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:

B99211. Imputation of Veteran Status for the Population 18 Years and Over [3]

Universe: Universe: Population 18 years and Over

Table Details

B99211.

Imputation of Veteran Status for the Population 18 Years and Over

Universe: Universe: Population 18 years and Over

Variable	Label
B99211001	Total
B99211002	Imputed
B99211003	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 -> Veteran Status

Veteran Status

Data on veteran status and period of military service were derived from answers to Questions 26 and 27.

Veteran Status

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.

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.

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. ACS data define civilian veteran as a person 18 years old and over who served (even for a short time), but is not now serving on acting duty in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps or Coast Guard, or who served as a Merchant Marine seaman during World War II. Individuals who have training for Reserves or National Guard but no active duty service are not considered veterans in the ACS. These data are used primarily by the Department of Veterans Affairs to measure the needs of veterans.
Other uses include:

Used at state and county levels to plan programs for medical and nursing home care for veterans.
Used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (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.

Beginning in 2003, the "Yes, on active duty in the past, but not now" category was split into two categories. Veterans are now asked whether or not their service ended in the last 12 months.

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 remains the same, however, the response categories have changed over time (see the section "Question/Concept History").

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."

Period of Military Service

People who indicate that they had ever served on active duty in the past or were currently on active duty are asked to indicate the period or periods in which they served. Currently, there are 11 periods of service on the ACS questionnaire. Respondents are instructed to mark a box for each period in which they served, even if just for part of the period. The periods were determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs and generally alternate between peacetime and wartime, with a few exceptions. The responses to this question are edited for consistency and reasonableness. The edit eliminates inconsistencies between reported period(s) of service and age of the person; it also removes reported combinations of periods containing unreasonable gaps (for example, it will not accept a response that indicated the person had served in World War II and in the Vietnam era, but not in the Korean conflict).

Period of military service distinguishes veterans who served during wartime periods from those whose only service was during peacetime. Questions about period of military service provide necessary information to estimate the number of veterans who are eligible to receive specific benefits.

Question/Concept History

In 1999, the response categories were modified by closing the "August 1990 or later (including Persian Gulf War)" period at March 1995, and adding the "April 1995" or later category.
For the 2001-2002 American Community Survey question, the response category was changed from "Korean conflict" to "Korean War."

Beginning in 2003, the response categories for the question were modified in several ways. The first category "April 1995 or later" was changed to "September 2001 or later" to reflect the era that began after the events of September 11, 2001; the second category "August 1990 to March 1995" was then expanded to "August 1990 to August 2001 (including Persian Gulf War)." The category "February 1955 to July 1964" was split into two categories: "March 1961 to July 1964" and "February 1955 to February 1961." To match the revised dates for war-time periods of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the dates for the "World War II" category were changed from "September 1940 to July 1947" to "December 1941 to December 1946," and the dates for the "Korean War" were changed from "June 1950 to January 1955" to "July 1950 to January 1955." To increase specificity, the "Some other time" category was split into two categories: "January 1947 to June 1950" and "November 1941 or earlier."

Limitation of the Data

There may be a tendency for people to mark the most recent period in which they served or the period in which they began their service, but not all periods in which they served.

Beginning in 2006, the population in group quarters (GQ) is 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

Since Census 2000, the period of military service categories on the ACS questionnaire were updated to: 1) include the most recent period "September 2001 or later;" 2) list all "peace time" periods without showing a date-breakup in the list; and 3) update the Korean War and World War II dates to match the official dates as listed in US Code, Title 38. While the response categories differ slightly from those in Census 2000, data from the two questions can still be compared to one another.

Due to an editing error, veteran's period of service (VPS) prior to 2007 was being incorrectly assigned for some individuals. The majority of the errors misclassified some people who reported only serving during the Vietnam Era as having served in the category "Gulf War and Vietnam Era." The remainder of the errors misclassified some people who reported only serving between the Vietnam Era and Gulf War as having served in the category "Gulf War."

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."

Service-Connected Disability Status and Ratings

Data on service-connected disability- rating status and service-connected disability ratings were derived from answers to Questions 28a and 28b.

Service-Connected Disability-Rating Status

People who indicated they had served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, military Reserves, or National Guard, or trained with the Reserves or National Guard or were now on active duty were asked to indicate whether or not they had a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) service-connected disability rating. These disabilities are evaluated according to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities in Title 38, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4.

"Service-connected" means the disability was a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses a priority system to allocate health care services among veterans enrolled in its programs. Data on service-connected disability status and ratings are used by the Department of Veterans Affairs to measure the demand for VA health care services in local market areas across the country as well as to classify veterans into priority groups for VA health care enrollment.

Question/Concept History

This question was added to the American Community Survey in 2008. For more information, see "Evaluation Report Covering Service-Connected Disability."

Limitation of the Data

There may be a tendency for people to erroneously report having a 0 percent rating when they have no service-connected disability rating at all.

Comparability

The question was not asked in Census 2000. It was added to the ACS in 2008.

Service-Connected Disability Rating

This question is asked of people who reported having a VA service-connected disability rating. These ratings are graduated according to degrees of disability on a scale from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percent. The ratings determine the amount of compensation payments made to the veterans. A zero-rating, which is different than having no rating at all, means a disability exists but it is not so disabling that it entitles the veteran to compensation payments.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) uses a priority system to allocate health care services among veterans enrolled in its programs. Data on service-connected disability status and ratings are used by the Department of Veterans Affairs to measure the demand for VA health care services in local market areas across the country as well as to classify veterans into priority groups for VA health care enrollment.

Question/Concept History

This question was added to the American Community Survey in 2008. For more information, see "Evaluation Report Covering Service-Connected Disability."

Limitation of the Data

There may be a tendency for people to erroneously report having a 0 percent rating when they have no service-connected disability rating at all.

Comparability

The question was not asked in Census 2000. It was added to the ACS in 2008.

Reports

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