Random Samplings

American Community Survey Takes Our Nation’s Demographic Pulse Each Year

Written by: James Treat, US Census Bureau

In every census between 1940 and 2000, millions of American households received a “long form”, which contained scores of questions on a wide range of demographic, socioeconomic and housing topics.

Following the 2000 Census, the long form was, in effect, split off from the census and turned into the American Community Survey. The rationale was simple: because our nation changes so rapidly, our communities needed this kind of information on a much more frequent basis − annually, rather than once a decade − in order to make informed decisions about where to build roads, construct schools and locate emergency services. And businesses sought these key data much more often than once every 10 years too for the purposes of site selection and marketing.

Yesterday, the Census Bureau released results from the annual ACS, which cover 2010. The information was collected from almost 2 million housing unit interviews across the country.

The survey offers statistics on more than 40 subjects, such as income, health insurance coverage, commuting to work, educational attainment, language spoken at home, ancestry, selected monthly homeowner costs, the foreign-born population, occupation, and military veterans. The numbers are available for not only the nation as a whole and all of our states and congressional districts, but also for counties and cities with total populations of more than 65,000. Statistics for smaller areas will be available later in the year.

Dig deep into this goldmine of numbers and here are a few of the nuggets you will find:

• Average travel time to work was highest for Maryland (31.8 minutes) and then New York (31.3 minutes). North Dakota had the lowest average travel times (16.1) followed by South Dakota (16.8).
• Real median household income decreased between the 2009 ACS and 2010 ACS in 35 states. For 15 states and the District of Columbia, real median household income in the 2010 ACS was not statistically different from that in the 2009 ACS.
• In 2010, 32 percent of the foreign-born population from Latin America were naturalized citizens. Among counties of birth, Jamaica (61 percent) and Cuba (56 percent) had the highest percent naturalized. Mexico (23 percent) and Honduras (21 percent) were among the countries with the lowest percent naturalized.
• In 2010, the percent of individuals 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree ranged from 17.5 percent in West Virginia to 39.0 percent in Massachusetts. In six states more than one-third of those 25 and over had a bachelor’s degree: Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia.

In October, the Census Bureau will release a set of ACS estimates covering all areas with populations of 20,000 or more, based on data collected between 2008 and 2010. A third set of ACS estimates, covering the 2006-2010 period, will be released in December, providing information for all geographic areas regardless of size.

Nowhere else will one see data on such a wide array of key attributes about our communities. To dig into the data yourself, visit the American FactFinder.

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Characteristics of New Housing

What did new housing look like in 2010? How large was the average new house? How many bedrooms did new homes have? What was the average cost of a new single family home?

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau collects data on the characteristics of new residential construction. Here is just some of the information that may be found in the hundreds of tables presented in 2010 Characteristics of New Housing, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Interesting Facts:

- The average single family house completed was 2,392 square feet.

- 35% of single family homes completed had 4 or more bedrooms. 52% of them had 3 bedrooms.

- The average sales price of new single family homes sold in the United States was $272,900. Average prices by Census Region were: Northeast $415,800; Midwest $232,800; South $244,900; and West $316,600.

- 17% of new single family homes sold had a garage that could hold 3 or more cars.

- 62% of multifamily units completed used electricity for heating fuel, while 35% used gas.

- The average square footage of multifamily units completed and built for sale was 1,388.

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More Than a Century of Tracking our Children

Written by: Rose Kreider, US Census Bureau

Much of what we can observe today about who children live with is a function of how the American family has changed over time.

Statistics from the Census Bureau are invaluable for helping us understand how children’s living arrangements have evolved. Of particular interest is what we can observe today compared with what we saw in the late 19th century, giving us a timeline of 100-plus years.

From generation to generation, we see small but important changes. In 1880, the proportion of children who lived without a parent was 6 percent. By 1970, that had dropped to just 3 percent. Notably, those who lived with their mother, with no father present, went up over the same period, from 8 percent to 11 percent.

Perhaps of even greater interest, and certainly more current to our own reference point, is the shift we see that took place between 1970 and 1990. In that span of 20 years, the proportion of children living with their mother but without their father doubled from 11 percent to 22 percent.

This time span also corresponds to sharp increases in births to unmarried women, from 11 percent of all births in 1970 to 28 percent in 1990, according to birth data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Additionally, the percent of children living with two parents declined from 85 percent in 1970 to 73 percent in 1990.

Since 1990, children’s living arrangements have changed at much slower rates. The proportion of children living with two parents declined less between 1991 and 2009 (4 percentage points) than it had between 1970 and 1990 (12 percentage points).

And children living with their mother without their father present increased 3 percentage points from 1991 to 2009, compared with an 11 percentage point increase between 1970 and 1990.

These figures come from the report Living Arrangements of Children: 2009, which examines the diversity of situations in which children live in the United States, describing extended family households with relatives and nonrelatives.

Slow or fast, the family situation in which children live continues to change. Having historical data allows us to venture outside of our current vantage point and view the accumulation of change over time. It gives us the context to better understand who we are by showing us where we came from.

Read the press release.

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Moving up, moving on, moving out – What’s the story?

Written by: David Ihrke, Survey Statistician, US Census Bureau

Every year, millions of people pack up and move from one residence to another. This trend has long been an important aspect of American life, affecting both people and geographic areas. In 2010, more than one in 10 U.S. residents (1 year and older) moved within the previous year.

Among the interesting details that came out of the 2010 Current Population Survey’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement — seven in 10 of those people moved within the same county, nearly two in 10 moved from a different county within the same state, and about one in 10 moved to a different state.

This information is from Geographical Mobility: 2010, the latest in a series of tables that describe the movement of people in the United States. The tables show the mover rate is different for people who are married versus people who are single. Another factor we can examine is how the mover rate varies by whether the housing unit is owned or rented.

Moving can create economic opportunity or residential satisfaction. In fact, housing reasons topped the list of reasons why people moved at nearly 44 percent. Among people who said that housing-related reasons motivated them to move, the most common reason cited was the desire to live in a new or better home or apartment. For those who said they moved for employment-related reasons, a new job or job transfer was the most common reason.

On a broader level, geographic mobility data are used by federal, state and local governments to understand population growth and decline in order to plan for needed services and facilities, such as schools and hospitals. These same figures are also important to private industry, which can use these figures to determine where to expand and locate businesses and services.

Year-to-year, these population shifts tell us important things about how our nation is changing in important ways. This year, as we roll out population figures from the 2010 Census*, we see the impact of mobility on housing markets, economic growth, demand for services and even congressional representation.

One thing certainly remains constant; millions of Americans will be on the move over the course of the next year.

*Geographic mobility/migration was not asked in the 2010 Census.

Read the press release

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New Orleans: Some Still in Transition

Written by: Tamara Cole, Chief, American Housing Survey Branch

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept into the city of New Orleans, leaving a wake of destroyed homes and more than 400,000 displaced residents. Five years after the storm, some of those who remain in New Orleans are still in temporary lodgings, though most have settled into permanent homes.

Data from the 2009 American Housing Survey, contucted by the Census Bureau on behalf of HUD, sheds some light for planners and sociologists on the extent of the displacement suffered by the residents of the metropolitan area. The survey provides the first comprehensive look at the length of time residents were displaced, number and types of places they lived in while they were homeless and if they are permanently settled now. The information was collected between July and November 2009.

About four in every five who lived in the area at the time of the hurricane reported they moved away from the area for at least a couple of weeks, relocating a median of two times. A majority of those who had to relocate — 83 percent — reported staying in a house or apartment during their displacement. However, 31 percent had to make more unconventional living arrangements, and they lived in a hotel, motel, or cruise ship during that time.

A number of these respondents ─ 31,500, or 7 percent of the metro area’s households ─ still did not consider themselves to be permanently settled even some four years after the disaster. Those still in transition tend to be younger, are more likely to be renters, blacks and those earning low incomes (see table below).

Click here to view more detailed data on housing in the New Orleans area since Katrina struck.

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A Post-Katrina Look at Housing in the New Orleans Area

Written by: Tamara Cole, Chief, American Housing Survey Branch

On Aug. 29, 2005, disaster struck one of our nation’s major metropolitan areas and most storied cities, as Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area. Its storm surges caused dozens of levee breaches in the area, submerging most of “The Big Easy.” Katrina turned out to be the costliest natural disaster, and one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in our nation’s history.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, the Census Bureau did its part for those who needed to assess the impact, creating a special Hurricane Katrina Emergency Preparedness page on its website, with a wide range of demographic and economic data on the affected areas. Today, we take stock of the situation five years later, with a detailed look at the housing situation in the area. These statistics provide policymakers and analysts with myriad measures of the extent of the repair and rebuilding work occurring in the New Orleans area.

How much damage did Katrina do to the area’s housing? The data from the American Housing Survey, collected between July and November 2009, document the extent of the damage and the degree to which people have rebuilt. The data show that almost 75 percent of the homes that are now owner-occupied suffered at least some damage. Among these homes, 45 percent of owners reported they had to repair major damage, spending at least $15,000.

The Census Bureau is the place to turn for statistics in time of crisis, to measure the damage caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters.

Visit our emergency preparedness webpage.

View more detailed data on housing in the New Orleans area since Hurricane Katrina stuck

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The World at Your Fingertips

Written by: Ian O'Brien, Branch Chief - Statistical Compendia Branch, Administrative and Customer Services Division

Did you know that Raleigh, N.C., was the fastest-growing large metro area in the last decade?  (View table 21). That only about 5 percent of us take public transportation to work? (View table 1099). Well, thanks to the Statistical Abstract, now you know.

Perennially the federal government’s best-selling publication, the Statistical Abstract has been published yearly since 1878. The 2011 edition, the 130th in the series, has more than 1,400 tables ─ including 65 new ones ─ from sources both government and private.

Think of a key factor in your life and chances are you will find information on it in the Statistical Abstract: health, education, crime, agriculture ─ no matter. If you need a stat, this is the place to turn.

The Abstract provides copious amounts of data on topics that have been in the news ─ mining fatalities, offshore oil drilling, and distracted drivers. It also examines the more offbeat: people injured in accidents involving televisions (table 197), cyberbullying (table 247) and honey bee colonies (table 860).

And when you need data on pretty much any topic that ends up being in the news in the coming year, count on finding it in the Stat Abstract.

For more information, read the press release or visit the 2011 Statistical Abstract website.

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Families: A Changing Nation

Many of us are curious to see how our experiences compare with those of others. We want to know how many children people have, how many adults live with their parents, or how old people are when they first get married.

The U.S. Census Bureau has collected detailed data on the nation’s gradually changing family and household composition since the 1950s. It gives us an inside look at the people living in our nation and tells us how our households are changing.

Today we released America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2010, which shows socioeconomic characteristics of our nation — average household size, median age at first marriage and overall percentage of adults that are married, just to name a few. The data show continuations of long-term patterns over the last decade, such as the increase in median age at first marriage.

Year to year these changes may seem insignificant, but if you look at our historical tables you can see how the nation has evolved. In 1960, the average household size was 3.33, and men and women married in their early 20s. Only 6 million children lived with one parent (according to 1960 Census data) and 7 million people lived alone.

Today, our average household size is 2.59, men and women are waiting until their late 20s to marry, 20 million children live with one parent and 31 million people live alone.

Researchers and policy makers use these data to better understand how our households are composed and how we live.

Click here to view data on our nation’s families and living arrangements.

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Data Round Up

Data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau are all around us. Here are a few recent examples from the news:

• Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development announced the latest numbers for new single-family home sales in the month of September. The rate of homes sold in the month of September (307,000) was 6.6% above the August rate (288,000).
• Home ownership remains at a low of 66.9%, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. The last time home ownership was this weak was nearly a decade ago in 1999 when it dropped to 66.7%.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Factory Orders indicator, new orders for manufactured goods in September, which were up for the third straight month, rose from $8.8 billion to $420.0 billion.
• According to a survey the U.S. Census Bureau conducts every five years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania has more turkey hunters than any other state.
• U.S. Census Bureau’s “America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2009” shows 33% of children in America live apart from their biological fathers.
• Census’ Current Population Survey showed an increase nationally from 6.7 million unmarried couples living together in 2009 to 7.5 million couples in 2010, an increase of 13%.
• Data from the 2008 American Community Survey, including how many commuters spend an hour or more in traffic on the way to work and the average weekly hours people spend at work, was used in ranking America’s Most Relaxed Cities.

For more information on data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, including for the Economic Census, Census of Governments and American Community Survey, click here.

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American Community Survey

This Fall, the Census Bureau will release a few data sets that help us understand more about who we are as a country, culminating in the 2010 Census population counts announced this December. The first of these data releases is the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.

While the 2010 Census serves as an actual count of the population on April 1, 2010, the ACS describes how we live by providing estimates of key social, economic, and housing characteristics. As an ongoing survey, the ACS allows the Census Bureau to provide detailed characteristic data on communities every year. The ACS data released today are based on data collected from households throughout the country in 2009. ACS data help us paint a portrait of America – showing not only where people live, but how we live, what we earn, what language(s) we speak, our educational attainment and much more. Housing data collected in 2009 show us, for example:

-The Pittsburgh, Pa., metro area had the lowest median monthly gross rent ($643), while San-Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. metro area, with a gross rent of $1,414, was the most expensive rental market, among the 50 most populous metro areas.

Far from just being interesting facts about our communities, the ACS data are a critical component of our nation’s information infrastructure. The data influence the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds. Local governments and businesses use this information to help decide where to build new schools, stores, hospitals, roads, and more. Federal, state, local, and tribal programs use the detailed information to help plan for the future of our communities, including where child care programs, senior centers, and other essential resources should be placed.

Today’s 2009 ACS data provide characteristics of communities with populations of more than 65,000. We’ll have information for all communities once the 2005-2009 ACS 5-year estimates are released in mid-December.

For more information on additional data releases coming up this fall, read Director Groves’ recent blog on Measuring America.

To learn more about your community, view 2009 ACS data on American Fact Finder.

Read ACS Briefs on: Poverty, Health Insurance, Income, Earnings and more.

View the American Community Survey questions.

Learn more in the American Community Survey newsroom.

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