In rural territory, farm residence is determined on the basis of number of acres in the place and total sale of farm products in 1959. An occupied housing unit is classified as a farm housing unit if it was located on a place of 10 or more acres from which sales of farm products amounted to $50 or more in 1959, or on a place of less than 10 acres from which sales on farm products amounted to 5250 or more in 1959. Occupied units for which cash rent was paid are classified as nonfarm housing it the rent did not include any land used for farming (or ranching).

In 1950, farm residence was determined by the respondent answer to the question, Is this house on a farm (or ranch)? In addition, the instructions to the enumerators specified that a house was to be classified as nonfarm if the occupants paid cash rent for the house and yard only.