Age - The age classification is based on the age of the person in completed years as of April 1, 2000. Data on age are used to determine the applicability of other questions for a person and to classify other characteristics in census tabulations. Age data are needed to interpret most of the social and economic characteristics used to plan and examine many programs and policies. (Review of detailed 1990 information shows that a number of respondents tended to provide their age as of the date of their completing the questionnaire, not their age as of April 1, 1990. As a result, it is likely that approximately 10 percent of persons in most age groups are actually one year younger.)

Earnings – See Income in 1999

Educational Attainment - Educational Attainment refers to the highest level of school completed or the highest degree received. The category, “Associate degree” includes persons whose highest degree is an associate’s degree either in 1) an occupational program that prepares them for a specific occupation in which the course work may or may not be creditable toward a bachelor’s degree, or 2) an academic program, primarily in the arts and sciences, in which the course work is transferable to a bachelor’s degree. Examples of professional degrees include medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine, law, and theology, but specifically exclude barber school, cosmetology, or other training for a specific trade.

Employed - All civilians 16 years old and over who were either 1) “at work” – 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.” Those who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent are considered “employed.” 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 people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces. The reference week is the calendar week preceding the date on which the respondents completed the questionnaire or were interviewed by enumerators. This week may not be the same for all respondents. (For more information, see “Labor Force Status” and “Unemployed.”)

Family Households (Families) - Consist of a householder and one or more other persons living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage or adoption. All persons in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or her family. The number of family households always equals the number of families; however, a family household may also include nonrelatives living with the family. Families are classified by type as either a “married couple family” or “other family,” which is further classified into “male householder” (a family with a male householder and no wife present) or “female householder” (a family with a female householder and no husband present).

Full-time, Year-round Workers – See Work Status in 1999

Grade in Which Enrolled - The level of enrollment in school, nursery school through college and graduate or professional school.

Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in 1999 - A computed ratio of monthly gross rent to monthly household income. Units for which no cash rent is paid and units occupied by households that reported no income or a net loss in 1999 comprise the category “Not computed.”

Group Quarters - The group quarters population includes all people not living in ouseholds. Two general categories of people in group quarters are recognized: 1) theinstitutionalized population and 2) the noninstitutionalized population. The institutionalized opulation includes people under formally authorized, supervised care or custody in institutions at the time of enumeration, such as correctional institutions, nursing homes, and juvenile institutions. The noninstitutionalized population includes all people who live in group quarters other than institutions, such as college dormitories, military quarters, and group homes. Also included are staff residing at institutional group quarters.

Hispanic Origin - Persons of Hispanic origin are those who classified themselves in one of the Hispanic origin categories listed on the questionnaire - “Mexican,” “Puerto Rican,” or “Cuban” - as well as those who indicated that they were of “other Spanish/ Hispanic” origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Household - Includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit. Persons not living in households are classified as living in group quarters. Households are subdivided into family households and non-family households. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. The count of households in sample tabulations may differ from the count of occupied housing units as a result of the weighting process.

Household Size - Based on the count of people in occupied housing units. All people occupying the housing unit are counted, including the householder, occupants related to the householder, and lodgers, roomers, boarders, and so forth.

Housing Unit - Includes a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or, if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building, and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall.

Income in 1999 - Information on money income received in the calendar year 1999 was requested from persons 15 years and over. “Total income” is the sum of the amounts reported separately for the potential sources of income - 1) wage or salary income; 2) net nonfarm self-employment income; 3) net farm self-employment income; 4) interest, dividend, net rental or royalty income; 5) Social Security or railroad retirement income; 6) public assistance or welfare income; 7) retirement or disability income; 8) and all other income. “Earnings” is defined as the sum of wage or salary income, plus net income from farm and nonfarm self-employment. Receipts from the following sources are not included as income: money received from the sale of property (unless the recipient was engaged in the business of selling such property); the value of income “in kind” from food stamps, public housing subsidies, medical care, employer contributions for pensions, etc.; withdrawal of bank deposits; money borrowed; tax refunds; exchange of money between relatives in the same household; gifts and lump-sum inheritances, insurance payments, and other types of lump-sum receipts. (For more information, see “Public Assistance Income,” “Retirement Income” and “Social Security Income.”)

Income of Households - Includes the income of the householder and all other persons 15 years old and over in the household, whether related to the householder or not. Because many households consist of only one person, average household income is usually less than average family income.

Industry - Information on industry relates to the kind of business conducted by a person’s employing organization. For employed people the data refer to the person’s job during the reference week. For those who worked at two or more jobs, the data refer to the job at which the person worked the greatest number of hours. The 2000 Census utilized the new North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). NAICS codes replace the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes used in previous censuses. NAICS classifies industries using 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-digit levels of detail. Two-digit codes represent sectors, the broadest classifications. Six-digit codes represent individual industries in the United States. Some examples of industrial groups shown in census products include agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; construction; manufacturing; wholesale or retail trade; transportation and communication; personal, professional and entertainment services; and public administration.

Journey to work - Includes data on where people work, how they get to work, how long it takes to get from their home to their usual workplace, when they leave home to go to their usual workplace, and carpooling.

Labor Force (Employment) Status - All persons classified in the civilian labor force, plus members of the U.S. Armed Forces (persons on active duty with the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard). (For more information, see “Employed” and “Unemployed.”)

Labor Force Participation Rate – Share of persons 16 years and over who are in the labor force (either employed or unemployed).

Language Spoken at Home - Represents an effort to measure the current use of languages other than English. People who knew languages other than English but did not use them at home or who only used them elsewhere were excluded. Most people who reported speaking a language other than English at home also speak English. If the person spoke more than one language other than English, the person was to report the language spoken more often or the language learned first. Respondents who reported that they spoke a language other than English were asked to indicate their ability to speak English in one of the following categories: ‘‘Very well,’’ ‘‘Well,’’ ‘‘Not well,’’ or ‘‘Not at all.’’ The data on ability to speak English represent the person’s own perception about his or her own ability or, because census questionnaires are usually completed by one household member, the responses may represent the perception of another household member.

Linguistic Isolation - A household in which no person 14 years old and over speaks only English and no person 14 years old and over who speaks a language other than English speaks English ‘‘Very well’’ is classified as ‘‘linguistically isolated.’’ In other words, a household in which all members 14 years old and over speak a non-English language and also speak English less than “very well’’ (have difficulty with English) is ‘‘linguistically isolated.’’ All the members of a linguistically isolated household are tabulated as linguistically isolated, including children under 14 years old who may speak only English.

Median Age - Median age divides the age distribution into two equal parts: one-half of the cases falling below the median age and one-half above the median. Median age is computed on the basis of a single year of age standard distribution.

Monthly Owner Costs as a Percentage of Household Income in 1999 - The computed ratio of selected monthly owner costs to monthly household income in 1999. The data are tabulated separately for specified owner-occupied units, condominiums and mobile homes.

Mortgage Status - ‘‘Mortgage’’ refers to all forms of debt where the property is pledged as security for repayment of the debt, including deeds of trust; trust deeds; contracts to purchase; land contracts; junior mortgages; and home equity loans. A mortgage is considered a first mortgage if it has prior claim over any other mortgage or if it is the only mortgage on the property. All other mortgages, (second, third, etc.) are considered junior mortgages. A home equity loan is generally a junior mortgage. If no first mortgage is reported, but a junior mortgage or home equity loan is reported, then that loan is considered a first mortgage.

Nativity - Information on place of birth and citizenship were used to classify the population into two major categories: native and foreign born. Native includes persons born in the United States, Puerto Rico, or an outlying area of the United States. The Native population is classified in the following groups: persons born in the state in which they resided at the time of the census; persons born in a different state, by region; persons born in Puerto Rico or an outlying area of the United States; and persons born abroad with at least one American parent. Foreign born includes persons not classified as “Native.”

Nonfamily Household - Includes a householder living alone or with non-relatives only.

Occupation - Occupation describes the kind of work the person does on the job. For employed people, the data refer to the person's job during the reference week. For those who worked at two or more jobs, the data refer to the job at which the person worked the greatest number of hours. Some examples of occupational groups shown in this product include managerial occupations; business and financial specialists; scientists and technicians; entertainment; healthcare; food service; personal services; sales; office and administrative support; farming; maintenance and repair; and production workers. The Census utilizes the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, which was most recently revised in 1998. The SOC is the federal government’s standard occupational classification system. It groups occupations according to the nature of the work performed, and relates these occupations to others of a similar nature. There are 23 major groups in the SOC and 821 detailed occupations within those groups. As was the case with the change in the industrial classification system, the federal interagency SOC Revision Policy Committee (SOCRPC) decided similarly to rearrange the entire structure of the standard occupational classification rather than to start with the old SOC and simply try to make improvements. Unlike the NAICS, however, their end result was truly a major change. Analysis of occupational data across time will, as a consequence, be much more challenging.

Occupied Housing Unit - A housing unit is classified as occupied if it is the usual place of residence of the person or group of persons living in it at the time of enumeration, or if the occupants are only temporarily absent, that is, away on vacation or business.

Owner-Occupied Housing Unit - A housing unit is owner-occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit, even if it is mortgaged or not fully paid for.

Place of Birth - Respondents were asked to report the U.S. state, commonwealth or territory, or the foreign country where they were born. Persons born outside the United States were asked to report their place of birth according to current international boundaries.

Place of Work - Data on place of work refer to the geographic location at which workers carried out their occupational activities during the reference week. The exact address (number and street name) of the place of work was asked, as well as the place (city, town, or post office); whether or not the place of work was inside or outside the limits of that city or town; and the county, state or foreign country, and ZIP Code. If the person’s employer operated in more than one location, the exact address of the location or branch where the respondent worked was requested. When the number and street name were unknown, a description of the location, such as the building name or nearest street or intersection, was to be entered. The place-of-work data are estimates of people 16 years old and over who were both employed and at work during the reference week (including people in the armed forces). People 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 are not included in the place-of-work data. Therefore, the data on place of work understate the total number of jobs or total employment in a geographic area during the reference week. It also should be noted that people who had irregular, casual, or unstructured jobs during the reference week may have erroneously reported themselves as not working.

Plumbing Facilities – Complete plumbing facilities include: 1) hot and cold piped water, 2) a flush toilet, and 3) a bathtub or shower. All three facilities must be located inside the house, apartment, or mobile home, but not necessarily in the same room. Housing units are classified as lacking complete plumbing facilities when any of the three facilities is not present.

Poverty Status in 1999 - Poverty status was determined for all persons except institutionalized persons, persons in military group quarters or in college dormitories, and unrelated individuals under 15 years old. These groups were excluded from the numerator when calculating poverty rates. Poverty statistics were based on a definition originated by the Social Security Administration in 1964, modified by Federal interagency committees in 1969 and 1980 and prescribed by the Office of Management and Budget. The income levels used by the Census Bureau to determine the poverty status of families and unrelated individuals included a set of 48 thresholds, arranged in a two-dimensional matrix and consisting of family size cross-classified by presence and number of family members under 18 years old. The average poverty threshold for a family of four persons was $17,029 in 1999.

Race - The concept of race, as used by the Census Bureau, reflects self-identification; it does not denote any clear-cut scientific definition of biological stock. The data for race represent self-classification by people according to the race with which they most closely identify. Furthermore, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include both racial and national origin or sociocultural groups. A major change for the 2000 question was adding the instruction, "Mark [X] one or more races to indicate what this person considers himself/herself to be." The 1990 question instructed respondents to "Fill ONE circle for the race that the person considers himself/herself to be." For 2000, the American Indian and Alaska Native categories were combined; in 1990, these were three separate categories American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut. The 2000 version allows American Indians and Alaska Natives to write in their tribal affiliation. In 1990, there was a write-in only for American Indians. For 2000, the Asian and Pacific Islander response categories have been split into two groups. Asian categories are listed in alphabetical order. Pacific Islander categories also are listed alphabetically, except that Native Hawaiian is the first category in the Pacific Islander list. The 1990 spanner for Asian or Pacific Islander was deleted in 2000. For 2000, the term "Chamorro" is added to the 1990 response option Guamanian, i.e., "Guamanian or Chamorro." The race question in 2000 has three write-in lines, one for "American Indian or Alaska Native," one for "Other Asian" or "Other Pacific Islander," and one for "Some other race." In 1990, the race question had two write-in lines, one for "Indian (Amer.)" and one for "Other API" or "Other race."

Reference Week - The data on labor force status and journey to work were related to the reference week, or the calendar week preceding the date on which the respondents completed their questionnaires or were interviewed by enumerators. The week is not the same for all respondents since the enumeration was not completed in one week. The occurrence of holidays during the enumeration period could affect the data on actual hours worked during the reference week, but probably had no effect on overall measurement of employment status.

Renter-occupied Housing Unit - All occupied housing units which are not owner-occupied, whether they are rented for cash rent or occupied without payment of cash rent, are classified as renter-occupied.

Residence Five Years Ago (in 1995) - Indicates the area of residence five years prior to the reference date for those who reported that they lived in a different housing unit. Those who lived in the same housing unit are enumerated as well.

Rooms - The statistics on rooms are presented in terms of the number of housing units with a specified number of rooms. The intent of this question is to count the number of whole rooms used for living purposes. For each unit, rooms include living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, finished recreation rooms, enclosed porches suitable for year-round use, and lodgers’ rooms. Excluded are strip or pullman kitchens, bathrooms, open porches, balconies, halls or foyers, half-rooms, utility rooms, unfinished attics or basements, or other unfinished space used for storage. A partially divided room is a separate room only if there is a partition from floor to ceiling, but not if the partition consists solely of shelves or cabinets.

School Enrollment - Enrollment in regular school, either public or private, which includes nursery school, kindergarten, elementary school, and schooling which leads to a high school diploma or college degree. (For more information, see “Educational attainment” and “Grade in which enrolled.”)

Sources of Income – See Income in 1999

Specified Owner-occupied Housing Units - Includes only one-family houses on less than 10 acres which do not have a business or medical office on the property. The data for “specified” units also exclude mobile homes and housing units in multiunit buildings. (For more information, see “Value.”)

Specified Renter-occupied Housing Units Paying Cash Rent - Includes all renter–occupied housing units except one–family houses on 10 or more acres. Housing units that are renter–occupied without payment of cash rent are excluded. (For more information, see “Contract Rent.”)

Telephone Service Available - Households with telephone service have a telephone in working order and are able to make and receive calls. Households whose service has been discontinued for nonpayment or other reasons are not counted as having telephone service available.

Unemployed - 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 looking for work during the last four weeks, and 3) were available to accept a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians who did not work at all during the reference week and were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off. (For more information, see “Employed” and “Labor Force Status.”)

Units in Structure - A structure is a separate building that either has open spaces on all sides or is separated from other structures by dividing walls that extend from ground to roof. In determining the number of units in a structure, all housing units, both occupied and vacant, are counted. Stores and office space are excluded. The statistics are presented for the number of housing units in structures of specified type and size, not for the number of residential buildings.

One-unit, Detached - This is a 1-unit structure detached from any other house; that is, with open space on all four sides. One-unit, Attached - This is a 1-unit structure that has one or more walls extending from ground to roof separating it from adjoining structures. In row houses (sometimes called townhouses), double houses, or houses attached to nonresidential structures, each house is a separate, attached structure if the dividing or common wall goes from ground to roof. Two or More Units - These are units in structures containing two or more housing units, further categorized as units in structures with two, three or four, five to nine, 10 to 19, 20 to 49, and 50 or more units. Mobile Home - Both occupied and vacant mobile homes to which no permanent rooms have been added are counted in this category. Boat, RV, Van, Etc. - This category is for any living quarters occupied as a housing unit that does not fit in the previous categories. Examples that fit in this category are houseboats, railroad cars, campers, and vans.

Vacant Housing Unit - A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of enumeration, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. Units temporarily occupied at the time of enumeration entirely by people who have a usual residence elsewhere are also classified as vacant. New units not yet occupied are classified as vacant housing units if construction has reached a point where all exterior windows and doors are installed and final usable floors are in place. Vacant units are excluded from the housing inventory if they are open to the elements; that is, the roof, walls, windows, and/or doors no longer protect the interior from the elements. Also excluded are vacant units with a sign that they are condemned or they are to be demolished.

Value - Value is the respondent’s estimate of how much the property (house and lot, mobile home and lot, or condominium unit) would sell for if it were for sale. The lowest value category collected was “less than $15,000.” When the median value for an area falls within this category, it is reported as $14,999. (For more information, see “Specified Owner–Occupied Housing Units.”)

Vehicles Available - The number of passenger cars, vans, and pickup or panel trucks of one-ton capacity or less kept at home and available for the use of household members. Vehicles kept at home but used only for business purposes are excluded.

Work Status in 1999 - People 16 years old and over who worked one or more weeks according to the criteria described below are classified as “Worked in 1999.” All other people 16 years old and over are classified as “Did not work in 1999.” Full-time, year-round workers consists of people 16 years old and over who usually worked 35 hours or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in 1999.

Year Householder Moved into unit – Derived from question, “When did this person move into this house, apartment, or mobile home?” Question is only completed by householder and thus does not necessarily pertain to other members of the household.

Year of Entry - All people born outside the United States were asked for the year in which they came to live in the United States. This includes: people born in Puerto Rico and U.S. Island Areas; people born abroad of a U.S. citizen parent(s); and the foreign born.



DERIVED MEASURES

Mean - This measure represents an arithmetic average of a set of values. It is derived by dividing the sum of a group of numerical items (or aggregate) by the total number of items. Aggregates are used in computing mean values.

Median - This measures represents the middle value in a distribution. The median divides the total frequency into two equal parts: one-half of the cases fall below the median and one-half of the cases exceed the median.