Data Dictionary - ACS 2010 (1-Year Estimates) - American Community Survey 2010

Data Dictionary:

ACS 2010 (1-Year Estimates)

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Survey: ACS 2010 (1-Year Estimates)

Data Source:

U.S. Census Bureau

Data set: American Community Survey 2010 (ACS10)

Table:

B99231. Imputation of Employment Status for the Population 16 Years and Over [3]

Universe: Universe: Population 16 years and Over

Table Details

B99231.

Imputation of Employment Status for the Population 16 Years and Over

Universe: Universe: Population 16 years and Over

Variable	Label
B99231001	Total
B99231002	Imputed
B99231003	Not Imputed

Relevant Documentation:

Excerpt from:	Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2010 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
	ACS 2010-1yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A. Supplemental Documentation -> 2010 Subject Definitions -> Quality Measures -> Imputation Rates

Imputation Rates

Missing data for a particular question or item is called item nonresponse. It occurs when a respondent fails to provide an answer to a required item. The ACS also considers invalid answers as item nonresponse. The Census Bureau uses imputation methods that either use rules to determine acceptable answers or use answers from similar housing units or people who provided the item information. One type of imputation, allocation, involves using statistical procedures, such as within-household or nearest neighbor matrices populated by donors, to impute for missing values.

Overall Person Characteristic Imputation Rate

This rate is calculated by adding together the weighted number of allocated items across a set of person characteristics, and dividing by the total weighted number of responses across the same set of characteristics.

Overall Housing Characteristic Imputation Rate

This rate is calculated by adding together the weighted number of allocated items across a set of household and housing unit characteristics, and dividing by the total weighted number of responses across the same set of characteristics.
These rates give an overall picture of the rate of item nonresponse for a geographic area.

Appendix A. Field of Degree Classification

Five-Group Classification	Fifteen-Group Classification	Examples
Science and Engineering	Computers, Mathematics and Statistics	Computer Science, Mathematics, General Statistics
	Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences	Cellular and Molecular Biology, Soil Sciences, Natural Resource Management
	Physical and Related Sciences	Physics, Organic chemistry, Astronomy
	Psychology	Psychology, Counseling, Child psychology
	Social Sciences	Criminology, Sociology, Political Science
	Engineering	Chemical Engineering, Thermal engineering, Electrical engineering
	Multidisciplinary Studies	Nutritional science, Cognitive science, Behavioral science
Science and Engineering Related	Science and Engineering Related	Pre-Med, Physical therapy, Mechanical engineering technology
Business	Business	Business administration, Accounting, Human resources development
Education	Education	Early childhood education, Higher education administration, Special education
Arts, Humanities, and Other	Literature and Languages	English, Foreign language and literature, Spanish
	Liberal Arts and History	Philosophy, Theology, American history
	Visual and Performing Arts	Interior design, Dance, Voice
	Communications	Mass communications, Journalism, Public relations
	Other	Public Administration, Pre-law, Kinesiology

Four Main Group Classifications and Thirty-Nine Subgroup Classifications of Languages Spoken at Home with Illustrative Examples

Four Main Group Classifications	Thirty-Nine Subgroup Classifications
Spanish	Spanish or Spanish Creole Examples: Ladino, Pachuco
Other Indo-European languages	French
	Examples: Cajun, Patois
	French Creole
	Examples: Haitian Creole
	Italian
	Portuguese or Portuguese Creole Examples: Papia Mentae
	German
	Example: Luxembourgian
	Yiddish
	Other West Germanic languages
	Examples: Dutch, Pennsylvania Dutch, Afrikaans
	Scandinavian languages
	Examples: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
	Greek
	Russian
	Polish
	Serbo-Croatian
	Examples: Croatian, Serbian
	Other Slavic languages
	Examples: Czech, Slovak, Ukrainian
	Armenian
	Persian
	Gujarati
	Hindi
	Urdu
	Other Indic languages
	Examples: Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Romany
	Other Indo-European languages
	Examples: Albanian, Gaelic, Lithuanian, Romanian
Asian and Pacific Island languages	Chinese
	Examples: Cantonese, Formosan, Mandarin
	Japanese
	Korean
	Mon-Khmer, Cambodian
	Hmong
	Thai
	Laotian
	Vietnamese
	Other Asian languages
	Examples: Dravidian languages (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil), Turkish
	Tagalog
	Other Pacific Island languages
	Examples: Chamorro, Hawaiian, Ilocano, Indonesian, Samoan
All other languages	Navajo
	Other Native North American languages
	Examples: Apache, Cherokee, Dakota, Pima, Yupik
	Hungarian
	Arabic
	Hebrew
	African languages
	Examples: Amharic, Ibo, Yoruba, Bantu, Swahili, Somali
	Other and unspecified languages
	Examples: Syriac, Finnish, Other languages of the Americas, not reported

Poverty Factors and Thresholds

The 2010 Poverty Factors:

Interview Month	Poverty Factors
January	2.22296
February	2.22775
March	2.23167
April	2.23592
May	2.24004
June	2.24377
July	2.24574
August	2.24803
September	2.25017
October	2.25231
November	2.25449
December	2.25663

Poverty Thresholds in 1982, by Size of Family and Number of Related Children Under 18 Years Old (Dollars)

Size of family unit	Related children under 18 years
	None	One	Two	Three	Four	Five	Six	Seven	Eight or more
One person (unrelated individual)
Under 65 years	5,019
65 years and over	4,626
Two persons
Householder under 65 years	6,459	6,649
Householder 65 years and over	5,831	6,624
Three persons	7,546	7,765	7,772
Four persons	9,950	10,112	9,783	9,817
Five persons	11,999	12,173	11,801	11,512	11,336
Six persons	13,801	13,855	13,570	13,296	12,890	12,649
Seven persons	15,879	15,979	15,637	15,399	14,955	14,437	13,869
Eight persons or more	17,760	17,917	17,594	17,312	16,911	16,403	15,872	15,738
Nine persons or more	21,364	21,468	21,183	20,943	20,549	20,008	19,517	19,397	18,649

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Race Combination and Median Standard Distribution

Two or More Races (57 Possible Specified Combinations)

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

Median Standard Distributions

In order to provide consistency in the values within and among data products, standard distributions from which medians and quartiles are calculated are used for the American Community Survey. Standard Distribution for Median Age:

[116 data cells]
Under 1 year
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
.
.
.
112 years
113 years
114 years
115 years and over
Standard Distribution for Median Age at First Marriage:
[9 cells]
5 to 9 years
10 to 14 years
15 to 19 years
20 to 24 years
25 to 29 years
30 to 34 years
35 to 39 years
40 to 44 years
45 to 49 years
Standard Distribution for Median Agricultural Crop Sales:
[5 data cells]
Less than $1,000
$1,000 to $2,499
$2,500 to $4,999
$5,000 to $9,999
$10,000 or more

Standard Distribution for Median Bedrooms:
[9 data cells]
No bedroom
1 bedroom
2 bedrooms
3 bedrooms
4 bedrooms
5 bedrooms
6 bedrooms
7 bedrooms
8 or more bedrooms
Standard Distribution for Median Condominium Fees:
[15 data cells]
Less than $50
$50 to $99
$100 to $199
$200 to $299
$300 to $399
$400 to $499
$500 to $599
$600 to $699
$700 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,749
$1,750 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Contract Rent/Quartile Contract Rent/Rent Asked/Gross Rent:
[23 data cells]
Less than $100
$100 to $149
$150 to $199
$200 to $249
$250 to $299
$300 to $349
$350 to $399
$400 to $449
$450 to $499
$500 to $549
$550 to $599
$600 to $649
$650 to $699
$700 to $749
$750 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,999
$2,000 to $2,499
$2,500 to $2,999
$3,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Duration of Current Marriage:
[101 data cells]
Under 1 year
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
.
.
.
97 years
98 years
99 years
100 years and over
Standard Distribution for Median Earnings and Median Income (Individuals):
[101 data cells]
Less than $2,500
$2,500 to $4,999
$5,000 to $7,499
$7,500 to $9,999
$10,000 to $12,499
$12,500 to $14,999
$15,000 to $17,499
$17,500 to $19,999
$20,000 to $22,499
$22,500 to $24,999
$500 to $549
$550 to $599
$600 to $649
$650 to $699
$700 to $749
$750 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,999
$2,000 to $2,499
$2,500 to $2,999
$3,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Duration of Current Marriage:
[101 data cells]
Under 1 year
1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
.
.
.
97 years
98 years
99 years
100 years and over
Standard Distribution for Median Earnings and Median Income (Individuals):
[101 data cells]
Less than $2,500
$2,500 to $4,999
$5,000 to $7,499
$7,500 to $9,999
$10,000 to $12,499
$12,500 to $14,999
$15,000 to $17,499
$17,500 to $19,999
$20,000 to $22,499
$22,500 to $24,999
$140,000 to $142,499
$142,500 to $144,999
$145,000 to $147,499
$147,500 to $149,999
$150,000 to $152,499
$152,500 to $154,999
$155,000 to $157,499
$157,500 to $159,999
$160,000 to $162,499
$162,500 to $164,999
$165,000 to $167,499
$167,500 to $169,999
$170,000 to $172,499
$172,500 to $174,999
$175,000 to $177,499
$177,500 to $179,999
$180,000 to $182,499
$182,500 to $184,999
$185,000 to $187,499
$187,500 to $189,999
$190,000 to $192,499
$192,500 to $194,999
$195,000 to $197,499
$197,500 to $199,999
$200,000 to $202,499
$202,500 to $204,999
$205,000 to $207,499
$207,500 to $209,999
$210,000 to $212,499
$212,500 to $214,999
$215,000 to $217,499
$217,500 to $219,999
$220,000 to $222,499
$222,500 to $224,999
$225,000 to $227,499
$227,500 to $229,999
$230,000 to $232,499
$232,500 to $234,999
$235,000 to $237,499
$237,500 to $239,999
$240,000 to $242,499
$242,500 to $244,999
$245,000 to $247,499
$247,500 to $249,999
$250,000 or more
$140,000 to $142,499
$142,500 to $144,999
$145,000 to $147,499
$147,500 to $149,999
$150,000 to $152,499
$152,500 to $154,999
$155,000 to $157,499
$157,500 to $159,999
$160,000 to $162,499
$162,500 to $164,999
$165,000 to $167,499
$167,500 to $169,999
$170,000 to $172,499
$172,500 to $174,999
$175,000 to $177,499
$177,500 to $179,999
$180,000 to $182,499
$182,500 to $184,999
$185,000 to $187,499
$187,500 to $189,999
$190,000 to $192,499
$192,500 to $194,999
$195,000 to $197,499
$197,500 to $199,999
$200,000 to $202,499
$202,500 to $204,999
$205,000 to $207,499
$207,500 to $209,999
$210,000 to $212,499
$212,500 to $214,999
$215,000 to $217,499
$217,500 to $219,999
$220,000 to $222,499
$222,500 to $224,999
$225,000 to $227,499
$227,500 to $229,999
$230,000 to $232,499
$232,500 to $234,999
$235,000 to $237,499
$237,500 to $239,999
$240,000 to $242,499
$242,500 to $244,999
$245,000 to $247,499
$247,500 to $249,999
$250,000 or more
$5,000 to $7,499
$7,500 to $9,999
$10,000 to $12,499
$12,500 to $14,999
$15,000 to $17,499
$17,500 to $19,999
$20,000 to $22,499
$22,500 to $24,999
$25,000 to $27,499
$27,500 to $29,999
$30,000 to $32,499
$32,500 to $34,999
$35,000 to $37,499
$37,500 to $39,999
$40,000 to $42,499
$42,500 to $44,999
$45,000 to $47,499
$47,500 to $49,999
$50,000 to $52,499
$52,500 to $54,999
$55,000 to $57,499
$57,500 to $59,999
$60,000 to $62,499
$62,500 to $64,999
$65,000 to $67,499
$67,500 to $69,999
$70,000 to $72,499
$72,500 to $74,999
$75,000 to $77,499
$77,500 to $79,999
$80,000 to $82,499
$82,500 to $84,999
$85,000 to $87,499
$87,500 to $89,999
$90,000 to $92,499
$92,500 to $94,999
$95,000 to $97,499
$97,500 to $99,999
$100,000 to $102,499
$102,500 to $104,999
$105,000 to $107,499
$107,500 to $109,999
$110,000 to $112,499
$112,500 to $114,999
$115,000 to $117,499
$117,500 to $119,999
$120,000 to $122,499
$122,500 to $124,999
$125,000 to $127,499
$127,500 to $129,999
$130,000 to $132,499
$132,500 to $134,999
$135,000 to $137,499
$137,500 to $139,999
$140,000 to $142,499
$142,500 to $144,999
$145,000 to $147,499
$147,500 to $149,999
$150,000 to $152,499
$152,500 to $154,999
$155,000 to $157,499
$157,500 to $159,999
$160,000 to $162,499
$162,500 to $164,999
$165,000 to $167,499
$167,500 to $169,999
$170,000 to $172,499
$172,500 to $174,999
$175,000 to $177,499
$177,500 to $179,999
$180,000 to $182,499
$182,500 to $184,999
$185,000 to $187,499
$187,500 to $189,999
$190,000 to $192,499
$192,500 to $194,999
$195,000 to $197,499
$197,500 to $199,999
$200,000 to $202,499
$202,500 to $204,999
$205,000 to $207,499
$207,500 to $209,999
$210,000 to $212,499
$212,500 to $214,999
$215,000 to $217,499
$217,500 to $219,999
$220,000 to $222,499
$222,500 to $224,999
$225,000 to $227,499
$227,500 to $229,999
$230,000 to $232,499
$232,500 to $234,999
$235,000 to $237,499
$237,500 to $239,999
$240,000 to $242,499
$242,500 to $244,999
$245,000 to $247,499
$247,500 to $249,999
$250,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Monthly Housing Costs:
[30 cells]
Less than $100
$100 to $149
$150 to $199
$200 to $249
$250 to $299
$300 to $349
$350 to $399
$400 to $449
$450 to $499
$500 to $549
$550 to $599
$600 to $649
$650 to $699
$700 to $749
$750 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,749
$1,750 to $1,999
$2,000 to $2,499
$2,500 to $2,999
$3,000 to $3,499
$3,500 to $3,999
$4,000 to $4,499
$4,500 to $4,999
$5,000 to $5,499
$5,500 to $5,999
$6,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Real Estate Taxes Paid:
[14 data cells]
Less than $200
$200 to $299
$300 to $399
$400 to $599
$600 to $799
$800 to $999
$1,000 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,999
$2,000 to $2,999
$3,000 to $3,999
$4,000 to $4,999
$5,000 to $7,499
$7,500 to $9,999
$10,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Rooms:
[14 data cells]
1 room
2 rooms
3 rooms
4 rooms
5 rooms
6 rooms
7 rooms
8 rooms
9 rooms
10 rooms
11 rooms
12 rooms
13 rooms
14 or more rooms
Standard Distribution for Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs/Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs by Mortgage Status (With a Mortgage):
[23 data cells]
Less than $100
$100 to $199
$200 to $299
$300 to $399
$400 to $499
$500 to $599
$600 to $699
$700 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,749
$1,750 to $1,999
$2,000 to $2,499
$2,500 to $2,999
$3,000 to $3,499
$3,500 to $3,999
$4,000 to $4,499
$4,500 to $4,999
$5,000 to $5,499
$5,500 to $5,999
$6,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs by Mortgage Status (Without a Mortgage):
[17 data cells]
Less than $100
$100 to $149
$150 to $199
$200 to $249
$250 to $299
$300 to $349
$350 to $399
$400 to $499
$500 to $599
$600 to $699
$700 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,999
$2,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Selected Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income by Mortgage Status:
[13 data cells]
Less than 10.0 percent
10.0 to 14.9 percent
15.0 to 19.9 percent
20.0 to 24.9 percent
25.0 to 29.9 percent
30.0 to 34.9 percent
35.0 to 39.9 percent
40.0 to 49.9 percent
50.0 to 59.9 percent
60.0 to 69.9 percent
70.0 to 79.9 percent
80.0 to 89.9 percent
90.0 percent or more
Standard Distribution for Median Total Mortgage Payment:
[21 data cells]
Less than $100
$100 to $199
$200 to $299
$300 to $399
$400 to $499
$500 to $599
$600 to $699
$700 to $799
$800 to $899
$900 to $999
$1,000 to $1,249
$1,250 to $1,499
$1,500 to $1,749
$1,750 to $1,999
$2,000 to $2,499
$2,500 to $2,999
$3,000 to $3,499
$3,500 to $3,999
$4,000 to $4,499
$4,500 to $4,999
$5,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Usual Hours Worked Per Week Worked in the Past 12 Months:
[9 data cells]
Usually worked 50 to 99 hours per week
Usually worked 45 to 49 hours per week
Usually worked 41 to 44 hours per week
Usually worked 40 hours per week
Usually worked 35 to 39 hours per week
Usually worked 30 to 34 hours per week
Usually worked 25 to 29 hours per week
Usually worked 15 to 24 hours per week
Usually worked 1 to 14 hours per week
Standard Distribution for Median Value/Quartile Value/Price Asked:
[24 data cells]
Less than $10,000
$10,000 to $14,999
$15,000 to $19,999
$20,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $29,999
$30,000 to $34,999
$35,000 to $39,999
$40,000 to $49,999
$50,000 to $59,999
$60,000 to $69,999
$70,000 to $79,999
$80,000 to $89,999
$90,000 to $99,999
$100,000 to $124,999
$125,000 to $149,999
$150,000 to $174,999
$175,000 to $199,999
$200,000 to $249,999
$250,000 to $299,999
$300,000 to $399,999
$400,000 to $499,999
$500,000 to $749,999
$750,000 to $999,999
$1,000,000 or more
Standard Distribution for Median Vehicles Available:
[6 data cells]
No vehicle available
1 vehicle available
2 vehicles available
3 vehicles available
4 vehicles available
5 or more vehicles available
Standard Distribution for Median Year Householder Moved Into Unit:
[13 data cells]
Moved in 2010
Moved in 2009
Moved in 2008
Moved in 2007
Moved in 2006
Moved in 2005
Moved in 2004
Moved in 2003
Moved in 2002
Moved in 2001
Moved in 2000
Moved in 1990 to 1999
Moved in 1980 to 1989
Moved in 1970 to 1979
Moved in 1969 or earlier
Standard Distribution for Median Year Structure Built:
[16 data cells]
Built in 2010
Built in 2009
Built in 2008
Built in 2007
Built in 2006
Built in 2005
Built in 2004
Built in 2003
Built in 2002
Built in 2001
Built in 2000
Built 1990 to 1999
Built 1980 to 1989
Built 1970 to 1979
Built 1960 to 1969
Built 1950 to 1959
Built 1940 to 1949
Built 1939 or earlier

Excerpt from:	Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2010 Summary File: Technical Documentation.
	ACS 2010-1yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A. Supplemental Documentation -> 2010 Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Employment Status

Employment Status

The data on employment status were derived from Questions 29 and 35 to 37 in the 2010 American Community Survey. (In the 1999-2002 American Community Survey, data were derived from Questions 22 and 28 to 30; in the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, data were derived from Questions 21 and 28 to 30.) The questions were asked of all people 15 years old and over. The series of questions on employment status was designed to identify, in this sequence: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. (For more information, see the discussion under "Reference Week.")

The employment status data shown in American Community Survey tabulations relate to people 16 years old and over.

Employment status is key to understanding work and unemployment patterns and the availability of workers. Based on labor market areas and unemployment levels, the U.S. Department of Labor identifies service delivery areas and determines amounts to be allocated to each for job training. The impact of immigration on the economy and job markets is determined partially by labor force data, and this information is included in required reports to Congress. The Office of Management and Budget, under the Paperwork Reduction Act, uses data about employed workers as part of the criteria for defining metropolitan areas. The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses this information, in conjunction with other data, to develop its state per capita income estimates used in the allocation formulas and eligibility criteria for many federal programs such as Medicaid.

Employed

This category includes all civilians 16 years old and over who either (1) were "at work," that is, those who did any work at all during the reference week as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business; or (2) were "with a job but not at work," that is, those who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around the house or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations; also excluded are all institutionalized people and people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Civilian Employed

This term is defined exactly the same as the term "employed" above.

Unemployed

All civilians 16 years old and over are classified as unemployed if they (1) were neither "at work" nor "with a job but not at work" during the reference week, and (2) were actively looking for work during the last 4 weeks, and (3) were available to start a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians who did not work at all during the reference week, were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off, and were available for work except for temporary illness. Examples of job seeking activities are:

Registering at a public or private employment office
Meeting with prospective employers
Investigating possibilities for starting a professional practice or opening a business
Placing or answering advertisements
Writing letters of application
Being on a union or professional register

Civilian Labor Force

Consists of people classified as employed or unemployed in accordance with the criteria described above.

Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the civilian labor force. For example, if the civilian labor force equals 100 people and 7 people are unemployed, then the unemployment rate would be 7 percent.

Labor Force

All people classified in the civilian labor force plus members of the U.S. Armed Forces (people on active duty with the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard).

Labor Force Participation Rate

The labor force participation rate represents the proportion of the population that is in the labor force. For example, if there are 100 people in the population 16 years and over, and 64 of them are in the labor force, then the labor force participation rate for the population 16 years and over would be 64 percent.

Not in Labor Force

All people 16 years old and over who are not classified as members of the labor force. This category consists mainly of students, homemakers, retired workers, seasonal workers interviewed in an off season who were not looking for work, institutionalized people, and people doing only incidental unpaid family work (less than 15 hours during the reference week).

Worker

This term appears in connection with several subjects: employment status, journey-to-work questions, class of worker, weeks worked in the past 12 months, and number of workers in family in the past 12 months. The meaning varies and, therefore, should be determined in each case by referring to the definition of the subject in which it appears. When used in the concepts "workers in family" and "full-time, year-round workers," the term "worker" relates to the meaning of work defined for the "work experience" subject.

Question/Concept History

Worked Last Week (Question 29): From 1999-2007, an italicized instruction was added to the question to help respondents determine what to count as work. Starting in 2008, the instruction was removed and the question was separated into two parts in an effort to give respondents - particularly people with irregular kinds of work arrangements - two opportunities to grasp and respond to the correct intent of the question.

On Layoff (Question 35a): Starting in 1999, the "Yes, on temporary layoff from most recent job" and "Yes, permanently laid off from most recent job" response categories were condensed into a single "Yes" category. An additional question (Q35b) was added to determine the temporary/permanent layoff distinction.

Temporarily Absent (Question 35b): Starting in 2008, the temporarily absent question included a revised list of examples of work absences.

Recalled to Work (Question 35c): This question was added in the 1999 American Community Survey to determine if a respondent who reported being on layoff from a job had been informed that he or she would be recalled to work within 6 months or been given a date to return to work.

Looking for Work (Question 36): Starting in 2008, the actively looking for work question was modified to emphasize 'active' job-searching activities.

Available to Work (Question 37): Starting in 1999, the "Yes, if a job had been offered" and "Yes, if recalled from layoff' response categories were condensed into one category, "Yes, could have gone to work." Starting in 2008, the actively looking for work question was modified to emphasize 'active' job-searching activities.

Limitation of the Data

The data may understate the number of employed people because people who have irregular, casual, or unstructured jobs sometimes report themselves as not working. The number of employed people "at work" is probably overstated in the data (and conversely, the number of employed "with a job, but not at work" is understated) since some people on vacation or sick leave erroneously reported themselves as working. This problem has no effect on the total number of employed people. The reference week for the employment data is not the same for all people. Since people can change their employment status from one week to another, the lack of a uniform reference week may mean that the employment data do not reflect the reality of the employment situation of any given week. (For more information, see the discussion under "Reference Week.")

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations have employment status distributions that are different from the household population. All institutionalized people are placed in the "not in labor force category." The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the employment status distribution. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population. For example, in areas having a large state prison population, the employment rate would be expected to decrease because the base of the percentage, which now includes the population in correctional institutions, is larger.

The Census Bureau tested the changes introduced to the 2008 version of the employment status questions in the 2006 ACS Content Test. The results of this testing show that the changes may introduce an inconsistency in the data produced for these questions as observed from the years 2007 to 2008, see "2006 ACS Content Test Evaluation Report Covering Employment Status" on the ACS website.

Along with the 2008 ACS release, the Census Bureau produced a research note comparing 2007 and 2008 ACS employment estimates to 2007 and 2008 Current Population Survey (CPS)/Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) estimates. The research note shows that the changes to the employment status series of questions in the 2008 ACS will make ACS labor force data more consistent with benchmark data from the CPS and LAUS program. For more information, see "Changes to the American Community Survey between 2007 and 2008 and the Effects on the Estimates of Employment and Unemployment" (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/laborfor/researchnote092209.html).

Comparability

Since employment data from the American Community Survey are obtained from respondents in households, they differ from statistics based on reports from individual business establishments, farm enterprises, and certain government programs. People employed at more than one job are counted only once in the American Community Survey and are classified according to the job at which they worked the greatest number of hours during the reference week. In statistics based on reports from business and farm establishments, people who work for more than one establishment may be counted more than once. Moreover, some tabulations may exclude private household workers, unpaid family workers, and self-employed people, but may include workers less than 16 years of age.

An additional difference in the data arises from the fact that people who had a job but were not at work are included with the employed in the American Community Survey statistics, whereas many of these people are likely to be excluded from employment figures based on establishment payroll reports. Furthermore, the employment status data in tabulations include people on the basis of place of residence regardless of where they work, whereas establishment data report people at their place of work regardless of where they live. This latter consideration is particularly significant when comparing data for workers who commute between areas.

For several reasons, the unemployment figures of the Census Bureau are not comparable with published figures on unemployment compensation claims. For example, figures on unemployment compensation claims exclude people who have exhausted their benefit rights, new workers who have not earned rights to unemployment insurance, and people losing jobs not covered by unemployment insurance systems (including some workers in agriculture, domestic services, and religious organizations, and self-employed and unpaid family workers). In addition, the qualifications for drawing unemployment compensation differ from the definition of unemployment used by the Census Bureau. People working only a few hours during the week and people with a job but not at work are sometimes eligible for unemployment compensation but are classified as "Employed" in the American Community Survey. Differences in the geographical distribution of unemployment data arise because the place where claims are filed may not necessarily be the same as the place of residence of the unemployed worker.

For guidance on differences in employment and unemployment estimates from different sources, go to http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/laborfor/laborguidance082504.html.

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