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Data Dictionary: ACS 2007 (3-Year Estimates)
you are here: choose a survey survey data set table variable details
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Universe: Universe: Two or More races population 25 years and Over
Relevant Documentation:
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2007-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B. Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Sex
Sex
The data on sex were derived from answers to Question 1. Individuals were asked to mark either "male" or "female" to indicate their sex. For most cases in which sex was not reported, the appropriate entry was determined 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.
Sex Ratio
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The sex ratio represents the balance between the male and female populations. Ratios above 100 indicate a larger male population, and ratios below 100 indicate a larger female population. This measure is derived by dividing the total number of males by the total number of females and then multiplying by 100. It is rounded to the nearest tenth.
Limitation of the data
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Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have sex distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the sex distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.
The Census Bureau tested the changes introduced to the 2007 version of the sex question in the 2007 ACS Grid-Sequential Test (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACS-MP-09_Grid-Sequential_Test_Final_Report.pdf). The results of this testing show that the changes may introduce an inconsistency in the data produced for this question as observed from the years 2006 to 2007
Question/Concept History
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The sex question has remained the same.
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2007-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B. Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Educational Attainment
Educational Attainment
Data on educational attainment were derived from answers to Question 11, which was asked of all respondents. Educational attainment data are tabulated for people 18 years old and over. Respondents are classified according to the highest degree or the highest level of school completed. The question included instructions for persons currently enrolled in school to report the level of the previous grade attended or the highest degree received.
The educational attainment question included a response category that allowed people to report completing the 12th grade without receiving a high school diploma. Respondents who received a high school diploma or the equivalent (for example, passed the test of General Educational Development (G.E.D.)), and did not attend college, were instructed to report "high school graduate." "Some college" is in two categories: "Some college credit, but less than 1 year" and "1 or more years of college, no degree." The category "Associate's degree" included people whose highest degree is an associate's degree, which generally requires 2 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 transferable 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. Instructions included in the respondent instruction guide provided the following examples of professional school degrees: Medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, law, and theology. The order in which degrees were listed suggested that doctorate degrees were "higher" than professional school degrees, which were "higher" than master's degrees. If more than one box was filled, the response was edited to the highest level or degree reported.
The instructions further specified that schooling completed in foreign or ungraded school systems should be reported as the equivalent level of schooling in the regular American system. The instructions specified that certificates or diplomas for training in specific trades or from vocational, technical or business schools were not to be reported. Honorary degrees awarded for a respondent's accomplishments were not to be reported.
High School Graduate or Higher
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This category includes people whose highest degree was a high school diploma or its equivalent, people who attended college but did not receive a degree, and people who received an associates, bachelors, masters, or professional or doctorate degree. People who reported completing the 12th grade but not receiving a diploma are not included.
Not Enrolled, Not High School Graduate
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This category includes people of compulsory school attendance age or above who were not enrolled in school and were not high school graduates. These people may be referred to as "high school dropouts." There is no restriction on when they "dropped out" of school; therefore, they may have dropped out before high school and never attended high school.
Limitation of the Data
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Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have educational attainment distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the educational attainment distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.
Question/Concept History
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Since 1999, the American Community Survey question does not have the response category for "Vocational, technical, or business school degree" that the 1996-1998 American Community Surveys question had. Starting in 1999, the American Community Survey question had two categories for some college: "Some college credit, but less than 1 year" and "1 or more years of college, no degree." The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question had one category: "Some college but no degree."
In the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the educational attainment question was used to estimate level of enrollment. Since 1999, a question regarding grade of enrollment was included.
Since 1999, the American Community Survey attainment question grouped grade categories below high school into the following three categories: "Nursery school to 4th grade," "5th grade or 6th grade," and "7th grade or 8th grade." The 1996-1998 American Community Survey question allowed a write-in for highest grade completed for grades 1-11 in addition to "Nursery or preschool" and "Kindergarten."
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2007-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B. Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Age
Age
The data on age were derived from answers to Question 2. The age classification is based on the age of the person in complete years at the time of interview. Both age and date of birth are used in combination to calculate the most accurate age at the time of the interview. Inconsistently reported and missing values are assigned or imputed based on the values of other variables for that person, from other people in the household, or from people in other households ("hot deck" imputation). Data on age are used to determine the applicability of other questions for a particular individual and to classify other characteristics in tabulations. Age data are needed to interpret most social and economic characteristics used to plan and analyze programs and policies. Therefore, age data are tabulated by many different age groupings, such as 5-year age groups.
Median Age
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The median age is the age that divides the population into two equal-size groups. Half of the population is older than the median age and half is younger. Median age is based on a standard distribution of the population by single years of age and is shown to the nearest tenth of a year. (See the sections on "Standard Distributions" and "Medians" under "Derived Measures.")
Age Dependency Ratio
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The age dependency ratio is derived by dividing the combined under-18 and 65-and-over populations by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio
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The old-age dependency ratio is derived by dividing the population 65 years and over by the 18-to-64 population and multiplying by 100.
Child Dependency Ratio
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The child dependency ratio is derived by dividing the population under 18 years by the 18-to-64 population, and multiplying by 100.
Limitation of the Data
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Caution should be taken when comparing population in age groups across time. The entire population continually ages into older age groups over time and babies fill in the youngest age group. Therefore, the population of a certain age is made up of a completely different group of people in 2000 and 2007. Since populations occasionally experience booms/increases and busts/decreases in births, deaths, or migration (for example, the postwar Baby Boom from 1946-1964), one should not necessarily expect that the population in an age group in Census 2000 should be similar in size or proportion to the population in the same age group in the 2007 ACS. For example, Baby Boomers were age 36 to 54 in Census 2000 while they were age 44 to 62 in the 2007 ACS. Therefore, the age group 55 to 59 would show a considerable increase in population when comparing Census 2000 data with the 2007 ACS data.
Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have age distributions that are very different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the age distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.
Question/Concept History
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The 1996-2002 American Community Survey question asked for month, day, and year of birth before age. Since 2003, the American Community Survey question asked for age, followed by month, day, and year of birth. In 2007, an additional instruction was provided with the age and date of birth question on the American Community Survey questionnaire to report babies as age 0 when the child was less than 1 year old. The addition of this instruction occurred after 2005 National Census Test results indicated increased accuracy of age reporting for babies less than one year old.
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2007-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B. Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Race -> Two or More Races
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 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 races identified by the OMB, and the Census Bureau's "Some other race" category. For data product purposes, "Two or More Races" refers to combinations of two or more of the following race categories:
1. White
2. Black or African American
3. American Indian and Alaska Native
4. Asian
5. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
6. Some other race

There are 57 possible combinations (see below) involving the race categories shown above. Thus, according to this approach, a response of "White" and "Asia"n was tallied as two or more races, while a response of Japanese and Chinese was not because "Japanese" and "Chinese" are both Asian responses. Tabulations of responses involving reporting of two or more races within the American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander categories are available in other data products.
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2007-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B. Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Race -> Two or More Races (57 Possible Specified Combinations)
Two or More Races (57 Possible Specified Combinations)

  1. White; Black or African American

  2. White; American Indian and Alaska Native

  3. White; Asian

  4. White; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  5. White; Some other race

  6. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native

  7. Black or African American; Asian

  8. Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  9. Black or African American; Some other race

  10. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian

  11. American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  12. American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race

  13. Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  14. Asian; Some other race

  15. Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  16. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native

  17. White; Black or African American; Asian

  18. White; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  19. White; Black or African American; Some other race

  20. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian

  21. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  22. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race

  23. White; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  24. White; Asian; Some other race

  25. White; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  26. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian

  27. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  28. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race

  29. Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  30. Black or African American; Asian; Some other race

  31. Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  32. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  33. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race

  34. American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  35. Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  36. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian

  37. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  38. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Some other race

  39. White; Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  40. White; Black or African American; Asian; Some other race

  41. White; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  42. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  43. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race

  44. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  45. White; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  46. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  47. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race

  48. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  49. Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  50. American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  51. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander

  52. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Some other race

  53. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  54. White; Black or African American; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  55. White; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  56. Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race

  57. White; Black or African American; American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander; Some other race



Given the many possible ways of displaying data on two or more races, data products will provide varying levels of detail. The most common presentation shows a single line indicating "Two or more races." Some data products provide totals of all 57 possible race combinations, as well as subtotals of people reporting a specific number of races, such as people reporting two races, people reporting three races, and so on. In other presentations on race, data are shown for the total number of people who reported one of the six categories alone or in combination with one or more other race categories. For example, the category, "Asian alone or in combination with one or more other races" includes people who reported Asian alone and people who reported Asian in combination with White, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and/or Some other race. This number, therefore, represents the maximum number of people who reported as Asian in the question on race. When this data presentation is used, the individual race categories will add to more than the total population because people may be included in more than one category.