| Data Dictionary: | ACS 2011 (1-Year Estimates) |
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Survey: ACS 2011 (1-Year Estimates)
| Data Source: | U.S. Census Bureau |
Data set: American Community Survey 2011 (ACS11)
| Table: | B12007. Median Age At First Marriage [2] |
Universe: Universe: Population 15 to 54 years
Table Details
Relevant Documentation:
| Excerpt from: | Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2011 Summary File: Technical Documentation. |
| ACS 2011-1yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A. Supplemental Documentation -> Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Age -> Median Age |
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.")
| Excerpt from: | Social Explorer; U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey 2011 Summary File: Technical Documentation. |
| ACS 2011-1yr Summary File: Technical Documentation -> Appendix A. Supplemental Documentation -> Subject Definitions -> Population Variables -> Marital Status/Marital History -> Median Age at First Marriage |
The median age at first marriage is calculated indirectly by estimating the proportion of young people who will marry during their lifetime, calculating one-half of this proportion, and determining the age (at the time of the survey) of people at this half-way mark by osculatory interpolation. It does not represent the actual median age of the population who married during the calendar year. It is shown to the nearest tenth of a year. Henry S. Shryock and Jacob S. Siegel outline the osculatory procedure in Methods and Materials of Demography, First Edition (May 1973), Volume 1, pages 291-296.
