| Data Dictionary: | ACS 2021 (1-Year Estimates) |
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Survey: ACS 2021 (1-Year Estimates)
| Data Source: | U.S. Census Bureau |
Data set: American Community Survey 2021 (ACS21)
| Table: | B21007. Age By Veteran Status By Poverty Status In The Past 12 Months By Disability Status For The Civilian Population 18 Years And Over [61] |
Universe: Universe: Civilian population 18 years and over for whom poverty status is determined
Table Details
| B21007. | Age By Veteran Status By Poverty Status In The Past 12 Months By Disability Status For The Civilian Population 18 Years And Over | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Universe: Universe: Civilian population 18 years and over for whom poverty status is determined | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Relevant Documentation:
| Excerpt from: | Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2021 ACS 1-year and 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Data Releases : Technical Documentation. |
| 2021 ACS 1-year and 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Data Releases: Technical Documentation -> Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Veteran Status -> Veteran Status |
Answers to this question provide specific information about veterans. Veteran status is used to identify people with active duty military service and service in the military Reserves and the National Guard. Veterans are men and women who have served (even for a short time), but are not currently serving, on active duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, or who served in the U.S. Merchant Marine during World War II. People who served in the National Guard or Reserves are classified as veterans only if they were ever called or ordered to active duty, not counting the 4-6 months for initial training or yearly summer camps. All other civilians are classified as nonveterans. These data are used primarily by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to measure the needs of veterans.
While it is possible for 17 year olds to be veterans of the Armed Forces, ACS data products are restricted to the population 18 years and older.
Veteran Status is:
Used at state and county levels to plan programs for medical and nursing home care for veterans.
Used by VA to plan the locations and sizes of veterans' cemeteries.
Used by local agencies, under the Older Americans Act, to develop health care and other services for elderly veterans.
Used to allocate funds to states and local areas for employment and job training programs for veterans under the Job Training Partnership Act.
Question/Concept History
For the 1999-2002 American Community Survey, the question was changed to match the Census 2000 item. The response categories were modified by expanding the "No active duty service" answer category to distinguish persons whose only military service was for training in the Reserves or National Guard, from persons with no military experience whatsoever.
For the 2003-2012 ACS, the "Yes, on active duty in the past, but not now" category was split into two categories. Veterans were asked whether or not their service ended in the last 12 months.
Beginning in 2013, the veterans status question was revised in several ways based on recommendations from previous analysis of the question and a change in data needs for the veterans' series. First, VA no longer needed the 12-month distinction in veteran classifications, which resulted in collapsing the response option from five categories. Second, the revised question eliminated the lead-in "yes" and "no" for each response option. Finally, the response category for Reservists incorporated information from the instructions in the old version of the question, eliminating the need for the instruction to the question itself.
Limitation of the Data
There may be a tendency for the following kinds of persons to report erroneously that they served on active duty in the Armed Forces: (a) persons who served in the National Guard or Military Reserves but were never called to duty; (b) civilian employees or volunteers for the USO, Red Cross, or the Department of Defense (or its predecessors, the Department of War and the Department of the Navy); and (c) employees of the Merchant Marine or Public Health Service.
Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) was included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have period of military service and veteran status distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the period of service and veteran status distributions. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.
Comparability
The ACS has two separate questions for veteran status and period of military service, whereas in Census 2000, it was a two-part question. The wording for the veteran status question has remained the same; however, the response categories have changed over time (see the section "Question/Concept History"). While the response categories differ slightly from those in Census 2000, data from the two questions can still be compared to one another.
For comparisons to Census 2000 and earlier ACS data, go to https://data.census.gov. and enter "Comparing ACS Data" in the search box.
The Group Quarters (GQ) population was included in the 2006 ACS and not included in prior years of ACS data, thus comparisons should be made only if the geographic area of interest does not include a substantial GQ population.
For comparisons to the Current Population Survey (CPS), please see "Comparison of ACS and ASEC Data on Veteran Status and Period of Military Service: 2007"on the ACS website. Go to https://data.census.gov. and enter the paper title in the search box.
While it is possible for 17 year olds to be veterans of the Armed Forces, ACS data products are restricted to the population 18 years and older.
Veteran Status is:
For the 1999-2002 American Community Survey, the question was changed to match the Census 2000 item. The response categories were modified by expanding the "No active duty service" answer category to distinguish persons whose only military service was for training in the Reserves or National Guard, from persons with no military experience whatsoever.
For the 2003-2012 ACS, the "Yes, on active duty in the past, but not now" category was split into two categories. Veterans were asked whether or not their service ended in the last 12 months.
Beginning in 2013, the veterans status question was revised in several ways based on recommendations from previous analysis of the question and a change in data needs for the veterans' series. First, VA no longer needed the 12-month distinction in veteran classifications, which resulted in collapsing the response option from five categories. Second, the revised question eliminated the lead-in "yes" and "no" for each response option. Finally, the response category for Reservists incorporated information from the instructions in the old version of the question, eliminating the need for the instruction to the question itself.
Limitation of the Data
There may be a tendency for the following kinds of persons to report erroneously that they served on active duty in the Armed Forces: (a) persons who served in the National Guard or Military Reserves but were never called to duty; (b) civilian employees or volunteers for the USO, Red Cross, or the Department of Defense (or its predecessors, the Department of War and the Department of the Navy); and (c) employees of the Merchant Marine or Public Health Service.
Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) was included in the ACS. Some types of GQ populations may have period of military service and veteran status distributions that are different from the household population. The inclusion of the GQ population could therefore have a noticeable impact on the period of service and veteran status distributions. This is particularly true for areas with a substantial GQ population.
Comparability
The ACS has two separate questions for veteran status and period of military service, whereas in Census 2000, it was a two-part question. The wording for the veteran status question has remained the same; however, the response categories have changed over time (see the section "Question/Concept History"). While the response categories differ slightly from those in Census 2000, data from the two questions can still be compared to one another.
For comparisons to Census 2000 and earlier ACS data, go to https://data.census.gov. and enter "Comparing ACS Data" in the search box.
The Group Quarters (GQ) population was included in the 2006 ACS and not included in prior years of ACS data, thus comparisons should be made only if the geographic area of interest does not include a substantial GQ population.
For comparisons to the Current Population Survey (CPS), please see "Comparison of ACS and ASEC Data on Veteran Status and Period of Military Service: 2007"on the ACS website. Go to https://data.census.gov. and enter the paper title in the search box.
| Excerpt from: | Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; 2021 ACS 1-year and 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Data Releases : Technical Documentation. |
| 2021 ACS 1-year and 2017-2021 ACS 5-year Data Releases: Technical Documentation -> Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Educational Attainment |
Educational attainment data are needed for use in assessing the socioeconomic condition of the U.S. population. Government agencies also require these data for funding allocations and program planning and implementation. These data are needed to determine the extent of illiteracy rates of citizens in language minorities in order to meet statutory requirements under the Voting Rights Act. Based on data about educational attainment, school districts are allocated funds to provide classes in basic skills to adults who have not completed high school.
Data on educational attainment were derived from answers to Question 11 on the 2021 American Community Survey, 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 regular high school diploma and did not attend college were instructed to report "Regular high school diploma." Respondents who received the equivalent of a high school diploma (for example, passed the test of General Educational Development (G.E.D.)), and did not attend college, were instructed to report "GED or alternative credential." "Some college" is in two categories: "Some college credit, but less than 1 year of college credit" and "1 or more years of college credit, 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 for mailout/mailback respondents only 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.
Help text available to people responding by Internet and through personal interviews were instructed that schooling completed in foreign or ungraded school systems should be reportedas 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.
Data on educational attainment were derived from answers to Question 11 on the 2021 American Community Survey, 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 regular high school diploma and did not attend college were instructed to report "Regular high school diploma." Respondents who received the equivalent of a high school diploma (for example, passed the test of General Educational Development (G.E.D.)), and did not attend college, were instructed to report "GED or alternative credential." "Some college" is in two categories: "Some college credit, but less than 1 year of college credit" and "1 or more years of college credit, 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 for mailout/mailback respondents only 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.
Help text available to people responding by Internet and through personal interviews were instructed that schooling completed in foreign or ungraded school systems should be reportedas 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.
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 associate's, bachelor's, master's, or professional or doctorate degree. People who reported completing the 12th grade but not receiving a diploma are not included.
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.
Question/Concept History
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.
The 1999-2007 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 8 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."
Beginning in 2008, the American Community Survey attainment question was changed to the following categories for levels up to "Grade 12, no diploma," "Nursery school," "Kindergarten," "Grade 1 through grade 11," and "12th grade, no diploma." The survey question allowed a write-in for the highest grade completed for grades 1-11. In addition, the category that was previously "High school graduate (including GED)" was broken into two categories: "Regular high school diploma" and "GED or alternative credential." The term "credit" for the two some college categories was emphasized. The phrase "beyond a bachelor's degree" was added to the professional degree category.
Limitation of the Data
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.
The Census Bureau tested the changes introduced to the 2008 version of the educational attainment question in the 2006 ACS Content Test. 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 2007 to 2008, see "2006 ACS Content Test Evaluation Report Covering Educational Attainment" on the ACS website (http://www.census.gov/acs).
Comparability
New questions were added to the 2008 ACS Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) and Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) instruments. Respondents who received a high school diploma, GED or equivalent also were asked if they had completed any college credit. Therefore, data users may notice a decrease in the number of high school graduates relative to previous years because those people are now being captured in the "Some college credit, but less than 1 year of college credit" or "1 or more years of college credit, no degree" categories. For more information, see "Evaluation Report Covering Educational Attainment" from the 2006 ACS Content Test. Go to http://www.census.gov and enter "2006 ACS Content Test Evaluation Report Covering Educational Attainment" in the search box.
Data about educational attainment also are collected from the decennial Census and from the Current Population Survey (CPS). ACS data are generally comparable to data from the Census. For more information about the comparability of ACS and CPS data, please see the Educational Attainment Fact Sheet at https://www.census.gov/topics/education/educationalattainment/guidance/factsheet-acs-cps.html. More information about the comparability of ACS and CPS data can also be found in the paper "Comparison of ACS and ASEC Data on Educational Attainment: 2004" on the ACS website. Go to http://www.census.gov and enter the paper title in the search box.
Question/Concept History
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.
The 1999-2007 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 8 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."
Beginning in 2008, the American Community Survey attainment question was changed to the following categories for levels up to "Grade 12, no diploma," "Nursery school," "Kindergarten," "Grade 1 through grade 11," and "12th grade, no diploma." The survey question allowed a write-in for the highest grade completed for grades 1-11. In addition, the category that was previously "High school graduate (including GED)" was broken into two categories: "Regular high school diploma" and "GED or alternative credential." The term "credit" for the two some college categories was emphasized. The phrase "beyond a bachelor's degree" was added to the professional degree category.
Limitation of the Data
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.
The Census Bureau tested the changes introduced to the 2008 version of the educational attainment question in the 2006 ACS Content Test. 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 2007 to 2008, see "2006 ACS Content Test Evaluation Report Covering Educational Attainment" on the ACS website (http://www.census.gov/acs).
Comparability
New questions were added to the 2008 ACS Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) and Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) instruments. Respondents who received a high school diploma, GED or equivalent also were asked if they had completed any college credit. Therefore, data users may notice a decrease in the number of high school graduates relative to previous years because those people are now being captured in the "Some college credit, but less than 1 year of college credit" or "1 or more years of college credit, no degree" categories. For more information, see "Evaluation Report Covering Educational Attainment" from the 2006 ACS Content Test. Go to http://www.census.gov and enter "2006 ACS Content Test Evaluation Report Covering Educational Attainment" in the search box.
Data about educational attainment also are collected from the decennial Census and from the Current Population Survey (CPS). ACS data are generally comparable to data from the Census. For more information about the comparability of ACS and CPS data, please see the Educational Attainment Fact Sheet at https://www.census.gov/topics/education/educationalattainment/guidance/factsheet-acs-cps.html. More information about the comparability of ACS and CPS data can also be found in the paper "Comparison of ACS and ASEC Data on Educational Attainment: 2004" on the ACS website. Go to http://www.census.gov and enter the paper title in the search box.
