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Changes in the Lives of U.S. Children: 1990-2000

Written by:
Working Paper Number POP-WP078

Disclaimer

This report is released to inform interested parties of research and to encourage discussion. The views expressed on statistical, methodological, or technical issues are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

NATIONAL CHANGES

Summary Characteristics
Nativity of Children and Their Parents
Family Living Arrangements of Children

APPENDIX A.

Definition of Terms

TABLES

Tables are in .csv format

Report Tables
  1. Selected Characteristics of Children for the United States: 1990 - 2000.
  2. Children's Nativity and Parent's Nativity for the United States, by Selected Characteristics: 1990 - 2000.
  3. Household Family Structure of Children for the United States, by Selected Characteristics: 1990 - 2000.

Detailed State Tables

     Children's Characteristics


     Characteristics of Children's Families

     Characteristics of Children's Parents

     Characteristics of Children's Economic Situation

     Characteristics of Children's Housing

STATE CHANGES

MAPS

Maps are in .pdf format

Section 1: Characteristics of Children

Characteristics of Children 1: Nativity and Citizenship for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Foreign-born children
  • Children who are not U.S. citizens
  • Recent immigrant children

Characteristics of Children 2: Language and English Ability for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Speaks a language other than English at home
  • Speaks English less than "very well"

Characteristics of Children 3: Race (alone) and Hispanic Origin Groups for States: 1990 - 2000

  • White (alone)
  • Black(alone)
  • American Indian and Alaska Native (alone)
  • Asian or Pacific Islander (alone)
  • Some other race (alone)
  • Hispanic
  • Non-Hispanic White (alone)

Characteristics of Children 4: School Enrollment by Age Groups for States: 1990 - 2000

  • 3-to 5-year olds enrolled in school
  • 6-to 11-year olds enrolled in school
  • 12-to17-year olds enrolled in school

Characteristics of Children 5: Private School Enrollment by Age Groups for States: 1990 - 2000

  • 3-to 5-year olds enrolled in private school
  • 6-to 11-year olds enrolled in private school
  • 12-to17-year olds enrolled in private school

Section 2: Characteristics of Children's Families

Characteristics of Children's Families 1: Household Family Structure for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Married-couple family
  • Mother-only family
  • Father-only family
  • No parent present

Characteristics of Children's Families 2: Other Living Arrangements for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living in a multigenerational household
  • Living in an opposite-sex unmarried partner household
  • Living with a never-married single parent

Section 3: Characteristics of Children's Parents

Characteristics of Children's Parents 1: Educational Attainment and Military Employment for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living with at least one parent who had not completed high school
  • Living with at least one parent who has a bachelor's degree or higher
  • Living with at least one parent who is on active duty in the Armed Forces

Characteristics of Children's Parents 2: Nativity and Language for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living with at least one foreign-born parent
  • Living with at least one parent who is a recent immigrant
  • Living with at least one parent who speaks other than English at home
  • Living with at least one parent who has difficulty speaking English

Section 4: Children's Economic Condition

Children's Economic Condition 1: Receipt of Public Assistance for States: 1989 - 1999

  • In household receiving public assistance

Children's Economic Condition 2: Family Income as a Percent of Poverty for States: 1989 - 1999

  • In family in poverty (income below poverty level)
  • Family income between 100 and 199 percent of poverty level
  • Family income between 200 and 399 percent of poverty level
  • Family income of 400 percent or more of poverty level

Children's Economic Condition 3: Married Parents' Labor Force Status for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living in married-couple family, both parents in the labor force
  • Living in married-couple family, neither parent in labor force
  • Living in married-couple family, father only in labor force
  • Living in married-couple family, mother only in labor force

Children's Economic Condition 4: Single Parents' Labor Force Status for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living in mother-only family, mother in the labor force
  • Living in mother-only family, mother not in the labor force
  • Living in father-only family, father in the labor force
  • Living in father-only family, father not in the labor force

Section 5. Characteristics of Children's Housing

Characteristics of Children's Housing 1: Structural Types for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living in an owned home
  • Lived in the same house five years ago
  • Living in crowded housing
  • Living in a home with complete plumbing or kitchen

Characteristics of Children's Housing 2: Housing and Stability Characteristics for States: 1990 - 2000

  • Living in a one-family housing unit
  • Living in an apartment housing unit
  • Living in an "other" type of housing unit

ABSTRACT

Data from the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses is used to look at the current and changing state of children in the U.S. The focus areas included are the social characteristics of children, their families and economic situation, and their housing situation. Tables and maps of the percentage change in these characteristics are shown for each state and the District of Columbia. Detailed tables on characteristics of children by their parents' nativity and their living arrangements are also discussed.


INTRODUCTION

The focus of this report is on the characteristics of children, their families, their households and how they have changed over time. Data from the decennial censuses of 1990 and 2000 are used to present data on a wide variety of children's characteristics and the geographic variation in their changes over the decade. The long form of the decennial census asked questions on a large number of social, economic, and housing characteristics, many of which are relevant to children. Although other data about children is available through governmental, non-profit, and private organizations, the information in this report is uniquely important. This uniqueness stems from the characteristics of the Census long form. The sample size and the complexity and stability of the questionnaire allow detailed analysis at the state level for two points in time. As such, this report provides a rare opportunity to create a detailed picture of children in the United States as they changed between 1990 and 2000.

The universe for this report includes all children under 18 years of age living in households except teenagers who are householders or spouses maintaining their own household or who are parenting a child of their own in a relative's household. These young people are not children in the sense that they are probably no longer dependent on their parents and have taken on some responsibilities normally associated with adulthood.

The characteristics included in this report are grouped into sections that cover five topical "domains." These domains look at characteristics of children themselves, families they live with, their parents in the household, their economic condition, and the housing they live in. These domains were chosen because of their influence on children's lives and the availability from decennial census data. In general, items that changed in wording or editing between the two censuses were excluded, as one objective of this report is to use consistently measured indicators. An exception to this exclusion was made for race. In this report, estimates used for comparison of race are based on persons who reported a single race even though the race question was changed in 2000 to allow respondents to choose more than one race. This will be discussed in detail later in the report.

A decade is a relatively short period of time to study change, since for the most part, societal change happens very slowly. It does, however, make any measurable change in this ten-year period particularly interesting. A caveat to keep in mind is that two points in time do not define a trend. A difference between 1990 and 2000 may be an isolated occurrence rather than a sign that an aspect of children's lives is different now than it was in the past. Those characteristics that do change should be watched closely in the future to see whether they continue to change, and in what direction they move.

This report begins with a discussion of the various indicators used at the national level for 1990 and 2000 and focuses on data from Table 1. Then, the two sets of selected indicators related to nativity and family living arrangements shown in Tables 2 and 3 will be highlighted. The last section of the report is a series of state-level maps that illustrate the areas of change and the magnitude of this change over the decade. With each map, brief points discuss notable national, regional, and state-level changes that have occurred. Maps are grouped together by the domains discussed earlier. Characteristics that share subject matter within a domain are shown on the same page so they can easily be compared with each other. Some subject matter groups are analyzed collectively in the bullet points on their page. Such groups include percentage distributions such as the household family structure and labor force participation of parents. Definitions of terms used in the report can be found in Appendix A.

NATIONAL CHANGES

Summary Characteristics

Table 1 provides the complete series of children's characteristics used in this report at the national level for 1990 and 2000, as well as the percentage point change. The composition and characteristics of children changed in a variety of ways over the decade. Using the definition for children used in this report, children as a proportion of the population barely increased, from 25.4 percent to 25.5 percent of the population. Following the general national trend of increasing ethnic diversity, the proportion of children who are Hispanic rose 5 percentage points, from 12 percent to 17 percent of all children.1

Direct comparison of race groups between the two decades is unadvisable because of the change in the question format which permitted respondents to choose more than one race in 2000. During this same time, the share of children who were foreign-born rose by 1 percentage point, and those who spoke a language other than English at home increased by 5 percentage points.

As the living arrangements of America's adults continues to diversify, so do the family and household arrangements of children. Table 1 shows that the proportion of children living in a married-couple family dropped 4 percentage points over the decade. Concurrently, there were increases in the percentage of children living in families with a never-married parent, in multigenerational households, and in households maintained by opposite-sex unmarried partners (definitions in Appendix A).

Change occurred as well in the characteristics of children's parents. Reflecting national education trends, a larger share of children in 2000 lived in homes with highly-educated parents.2 The proportion living with parents who spoke a language other than English at home and with parents who had difficulty speaking English also increased. These characteristics are often related to parental nativity which is examined in more detail later in this report.

Changes also were seen in the labor force activity of children's parents. This included decreases in the percentage of children living with married parents where both were in the labor force and where only the father was in the labor force. At the same time, there was an increase in the percentage of children living with married parents and the mother only or neither parent was in the labor force. Increases also occurred in the percentage of children living with a mother only or father only who was in the labor force.

Census data on income and poverty show that the economic situation for many children improved over the decade. The overall percentage of children who lived in families with incomes below the poverty line (in 1989 and 1999 respectively) fell 2 percentage points, while those living in families with incomes in excess of 400-percent of the poverty level rose 4 percentage points. The percentage of children living in households that reported receiving some kind of public assistance (defined in Appendix A) also fell 2 percentage points over the same time period.

The final domain of interest in Table 1 is a series of items about housing. Increases occurred in the percentage of children who lived in an owned home as well as the percentage who lived in crowded housing.

Nativity of Children and Their Parents

During the 1990s, one indicator of the increasing diversity of the population was the changing nativity of the population.3 Table 2 shows selected characteristics for children grouped by their own nativity and that of their parents. Nativity in the decennial census is determined by place of birth and U.S. citizenship status. A foreign-born person may or may not be a naturalized citizen. Only people who are citizens at birth are considered to be native. Children born abroad to an American citizen are considered citizens at birth, as well as all those born in the United States, Puerto Rico, or U.S. Island Areas. Children born to foreign-born parents in the U.S. may differ in many ways from those children who came to the U.S. as immigrants with their foreign-born parents.

Table 2 provides data on the characteristics of foreign-born and native children with foreign-born parents compared with those of children born to native parents. Only the nativity of parents living with their children at the time of the census can be taken into account. If at least one of a child's parents is foreign born, the child is included in the foreign-born parent category. Children living with only native parents are included in the native parent category. The percentages across the child/parent nativity groups do not add to 100 percent because some children do not live with a parent in their homes and are not included in this table.

Foreign-born children of at least one foreign-born parent comprised just 4 percent of all people under 18 in the year 2000. Although there was less than a 1-percentage point increase in this group among all children, it represented a 40 percent growth in the size of this population. There was a larger increase in the proportion of native children with at least one foreign-born parent (4 percentage points). The share of children who had native parents had an even larger change, but it was a decline (6.8 percentage points). Even with the decline, 3 in every 4 children had native parents in 2000.

Language and English-speaking ability

The ability to speak English in the United States is important for communicating with a wide array of institutions on a daily basis. Language questions were asked of every person 5 years and older in both the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses. Whether a child with a foreign-born parent speaks English fluently can be dependent on many factors, such as whether their country of origin is English-speaking and whether they immigrated to the United States in their early childhood or after they already began speaking another language.

About three-quarters of foreign-born children of foreign-born parents had at least one parent who had difficulty speaking English in 2000, representing an increase of 21 percentage points over the decade. The percentage with a parent who had difficulty speaking English was 55 percent for native children of foreign-born parents, rising 6 percentage points over the decade.

The patterns in English fluency for foreign-born parents were not necessarily mirrored in the fluency differences among their children. For example, native children of foreign-born parents recorded a 9 percentage point increase in the percentage speaking another language at home between 1990 and 2000. At the same time this group of children had a 19 percentage point decline in the percentage speaking English less than very well. At the same time that increasing percentages of native children with foreign-born parents were speaking their parent's language while at home, increasing percentages were showing fluency in English. In 2000, 6 percent of children with native parents spoke another language and 2 percent had difficulty speaking English.

Living arrangements

Cultural differences, characteristics of those who choose to immigrate to the United States, and the economic situations of immigrants may all affect the living arrangements of families with a foreign-born parent in comparison to native parent families. Among the three nativity combination groups shown in Table 2, native children with at least one foreign-born parent were the most likely to be living in a married-couple family in both 1990 and 2000 - about 8 in every 10 children in both years. For children of native parents the ratio was about 7 in every 10, and the percentage had declined since 1990. Foreign-born children with a foreign-born parent was the only group to see an increase in the percentage living with married parents and the only one to have a decrease in those living with a mother only. The groups all had similar percentages of children living with only their father in 2000 (5 to 6 percentage points), and all had increases in this arrangement over the decade.

Children who live with one or both parents may be living in a multigenerational household. Higher percentages of children in this living arrangement were observed for children with at least one foreign-born parent than those with only native parents. Thirteen percent of both native and foreign-born children of a foreign-born parent were in a multigenerational household in 2000, and they both increased by over 4 percentage points over the decade. The percentage in 2000 was 8 percent for children with native parents.

Economic domain

Among the three nativity combinations, the highest percentage of children in poverty in 1999 was among foreign-born children of at least one foreign-born parent (28 percent). The percentage was twice that of children with native parents. Both of these nativity groups had decreases over the decade in the percent of children in poverty. At the opposite end of the income spectrum, the situation was reversed, with slightly more than twice the percentage of children of native parents than foreign-born children of a foreign-born parent having family incomes of 400 percent or more of the poverty level. The native parent group also experienced the biggest change since 1989, a 6 percentage point increase of children in the highest income group. Native children of a foreign-born parent were in between the other groups' percentages for both of the income categories for both years.

A parental characteristic that is associated with income levels is educational attainment. In 2000, 55 percent of foreign-born children of a foreign-born parent lived with at least one parent who had not completed high school. The corresponding level for children of native parents was 17 percent. The proportion of children in these two nativity groups living with at least one parent with a bachelor's degree were more similar (26 percent and 31 percent, respectively). For both nativity groups, having a parent with less than a high school diploma decreased since 1990 while the percentage with a parent with a bachelor's degree increased.

Housing domain

The final area of interest concerns the characteristics of the child's physical home. Almost twice the percentage of children with native parents than foreign-born children of a foreign-born parent lived in an owned home in 2000. The two groups both had increases over the decade, but the percentage point increase was greater for the foreign-born children and represented a bigger relative increase for that group. Living in a single-family housing unit (as opposed to an apartment, mobile home, or other housing) followed the same pattern as being in an owned home, with the highest percentage in both years belonging to those with native parents. Only children of native parents recorded an increase in this characteristic since 1990 among the three groups.

Crowded housing is defined as homes where there is an average of more than one person per room.4 This was the living situation in 2000 for 6 in every 10 foreign-born children of a foreign-born parent, a little over 4 in 10 native children of a foreign-born parents and about 1 in 10 children of native parents. While there was a 6-percentage point increase in crowded housing for native children with a foreign-born parent, the other two groups experienced declines.

Overall, Table 2 shows that children of these three different nativity arrangements varied across numerous measures, and that the levels of change in these domains varied across the decade as well.

Family Living Arrangements of Children

A second major dimension of importance in understanding the characteristics of children is the kind of family living arrangement they are a part of. Table 3 provides data regarding children's living arrangements and some of the indicators in the domains previously discussed. Three general living arrangements are identified: married-couple families, mother-only families, and father-only families. Together, these three family types account for over 67 million children in 2000, or about 95 percent of children in our universe of study. As Table 3 shows, the percentage of children living with two married parents declined by 4 percentage points between 1990 and 2000. Increases in the percentage of children living with only their mother or only their father absorbed most of the increase over the decade, but there was also slightly under a 2 percentage-point increase in children living with neither parent.

It was more common in 2000 for children living with a single mother or single father to be in a multigenerational household (18 percent and 19 percent, respectively) than children living with both parents (5 percent). The 2-percentage point decline in children of single mothers in multigenerational households since 1990 was the opposite of the slightly more than 2-percentage point increase for children of married parents. This increase represented a 67 percent increase in the proportion of married-couple children living in multigenerational households.

Less than 1 percent of children in married-couple family groups in both 1990 and 2000 lived in a household where the householder had an unmarried partner (situations where the child and parents were a subfamily).5 Being in an unmarried partner household was more common for children living with an unmarried father than an unmarried mother. More than 1 in every 3 children with a single father were in an unmarried partner household in 2000 while it was about 1 in every 10 children with a single mother. The incidence of this characteristic increased since 1990 for both mother-only and father-only family groups.

Economic domain

Sixteen percent of children were living in poverty in 1999, a decrease of about 2 percentage points from 1989 (Table 1). In Table 3 we see that the percentage of children with two married parents with an income below the poverty level was half that of all children in 1999 (8 percent) and had also decreased over the decade. While there were larger percentage point decreases in the poverty rate for children living with their mother only or father only, the overall percentages of these children in poverty remained higher in 1999 than for those in married-couple families (39 percent and 20 percent respectively, compared with 8 percent).

A similar pattern was seen in the proportion of children living in households receiving public assistance. The percentage of children in married-couple families receiving assistance increased by less than 1 percentage point over the decade. There were larger decreases in both mother-only and father-only families (13 percentage points and 5 percentage points, respectively). In 2000, children in single-parent families were still more likely to be in households receiving public assistance (22 percent for mother-only and 13 percent for father-only) than children in married-couple families (5 percent).

Finally, while the children in all three family group types experienced increases in the percentage of children living at 400-percent or more of the poverty level, the increase was greatest for children in married-parent families (6 percentage points). This family-group type also had the greatest proportion of children in the highest income bracket in both 1990 and 2000 (30 percent and 36 percent).

Parental characteristics

In general, parental characteristics in this report are shown as whether at least one of the parents in the household has that characteristic. Sometimes though, it may matter more for a child if both of their parents have a certain attribute. For example, if one parent is not a high school graduate while the other has a college degree, the family may experience different job opportunities than if both parents did not complete high school. For this reason, characteristics in the "Parental" section of Table 3 are shown for children in married-couple families by whether one or both parents have the characteristic. The percentage with at least one parent with a characteristic can be calculated by summing the two relevant data lines.

A greater percentage of children in married-couple families in 2000 had one parent as opposed to two parents who had not completed high school (13 percent and 9 percent respectively). This means 22 percent had at least one parent without a high school diploma, compared with 25 percent of children with a mother only and 30 percent of those with a father only. During the decade, this percentage with this characteristic decreased for all family types, while the percentages with one or both parents with a bachelor's degree increased. Eleven percent of children in single parent families in 2000 had a mother or father with a bachelor's degree. In comparison, a total of 38 percent of children in married-couple families lived with at least one parent with a bachelor's degree: 20 percent with one parent with a bachelor's degree and 18 percent with both.

A higher proportion of children in married-couple families had at least one parent who had difficulty speaking English than either group of single-parent children. From Table 2 we can see that a higher percentage of children with foreign-born parents than children of native parents were in married-couple families. Since foreign-born parents are more likely to have difficulty speaking English this helps to explain the relatively high percentage of children with non-fluent married-couple parents in 2000. Among those with married parents, it was more common for both rather than only one to be foreign-born (15 percent compared with 6 percent). The children in the three types of living arrangements all were more likely to live with at least one parent who had difficulty speaking English or who was foreign-born in 2000 than they were in 1990.

Housing domain

In 2000, 77 percent of children with married parents lived in an owned home, an increase of 3 percentage points since 1990. While the percentage of children living in owned homes rose for all family types between 1990 and 2000, the percentage in 2000 was still lower among children in mother-only and father-only families (40 percent and 54 percent, respectively). Living in a single-family housing unit was also more common among children in married-couple households (81 percent) than among those with a mother only (55 percent) and those with a father only (64 percent). The percentage of children living in crowded housing rose somewhat for married-couple families (3 percentage points). The resultant level for these children (17 percent) remained below that of children in one-parent families (21 percent for mother-only and 24 percent for father-only).

STATE CHANGES

The final section of this report focuses on the indicators and domains that have been discussed at the national level, but presents them for each of the fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The data are presented as a series of maps which focus on the percentage-point change that occurred between 1990 and 2000. Accompanying each map are several basic observations about changes that occurred at the national, regional, and state levels.

In all the maps shown, the estimates of change, which are based on sample data, are used to partition the states into groups that reflect a specific percentage-point change range between 1990 and 2000. These ranges were determined primarily by the national level change when possible. Additional groups were partitioned according to natural breaking points among the states' percentages. For characteristics where many states decreased at the same time that others increased, the national average did not constitute a logical separation. For these map, the groups consist of states that increased, states that decreased, and those that did not change. As with all sample survey estimates, these estimates may vary from the actual values due to sampling and nonsampling errors, which could possibly result in a state being assigned to a different group. States in different groups may not be significantly different from one another, and states in the same group may be significantly different.

ACCURACY OF THE ESTIMATES

The data contained in this report are based on the sample of households who responded to the Census 2000 long form. Nationally, approximately one out of every six housing units was included in this sample. As a result, the sample estimates may differ somewhat from the100-percent figures that would have been obtained if all housing units, people within those housing units, and people living in group quarters had been enumerated using the same questionnaires, instructions, enumerators, and so forth. The sample estimates also differ from the values that would have been obtained from different samples of housing units, and hence of people living in those housing units, and people living in group quarters. The deviation of a sample estimate from the average of all possible samples is called the sampling error.

In addition to the variability that arises from the sampling procedures, both sample data and 100-percent data are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error may be introduced during any of the various complex operations used to collect and process data. Such errors may include: not enumerating every household or every person in the population, failing to obtain all required information from the respondents, obtaining incorrect or inconsistent information, and recording information incorrectly. In addition, errors can occur during the field review of the enumerators' work, during clerical handling of the census questionnaires, or during the electronic processing of the questionnaires.

While it is impossible to completely eliminate error from an operation as large and complex as the decennial census, the Census Bureau attempts to control the sources of such error during the data collection and processing operations. The primary sources of error and the programs instituted to control error in Census 2000 are described in detail in Summary File 3 Technical Documentation under Chapter 8, Accuracy of the Data, located at www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf.

Nonsampling error may affect the data in two ways: (1) errors that are introduced randomly will increase the variability of the data and, therefore, should be reflected in the standard errors; and (2) errors that tend to be consistent in one direction will bias both sample and 100-percent data in that direction. For example, if respondents consistently tend to underreport their incomes, then the resulting estimates of households or families by income category will tend to be understated for the higher income categories and overstated for the lower income categories. Such biases are not reflected in the standard errors.

All statements in this Census 2000 Brief have undergone statistical testing and all comparisons are significant at the 90-percent confidence level, unless otherwise noted. The estimates in tables, maps, and other figures may vary from actual values due to sampling and nonsampling errors. As a result, estimates in one category used to summarize statistics in the maps and figures may not be significantly different from estimates assigned to a different category. Further information on the accuracy of the data is located at www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf. For further information on the computation and use of standard errors, contact the Decennial Statistical Studies Division at 301-763-4242.

For More Information

For more information on children's relationships to householders in the United States, visit the U.S. Census Bureau's Internet site at www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html.

Data on children and on the relationship of various household members to the householder from Census 2000 Summary File 3 were released on a state-by-state basis during the summer of 2002. Census 2000 Summary File 3 data are available on the Internet via factfinder.census.gov and for purchase on CD-ROM and on DVD.

For information on confidentiality protection, nonsampling error, sampling error, and definitions, also see www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/doc/sf3.pdf or contact our Customer Services Center at 301-763-INFO (4636).

Information on other population and housing topics is presented in the Census 2000 Briefs and Census 2000 Special Reports series, located on the U.S. Census Bureau's Web site at www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs.html. This series presents information on race, Hispanic origin, age, sex, household type, housing tenure, and other social, economic, and housing characteristics.

For more information about Census 2000, including data products, call our Customer Services Center at 301-763-INFO (4636), or e-mail webmaster@census.gov.

Footnotes

1The estimates in this report are based on responses from a sample of the population. As with all surveys, estimates may vary from the actual values because of sampling variation or other factors. All statements made in this report have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted.

2 Kurt J. Bauman and Nikki L. Graf, Educational Attainment: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR-24, Washington D.C., 2003.

3 Nolan Malone, K.F. Baluja, J.M. Costanza, and C.J. Davis. The Foreign-Born Population: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR-34, Washington D.C., 2003.

4 Robert Bennefield and Robert Bonnette, Structural and Occupancy Characteristics of Housing: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR-32, Washington D.C., 2003.

5 Terry Lugaila and Julia Overturf, Children and the Households They Live In: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, Census Special Report, CENSR-14, Washington, D.C., 2003.

Appendix A.  Definition of terms

Children: All persons under 18 years living in households except householders, subfamily reference persons, and their spouses. A subfamily does not maintain its own household, but lives in a household where the householder or householder's spouse is a relative.

Foreign born: Includes all people who were not citizens at birth which includes those not born in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. outlying territories, or abroad to American parents.

Recent immigrant: A foreign-born person who came to live in the United States in the five years prior to the survey; only includes those 5 and over.

Difficulty speaking English: Speaks a language other than English at home and speaks English less than "very well". This includes those who speak English "well", "not very well", and "not at all". Language questions were only asked of people ages 5 and over.

Race: The 1990 census allowed respondents to choose only one race. Data on race from Census 2000 are not directly comparable with those from the 1990 census. Census 2000 allowed respondents to choose more than one race. The six major categories are: White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some other race. The use of the single-race population in this report does not imply that it is the preferred method of presenting or analyzing data. The Census Bureau uses a variety of approaches.

American Indian and Alaskan Native (alone): In 1990 the group was American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut. In 2000 the group was American Indian and Alaskan Native alone.

Asian or Pacific Islander (alone): In 1990 this group was Asian or Pacific Islander. In 2000 the groups were shown separately as Asian alone and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander alone. The percentage for 2000 shown here includes those who marked one or both.

Hispanic or Latino origin: Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race.

School enrollment: For children ages 3-to 5-years of age, enrollment includes nursery school, preschool, kindergarten, or elementary school. Total school enrollment includes public and private schools.

No parent present in household: Child is not the biological, adopted, or step child of the householder or of a subfamily reference person. Includes children who are in other relationships to the householder and those not related to the householder.

Never-married single parent family: Children living with one parent present whose current marital status is never married.

Opposite-sex unmarried-partner households: Householder lives with unmarried partner; this does not include children who are the unmarried partner of the householder.

Multigenerational household: Households where the householder is living with their son or daughter and their grandchild or where the householder is living with their child and their parent or parent-in-law.

In family in poverty: Poverty data is only shown for children related to the householder and is determined by family income and family size. Data collected in the 1990 and 2000 censuses refer to poverty in calendar year 1989 and 1999 respectively.

Receiving public assistance: Child lives in household that received Supplemental Security Income, other public assistance, or welfare payments in 1989 or 1999, respectively.

Crowded housing: Number of persons per room in the household is greater than one.

Single-family house: A single unit structure either attached or detached to other structures.

Other type of housing: In 2000 this included mobile home and the choice of boat, RV, van, etc. In 1990 this included mobile home or trailer, and other.

Owned home: The owner or co-owner of the housing unit lives in the household and owns the home with a mortgage, loan, or free and clear.

Lived in same house 5 years previously: Only includes children aged 5- to17-years.

Incomplete plumbing or kitchen: Any combination of incomplete plumbing facilities or kitchen facilities.

Page Last Revised - December 16, 2021
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