, those people who were enrolled in the tenth, eleventh, or twelfth
grade last year and who are not currently enrolled and do not have a diploma.
In
addition to the annual rate, two other estimates of dropouts are frequently
used. The annual dropout rate is different from a "pool" (or status)
measure such as the proportion of an age group who are high school dropouts
(not enrolled in school, not high school graduates, which does not depend on
when the individuals dropped out. A third measure of dropouts is the cohort
measure, most commonly from a longitudinal study, in which one calculates the
proportion of a specific group of people enrolled in a specific year, who had
not received diplomas (and who were no longer in school) some years later. For
example, the proportion of a cohort enrolled in ninth grade in year X, who were
not enrolled and had not received a diploma by year X=4.
School enrollment. The school enrollment statistics from the CPS are
based on replies to the interviewer's inquiry whether the person was enrolled
in regular school. Interviewers were instructed to count as enrolled anyone who
had been enrolled at any time during the current term or school year in any type
of public, parochial, or other private school in the regular school system.
Such schools include nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, high
schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools. Attendance may be on
either a full-time, or part-time basis and during the day or night. Regular
schooling is that which may advance a person toward an elementary or high
school diploma, a college, university, or professional school degree.
Children enrolled in nursery schools and kindergarten are included in the
enrollment figures for regular schools and are also shown separately.
Enrollment
in schools which are not in the regular school system, such as trade schools,
business colleges, and schools for the mentally handicapped, which do not advance
students to regular school degrees, is not included.
People
enrolled in classes which do not require physical presence in school, such as
correspondence courses or other courses of independent study, and in training
courses given directly on the job, are also excluded from the count of those
enrolled in school, unless such courses are being counted for credit at a
regular school.
School
enrollment in year preceding current survey: An inquiry on enrollment in regular school or
college in October of the preceding year was asked for all people (enrolled and
not enrolled). In years before 1988, the question was asked only of people who
were not currently attending regular school or were enrolled in college. In the
tabulations of people enrolled in secondary school in the previous year, people
currently enrolled in high school were assumed to have been enrolled the
previous year.
Comparability
of enrollment data in previous years: Changes in the edit and tabulation packages used
in processing the October CPS school enrollment supplement caused some minor
revisions in the estimates. The current edit and tabulation package began with
1987 data. The 1986 data which were published in Current Population Report,
Series P-20 No. 429, were reprocessed with the rewritten programs in order to
clarify comparability. Time series tables usually show only the revised
estimates for 1986. The previous edit and tabulation package was used from 1967
to 1986.
Major
changes in the data due to the 1987 edit revisions were: (1) Among 14- and
15-year-olds, an edit improvement allowed people with enrollment data not
reported, who were previously automatically imputed "not enrolled,"
to be enrolled; (2) Revisions in tabulation of enrollment in the previous year
simplifies calculation of an annual high school dropout rate; (3) Edit
improvements caused increases in college enrollment estimates, most notably
above age 24; this age group was largely ignored in earlier edits; (4) Type of
college is fully allocated (discussed earlier); (5) Tabulations of type of
college (2- year,4-year) are available by race; (6) Dependent family member is
defined consistently; (7) New tabulations of employment status, vocational
course enrollment, college retention and re-entry, and families with children
enrolled in public and private school were available beginning in 1987.
In the
series of reports on school enrollment for 1987 to 1992, race and Hispanic
origin were erroneously tabulated for a small percentage of children 3 to 14
years old. Race and Hispanic origin of an adult in the household were
attributed to the child, rather than using the child's reported
characteristics. In the vast majority of cases these characteristics were the
same for family members, but for a small percentage of children, they were
different. The correction made the following proportional changes in the
numbers of children in each group: White (-0.5 percent), Black (+3.1 percent),
Hispanic origin (-4.6 percent).
Published
data on enrollment from the October CPS for 1981 to 1993 used population
controls based on the 1980 census. Beginning in 1994 estimates were based on
1990 census population controls, including adjustment for undercount. Time
series tables show two sets of data for 1993; the data labeled 1993r were
processed using population controls based on the 1990 census, adjusted for
undercount. The change in 1994 from a paper and pencil survey to a computer
assisted survey had some affect on the data. Most notable, the enrollment
question for children 3 to 5 years old was different from the question for
older children --it included a reference to nursery school. In 1994 reported
nursery school enrollment was significantly higher than in earlier years.
College enrollment. The college enrollment statistics are
based on replies to the interviewer's inquiry as to whether the person was
attending or enrolled in school and the grade or school or year of college.
Interviewers were instructed to count as enrolled anyone who had been enrolled
at any time during the current term or school year, except those who have left
for the remainder of the term. Thus, regular college enrollment includes those
people attending a 4-year or 2-year college, university, or professional school
(such as medical or law school) in courses that may advance the student toward
a recognized college or university degree (e.g., BA or MA). Attendance may be
either full time or part time, during the day or night. The college student
need not be working toward a degree, but he/she must be enrolled in a class for
which credit would be applied toward a degree. (see "school
enrollment"). Students are classified by year of college, based on the
academic year (not calendar year) they are attending. Undergraduate years are
the 1st `through 4th year, or freshman through senior. Graduate or professional
school years include the 5th year and higher.
Two-year
and four-year colleges: College students were asked to report whether the college in which they
were enrolled was a 2-year college (junior or community college) or a 4-year
college or university. Students enrolled in the first 4 years (undergraduates)
were classified by the type of college they reported. Graduate students are
shown as a separate group.
Attendance, full-time and part-time. College students were classified
according to whether they were attending school on a full-time or part-time
basis. A student was regarded as attending college full time if he/she was
taking 12 or more hours of classes during the average school week, and part
time if he/she was taking less than 12 hours of classes during the average
school week.
Vocational school enrollment. Vocational school enrollment includes
enrollment in business, vocational, technical, secretarial, trade, or
correspondence courses which are not counted as regular school enrollment and
are not for recreation or adult education classes. Courses counted as college
enrollment should not also be included as vocational.
School, Level of: The statistics on level of school indicate the
number of people enrolled at each of five levels--nursery school, kindergarten,
elementary school (1st to 8th grades), high school (9th to 12th grades), and
college or professional school. The last group includes graduate students in
colleges or universities. People enrolled in elementary, middle school,
intermediate school or junior high school through the eighth grade are
classified as in elementary school. All people enrolled in 9th through 12th
grade are classified as in high school.
School, Modal grade. Enrolled people are classified according to their
relative progress in school: that is, whether the grade or year in which they
were enrolled was below, at, or above the modal (or typical) grade for people
of their age at the time of the survey. The modal grade is the year of school
in which the largest proportion of students of a given age is enrolled.
Head Start.
Children enrolled in Head Start programs or similar programs sponsored by local
agencies to provide preschool education to young children are counted under
nursery school or kindergarten as appropriate.
School, Nursery. A nursery school is defined as a group or class
that is organized to provide educational experiences for children during the
year or years preceding kindergarten. It includes instruction as an important
and integral phase of its program of child care. Private homes in which
essentially custodial care is provided are not considered nursery schools.
Children attending nursery school are classified as attending during either part
of the day or the full day. Part-day attendance refers to those who attend
either in the morning or in the afternoon, but not both. Full-day attendance
refers to those who attend in both the morning and the afternoon. Children
enrolled in Head Start programs or similar programs
sponsored by local agencies to provide preschool education to young children
are counted under nursery school.
School, Public or private. In this report, a public school is defined as any
educational institution operated by publicly elected or appointed school
officials and supported by public funds. Private schools include educational
institutions established and operated by religious bodies, as well as those
which are under other private control. In cases where enrollment was in a
school or college which was both publicly and privately controlled or
supported, enrollment was counted according to whether it was primarily public
or private.
Secondary individuals. Secondary individuals are people of any age who
reside in a household, but are not related to the householder (except unrelated
subfamily members). People who reside in group quarters are also secondary
individuals. Examples of a secondary individual include (1) a guest, partner,
roommate, or resident employee; (2) a foster child; or (3) a person residing in
a rooming house, a halfway house, staff quarters at a hospital, or other type
of group quarters.
Step family. A Step family is a married-couple family
household with at least one child under age 18 who is a stepchild (i.e., a son
or daughter through marriage, but not by birth) of the householder. This
definition undercounts the true number of step families in instances where the
parent of the natural born or biological child is the householder and that
parents spouse is not the child's parent, as biological or step-parentage is
not ascertained in the CPS for both parents.
Subfamily. A subfamily is a married couple with or without children, or a single
parent with one or more own never-married children under 18 years old. A
subfamily does not maintain their own household, but lives in the home of
someone else.
Related subfamily. A related subfamily is a married couple with or without children, or one
parent with one or more own never married children under 18 years old, living
in a household and related to, but not including, the person or couple who
maintains the household. One example of a related subfamily is a young married
couple sharing the home of the husband's or wife's parents. The number of
related subfamilies is not included in the count of families.
Unrelated subfamily. An unrelated subfamily (formerly called a secondary family) is a married
couple with or without children, or a single parent with one or more own
never-married children under 18 years old living in a household. Unrelated
subfamily members are not related to the householder. An unrelated subfamily
may include people such as guests, partners, roommates, or resident employees
and their spouses and/or children. The number of unrelated subfamily members is
included in the total number of household members, but is not included in the
count of family members.
Beginning
in 1989, any person(s) who is not related to the householder and who is not the
husband, wife, parent, or child in an unrelated subfamily is counted as an
unrelated individual.
Tenure. A housing unit is "owned" if the owner or co-owner lives in the
unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. A cooperative or
condominium unit is "owned only if the owner or co-owner lives in it. All
other occupied units are classified as "rented," including units
rented for cash rent and those occupied without payment of cash rent.
Undocumented immigrants or illegal aliens. Because all residents of the United
States living in households are represented in the sample of households
interviewed by the CPS, undocumented immigrants or illegal aliens are probably
included in CPS data. Because the CPS makes no attempt to ascertain the legal
status of any person interviwed, these individuals cannot be identified from
CPS data.
Units in structure. In the determination of the number of units in a
structure, all housing units, both occupied and vacant, were counted. The
statistics are presented in terms of the number of occupied housing units in
structures of specified size, not in terms of the number of residential
structures.
Unmarried couple. An unmarried couple is composed of two unrelated
adults of the opposite sex (one of whom is the householder) who share a housing
unit with or without the presence of children under 15 years old. Unmarried
couple households contain only two adults.
Unrelated individuals. Unrelated individuals are people of any age who
are not members of families or subfamilies.
Voting, people eligible to register. The population of voting age includes a
considerable number of people who meet the age requirement but cannot register
and vote. People who are not citizens are not eligible to vote. Among citizens
of voting age, some people are not permitted to vote because they have been committed
to penal institutions, mental hospitals, or other institutions, or because they
fail to meet state and local resident requirements for various reasons. The
eligibility to register is governed by state laws which differ in many
respects.
Registration
is the act of qualifying to vote by formally enrolling on a list of voters.
People who have moved to another election district must take steps to have
their names placed on the voting rolls in their new place of residence.
In a
few states or parts of states, no formal registration is required. Voters
merely present themselves at the polling place on election day with proof that
they are of age and have met the appropriate residence requirements. Therefore,
in these areas people who are citizens and of voting age, and who meet the
residence requirement, would be considered as being registered.
Voter, reported participation. Voter participation data are derived from
replies to the following question asked of people (excluding noncitizens) of
voting age: "In any election some people are not able to vote because they
are sick or busy, or have some other reason, and others do not want to vote.
Did (this person) vote in the election held on November (date varies)?"
Those
of voting age were classified as "voted" or "did not vote."
In most tables, this "did not vote" class includes those reported as
"did not vote," "do not know," noncitizens, and
nonrespondents. Nonrespondents and people who reported that they did not know
if they voted were included in the "did not vote" class because of
the general over-reporting by respondents in the sample.
Voter, reported registration. The data on registration were obtained by
tabulating replies to the following question for those people included in the
category "did not vote." "Was (this person) registered to vote
in the November (date varies) election?"
All
people reported as having voted were assumed to have been registered.
Therefore, the total registered population is obtained by combining the number
of people who voted and people included in the category "did not
vote," but who had registered.
Voted, time of day. Data on time of day and method of voting was
obtained in various November Current Population Surveys from replies to a
direct question: At what time of day did... vote? The answer was recorded in
one of the following categories:
Before noon
Noon to 4 p.m.
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
After 6 p.m.
Voted absentee
Don't know
Work Experience. A person with work experience is one who, during the preceding calendar year,
did any work for pay or profit or worked without pay on a family-operated farm
or business at any time during the year, on a part-time or full-time basis.
·
A full-time
worker is one who worked 35 hours or more per week during a majority of the
weeks worked during the preceding calendar year.
·
A year-round
worker is one who worked for 50 weeks or more during the preceding calendar
year.
·
A full-time,
year-round worker is a person who worked full time (35 or more hours per
week) and 50 or more weeks during the previous calendar year.
Working poor. A term not used by the Census
Bureau, which may mean different things to different data users, based on the
question they are trying to answer:
·
People who
worked but who nevertheless fell under the official definition of poverty.
·
People who
were poor and had at least one working family member. This definition would include children, other dependents,
retired persons, and other nonworking family members.
·
People who
may not necessarily be poor according to the official measure of poverty, but
who fall below some percentage of the poverty level (for instance, 200 percent
of poverty). See Poverty
definition, income-to-poverty ratios.