Data Dictionary: ACS 2008 (3-Year Estimates)
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Data Source:U.S. Census Bureau
Table: B10051G. Grandparents Living with Own Grandchildren Under 18 Years by Responsibility for Own Grandchildren and Age of Grandparent (Two or More Races) [7]
Universe: Universe: Grandparents (Two or More races) living with own grandchildren under 18 years
Table Details
B10051G. Grandparents Living with Own Grandchildren Under 18 Years by Responsibility for Own Grandchildren and Age of Grandparent (Two or More Races)
Universe: Universe: Grandparents (Two or More races) living with own grandchildren under 18 years
Relevant Documentation:
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2006-2008 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
 ACS 2008-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B: Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Grandparents as Caregivers
Grandparents as Caregivers
Data on grandparents as caregivers were derived from Questions 24a through 24c. Data were collected on whether a grandchild lives with a grandparent in the household, whether the grandparent has responsibility for the basic needs of the grandchild, and the duration of that responsibility.
Existence of a Grandparent Living with a Grandchild in the Household
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This was determined by a "Yes" answer to the question, "Does this person have any of his/her own grandchildren under the age of 18 living in this house or apartment?" This question was asked of people 15 years of age and over. Because of the low numbers of persons under 30 years old living with their grandchildren, data were only tabulated for people 30 and over.
Responsibility for Basic Needs
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This question determines if the grandparent is financially responsible for food, shelter, clothing, day care, etc., for any or all grandchildren living in the household. In selected tabulations, grandparent responsibility is further classified by presence of parent (of the grandchild).
Duration of Responsibility
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The answer refers to the grandchild for whom the grandparent has been responsible for the longest period of time. Duration categories ranged from less than 6 months to 5 or more years.
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 grandparents as caregivers distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the grandparents as caregivers distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.
Question/Concept History
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These questions are included starting in the 1999 American Community Survey. The response categories for length of time caring for grandchildren were modified slightly between the 1999 and 2000 American Community Survey questionnaires to match the 2000 decennial census questionnaire.
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2006-2008 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
 ACS 2008-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B: Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Age
Age
The data on age were derived from answers to Question 4. 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 2008. 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 2008 ACS. For example, Baby Boomers were age 36 to 54 in Census 2000 while they were age 44 to 62 in the 2008 ACS. Therefore, the age group 55 to 59 would show a considerable increase in population when comparing Census 2000 data with the 2008 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 2008, 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; American Community Survey 2006-2008 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
 ACS 2008-3yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix B: Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Household Type and Relationship -> Relationship to Householder -> Other Relatives -> Grandchild
Grandchild
The grandson or granddaughter of the householder.
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2006-2008 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
 ACS 2008-3yr 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 "Asian" was tallied as two or more races, while a response of "Japanese" and "Chinese" was not because "Japanese" and "Chinese" are both Asian responses.
Excerpt from: Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2006-2008 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
 ACS 2008-3yr 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.

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