Social Explorer application is not quite ready for this screen size. Please head to your nearest desktop or tablet device. Visit Homepage
Basic plan
Create Account
Data Dictionary: ACS 2014 (5-Year Estimates)
you are here: choose a survey survey data set table variable details
Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Universe: Universe: Total population in occupied housing units
Relevant Documentation:
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2014 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2014-5yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A: Supplemental Documentation -> 2014 Subject Definitions -> Living Quarters -> Housing Unit -> Occupied Housing Unit
Occupied Housing Unit
A housing unit is classified as occupied if it is the current place of residence of the person or group of people living in it at the time of interview, or if the occupants are only temporarily absent from the residence for two months or less, that is, away on vacation or a business trip. If all the people staying in the unit at the time of the interview are staying there for two months or less, the unit is considered to be temporarily occupied and classified as "vacant." The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated people who share living quarters. The living quarters occupied by staff personnel within any group quarters are separate housing units if they satisfy the housing unit criteria of separateness and direct access; otherwise, they are considered group quarters.

Occupied rooms or suites of rooms in hotels, motels, and similar places are classified as housing units only when occupied by permanent residents, that is, people who consider the hotel as their current place of residence or have no current place of residence elsewhere. If any of the occupants in rooming or boarding houses, congregate housing, or continuing care facilities live separately from others in the building and have direct access, their quarters are classified as separate housing units.

Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2014 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2014-5yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A: Supplemental Documentation -> 2014 Subject Definitions -> Housing Variables -> Tenure
Tenure
The data for tenure were obtained from Housing Question 17 in the 2013 American Community Survey. The question was asked at occupied housing units. Occupied housing units are classified as either owner-occupied or renter-occupied.

Tenure provides a measurement of home ownership, which has served as an indicator of the nation's economy for decades. These data are used to aid in the distribution of funds for programs such as those involving mortgage insurance, rental housing, and national defense housing. Data on tenure allows planners to evaluate the overall viability of housing markets and to assess the stability of neighborhoods. The data also serve in understanding the characteristics of owner-occupied and renter-occupied units to aid builders, mortgage lenders, planning officials, government agencies, etc., in the planning of housing programs and services.

Owner-Occupied
back to top
A housing unit is owner-occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for. The owner or co-owner must live in the unit and usually is Person 1 on the questionnaire. The unit is "Owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan" if it is being purchased with a mortgage or some other debt arrangement such as a deed of trust, trust deed, contract to purchase, land contract, or purchase agreement. The unit also is considered owned with a mortgage if it is built on leased land and there is a mortgage on the unit. Mobile homes occupied by owners with installment loan balances also are included in this category.

A housing unit is "Owned by you or someone in this household free and clear (without a mortgage or loan)" if there is no mortgage or other similar debt on the house, apartment, or mobile home including units built on leased land if the unit is owned outright without a mortgage.

Renter-Occupied
back to top
All occupied housing units which are not owner-occupied, whether they are rented or occupied without payment of rent, are classified as renter-occupied. "No rent paid" units are separately identified in the rent tabulations. Such units are generally provided free by friends or relatives or in exchange for services such as resident manager, caretaker, minister, or tenant farmer. Housing units on military bases also are classified in the "No rent paid" category. "Rented" includes units in continuing care, sometimes called life care arrangements. These arrangements usually involve a contract between one or more individuals and a health services provider guaranteeing the individual shelter, usually a house or apartment, and services, such as meals or transportation to shopping or recreation. (For more information, see "Meals Included in Rent.")

Question/Concept History

From 1996-2007 the American Community Survey questions were the same. Starting in 2008, the instruction ""Mark (X) ONE box." was added following the question, and the instruction "Include home equity loans." was added following the response category "Owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan?" Additional changes introduced in 2008 included revising the wording of two of the response categories from "Rented for cash rent?" to "Rented?" and "Occupied without payment of cash rent?" to "Occupied without payment of rent?"

Comparability

Data on tenure in the 2013 American Community Survey can be compared to previous ACS and Census 2000 tenure data.

Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2014 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
  ACS 2014-5yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A: Supplemental Documentation -> 2014 Subject Definitions -> Housing Variables -> Year Householder Moved into Unit
Year Householder Moved into Unit
The data on year householder moved into unit were obtained from answers to Housing Question 3 in the 2013 American Community Survey, which was asked at occupied housing units. These data refer to the year of the latest move by the householder. If the householder moved back into a housing unit he or she previously occupied, the year of the latest move was reported. If the householder moved from one apartment to another within the same building, the year the householder moved into the present apartment was reported. The intent is to establish the year the present occupancy by the householder began. The year that the householder moved in is not necessarily the same year other members of the household moved in, although in the great majority of cases an entire household moves at the same time.

The year the householder moved into the unit provides information on the specific period of time when mobility occurs, especially for recent movers. These data help to measure neighborhood stability and to identify transient communities. The data also is used to assess the amount of displacement caused by floods and other natural disasters, and as an aid to evaluate the changes in service requirements.

Median Year Householder Moved into Unit
back to top
Median year householder moved into unit divides the distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median year householder moved into unit and one-half above the median. Median year householder moved into unit is computed on the basis of a standard distribution. (See the "Standard Distributions" section in Appendix A.) Median year householder moved into unit is rounded to the nearest calendar year. (For more information on medians, see "Derived Measures.")

Question/Concept History

Since 1996, the question provided two write-in spaces for the respondent to enter month and year the householder (person 1) moved into the house, apartment, or mobile home.

Comparability

Data on year householder moved into unit in the 2013 American Community Survey can be compared to previous ACS and Census 2000 year householder moved into unit data.