The living standards of U.S. households are traditionally measured by income.¹ This report takes a different approach. It measures living standards in terms of extended measures of well-being of households tracked in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to help deepen our knowledge about household conditions in ways not captured by money alone. Some aspects of well-being, such as fear of crime or quality of local public services, may be only loosely connected with money. Other measures are more closely related to income but can also be effected by factors such as the cost of living, age, disability status, and sudden changes in circumstances. Extended measures of well-being provide a more complete and detailed picture of household living conditions in the United States than income alone provides.

The U.S. Census Bureau tracks extended measures of well-being in the SIPP.² The SIPP’s “Extended Measures of Well-Being” topical module, on which this report is based, covers five broad domains: (1) appliances and electronic goods, such as possession of refrigerators, landline and cellular telephones, and computers; (2) housing conditions, including level of satisfaction with overall home repair, adequate living space, and sufficient privacy; (3) neighborhood conditions and community services, such as: road conditions and the presence of abandoned buildings; satisfactory police, fire, and medical services; and attitudes towards local schools; (4) meeting basic needs, including the ability to pay bills in full, to avoid eviction, and to have sufficient food; and (5) the expectation of help, should need arise, from friends, family, and the community. For this report, extended measures of well-being are used to describe living conditions in the United States for the time period 1992–2003.

_______________
¹ For a discussion of the various aspects of well-being, see Supplemental Measures of Material Well-Being: Expenditures, Consumption, and Poverty 1998 and 2001, Current Population Reports, P23-201. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2003; Lever, Joaquina, et al. 2005, “Poverty, Psychological Resources and Subjective Well-Being.” Social Indicators Research, 73: 375-408; Diener, Ed & Eunkook Suh, 1997, “Measuring Quality of Life: Economic, Social, and Subjective Indicators,” Social Indicators Research. 40:189-216; Kahneman, D., E. Diener and N. Schwarz, Well-Being: the Foundations of Hedonic Psychology, New York: Russell-Sage, 1999. For more information on children’s well-being, see Jane Lawler Dye and Tallese Johnson, A Child’s Day: 2003 (Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being), Current Population Reports, P70-109, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2003.

² The data from this report were collected June through September 2003 in the eighth wave (interview) of the 2001 Survey of Income and Program Participation, August through November in the eighth wave (interview) of 1998 the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and October 1992 through January 1993 in the sixth wave (interview) of the 1991 Survey of Income and Program Participation. The population represented (the population universe) is the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States.

Tables

Table 1A. Households with Clothes Washer, Clothes Dryer, Dish Washer, and Refrigerator [<1.0 MB]

Table 1B. Households with Clothes Washer, Clothes Dryer, Dish Washer, and Refrigerator [<1.0 MB]

Table 2A. Households with Food Freezer, Television, Stove, and Microwave [<1.0 MB]

Table 2B. Households with Food Freezer, Television, Stove, and Microwave [<1.0 MB]

Table 3A. Households with Videocassette Recorder, Air Conditioner, Computer, and Cellular Phone [<1.0 MB]

Table 3B. Households with Videocassette Recorder, Air Conditioner, Computer, and Cellular Phone [<1.0 MB]

Table 4A. Households with a Telephone and Basic Four Appliances [<1.0 MB]

Table 4B. Households with a Telephone and Basic Four Appliances [<1.0 MB]

Table 5A. Households with No Roof or Ceiling Leaks, No Problem with Pests, No Broken Windows, and No Exposed Wires [<1.0 MB]

Table 5B. Households with No Roof or Ceiling Leaks, No Problem with Pests, No Broken Windows, and No Exposed Wires [<1.0 MB]

Table 6A. Households with No Cracks in Walls, No Plumbing Problems, No Holes in Floor, and Satisfactory Repair [<1.0 MB]

Table 6B. Households with No Cracks in Walls, No Plumbing Problems, No Holes in Floor, and Satisfactory Repair [<1.0 MB]

Table 7A. Households with Satisfactory Coolness, Satisfactory Warmth, Satisfactory Furniture, and Satisfactory Privacy [<1.0 MB]

Table 7B. Households with Satisfactory Coolness, Satisfactory Warmth, Satisfactory Furniture, and Satisfactory Privacy [<1.0 MB]

Table 8A. Households with More Than One Room per Person, Satisfactory Space, Satisfactory Housing, and Housing Not so Bad Would Move [<1.0 MB]

Table 8B. Households with More Than One Room per Person, Satisfactory Space, Satisfactory Housing, and Housing Not so Bad Would Move [<1.0 MB]

Table 9A. Households with No Staying at Home for Safety, No Carrying Something for Protection, No Going With Others for Safety, and Not afraid to Walk [<1.0 MB]

Table 9B. Households with No Staying at Home for Safety, No Carrying Something for Protection, No Going With Others for Safety, and Not afraid to Walk [<1.0 MB]

Table 10A. Fear of Crime by Social Characteristics: Households with a Dog in the Household, Dog in Household for Safety, and Alarm or Safety Lights: 2003 [<1.0 MB]

Table 10B. Fear of Crime by Economic Characteristics: Households with a Dog in the Household, Dog in Household for Safety, and Alarm or Safety Lights: 2003 [<1.0 MB]

Table 11A. Households with Home Considered Safe, Neighborhood Considered Safe, and Crime Not so Bad Would Move [<1.0 MB]

Table 11B. Households with Home Considered Safe, Neighborhood Considered Safe, and Crime Not so Bad Would Move [<1.0 MB]

Table 12A. Households with No Trash or Litter in Area, No Street Repair Problems, No Abandoned Buildings, and No Traffic Noise Problems [<1.0 MB]

Table 12B. Households with No Trash or Litter in Area, No Street Repair Problems, No Abandoned Buildings, and No Traffic Noise Problems [<1.0 MB]

Table 13A. Households with Good Relations with Neighbors, No Smoke or Odors, No Problem Industry or Business, and No Overall Neighborhood Problems [<1.0 MB]

Table 13B. Households with Good Relations with Neighbors, No Smoke or Odors, No Problem Industry or Business, and No Overall Neighborhood Problems [<1.0 MB]

Table 14A. Households with Children Under 18 with Children in Public School, Children in Magnet School, Children in Private School, and Children Home Schooled [<1.0 MB]

Table 14B. Households with Children Under 18 with Children in Public School, Children in Magnet School, Children in Private School, and Children Home Schooled [<1.0 MB]

Table 15A. Households with Children Under 18 with No Children in School, Satisfactory Public Schools, Preference for Different School for a Child, and Children Eating Enough [<1.0 MB]

Table 15B. Households with Children Under 18 with No Children in School, Satisfactory Public Schools, Preference for Different School for a Child, and Children Eating Enough [ [<1.0 MB]

Table 16A. Households with Satisfactory Public Transportation, Satisfactory Fire Protection, Satisfactory Police Services, and Satisfactory Health Services [<1.0 MB]

Table 16B. Households with Satisfactory Public Transportation, Satisfactory Fire Protection, Satisfactory Police Services, and Satisfactory Health Services [<1.0 MB]

Table 17A. Households with Satisfactory Neighborhood, Neighborhood Not so Bad Would Move, Satisfactory Public Services, and Services Not so Bad Would Move [<1.0 MB]

Table 17B. Households with Satisfactory Neighborhood, Neighborhood Not so Bad Would Move, Satisfactory Public Services, and Services Not so Bad Would Move [<1.0 MB]

Table 18A. Households with No Unmet Essential Expenses, No Unpaid Rent or Mortgage, No Unpaid Utility Bills, and Not Evicted for Non-payment [<1.0 MB]

Table 18B. Households with No Unmet Essential Expenses, No Unpaid Rent or Mortgage, No Unpaid Utility Bills, and Not Evicted for Non-payment [<1.0 MB]

Table 19A. Households with No Disconnected Utility Service, No Disconnected Phone Service, No Unmet Need for Doctor, and No Unmet Need for Dentis [<1.0 MB]

Table 19B. Households with No Disconnected Utility Service, No Disconnected Phone Service, No Unmet Need for Doctor, and No Unmet Need for Dentist [<1.0 MB]

Table 20A. Households with Difficulty Meeting Basic Needs Who Received Help, Received Help From Family, Received Help From Friends, and Received Help From Others [<1.0 MB]

Table 20B. Households with Difficulty Meeting Basic Needs Who Received Help, Received Help From Family, Received Help From Friends, and Received Help From Others [<1.0 MB]

Table 21A. Households with Expectation of Help If Needed, Expect Help from Friends, Expect Help from Family, and Expect Help from Others [<1.0 MB]

Table 21B. Households with Expectation of Help If Needed, Expect Help from Friends, Expect Help from Family, and Expect Help from Others [<1.0 MB]

Table 22A. Households with Enough of Kinds of Food, Enough of Food Wanted, Food Security, and Not Worried Food Run Out [<1.0 MB]

Table 22B. Households with Enough of Kinds of Food, Enough of Food Wanted, Food Security, and Not Worried Food Run Out [<1.0 MB]

Table 23A. Households with Ability to Afford Balanced Meals, No Skipped Meals, Not Eating Less, and Not Skipping Food for Day [<1.0 MB]

Table 23B. Households with Ability to Afford Balanced Meals, No Skipped Meals, Not Eating Less, and Not Skipping Food for Day [<1.0 MB]

Others in Series

Publication

A Child's Day: 2003 (Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being)

January 01, 2007

This report is the third examination of children’s well-being and their daily activities based on data from the SIPP.

Publication

What’s it Worth? Educational Background & Economic Status: Spring 1984

September 1987

This report presents tabulations regarding the educational attainment and background of the population of the United States.

Publication

Reasons People Do Not Work: 2004

September 2007

This report examines characteristics of nonworkers, reasons they do not work, and connections between their characteristics and their reasons for not working.

View All

Related Information

TABLE

Extended Measures of Well-being: Living Conditions in the U.S. 2003

Well-Being Publications

Survey of Income and Program Participation Publications

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021

Some content on this site is available in several different electronic formats. Some of the files may require a plug-in or additional software to view.

Is this page helpful?
Thumbs Up Image

Yes

NO THANKS

255 characters maximum

255 characters maximum reached

Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?

Top