JULY 20, 2023 — The U.S. Census Bureau today released statistics for Guam in its 2020 Island Areas Censuses Demographic and Housing Characteristics Summary File (DHC).

The package includes more than 400 tables with data on age, race and ethnicity, household type, relationship, population in group quarters, whether the residence is owned or rented (tenure), vacancy status and other social, economic, housing and demographic characteristics. In addition, data are available in island-specific geographies, including municipalities and census-designated places.

• Guam had a population of 153,836, with 78,271 males (50.9%) and 75,565 females (49.1%).
• 11.2% of the population was ages 65 or over and 0.8% was ages 85 or over.
• Children (ages 0-17) made up 27.0% of the population
• The median age was 33.7 years. 

Note: These social characteristics exclude people living in military housing units because of effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection operations. (More information is available in the related section below.)

• 15.8% of households consisted of one person living alone.
• The majority (67.2%) of the 34,804 family households were married-couple families.
• 5.4% of households, or 2,343 households, had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and children of the householder who were under 18 years old.
• There were 3,709 cohabiting couple households, making up 8.5% of all households.
• 15.3% of family households were multigenerational.
• Over two-thirds (67.9%) of women ages 15 and over in households had ever given birth.
• The median length of marriage for both currently married men and women ages 15 and over in households was 19.1 years.
• Among adults ages 30 and over in households, 9.6% were grandparents who lived with their own grandchildren under 18.
• Of grandparents living in households with their grandchildren under the age of 18, 36.1% were responsible for their basic needs. The majority (54.3%) of grandparents caring for their grandchildren under 18 had been responsible for them for at least 5 years.
• More than a quarter (28.2%) of the population 5 years and over in households who moved between April 1, 2015, and April 1, 2020, reported a natural disaster as the primary reason for moving.
• Among the population 3 years and over in households, 27.7% were enrolled in school: 3.7% in nursery or preschool; 75.6% in K-12; and 20.6% in college, graduate or professional school.
• Among the population 5 years and over in households, 57.3% spoke a language other than English at home. Of those who spoke a language other than English, 65.9% spoke English “very well” and 42.8% spoke Philippine languages.
• The majority (86.0%) of the population ages 25 and older had a high school degree, and 25.3% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Business was the most common field of those with a bachelor’s degree.

Notes: These economic characteristics exclude people living in military housing units. The Island Areas Censuses asked households about their income the previous year (in 2019).

• Of the 145,543 people in households for whom poverty status is determined, 29,408 (20.2%) had income below the poverty level.
• 21.8% of households received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP).
• Median household income was $58,289.

• 52.0% of the island’s householders in occupied units were owners, and 48.0% were renters.

Note: The following housing characteristics exclude military housing units and those households living in military housing units.

• The median home value was $277,800. 
  
• The median monthly rent was $1,057.
• 16.1% of homeowners and 34.0% of renters spent 35.0% or more of household income on housing costs.
• Among all households, 72.4% had a desktop or laptop computer; 92.3% had a smartphone; and 60.6% had a tablet or other portable wireless device.
• Most (85.9%) households had a broadband internet subscription.

A webinar is scheduled today at 5 p.m. ET for those who are interested in accessing the newly released 2020 Island Areas Census DHC data and will focus on leveraging data.census.gov to find available data. Questions related to the data collection process, methodology, disclosure avoidance and data analysis will not be addressed during this session.

For more information about 2020 Census products for the Island Areas, visit the 2020 Island Areas Censuses Press Kit.

While the 2020 Island Areas Censuses operation was successful, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the quality of the collected data on detailed social, economic and housing characteristic for American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To ensure the Census Bureau's high data quality standards are met, adjustments were made to data products reporting population and housing characteristics.

Data users should consider the following when using Guam's data products:

• Detailed characteristics of military households and housing units in Guam were not collected in 2020. As a result, data tables for these characteristics do not include the population living on military installations. Direct comparisons between the 2010 and 2020 responses for Guam should note these differences.
  
• Data tables reporting social and economic characteristics do not include the group quarters population in the table universe. As a result, impacted 2020 data tables should not be compared to 2010 and other past census data tables reporting the same characteristics. The Census Bureau advises data users to verify table universes are the same before comparing data across census years.
  
• Cells in data tables will display the letter "N" when the data for those cells are not statistically reliable or represent an insufficient number of cases.
  
• The Census Bureau advises that data users consider high nonresponse rates while using the 2020 Census of Guam's available characteristics data. Nonresponse rates were higher in 2020 than past censuses due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacting data collection efforts.
  

Additional guidance for data users using the Island Area characteristic data is available in the Guidance on Using Data from the 2020 Island Areas Censuses fact sheet.

The 2020 Island Areas Censuses provide a wide range of demographic, social, economic and housing information to meet the U.S. Island Areas’ data needs. Census Bureau surveys, such as the American Community Survey (ACS), are not conducted in the Island Areas. Therefore, the Census Bureau used a long-form census questionnaire similar to the ACS questionnaire used in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. 

The Census Bureau previously released population and housing counts and a demographic profile for Guam from the 2020 Island Areas Censuses. Later, the Census Bureau also plans to release data tables for the Island Areas that cross tabulate data about people or housing units by other characteristics. More information is available on the 2020 Island Areas Censuses Data Products webpage.