Appendix B: Data Source Descriptions
Air Quality System
The Air Quality System (AQS) contains ambient air pollution data collected by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State, local, and tribal air pollution
control agencies. Data on criteria pollutants consist of air quality measurements
collected by sensitive equipment at thousands of monitoring stations located across
all 50 States, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Each monitor measures the concentration of a particular pollutant in the air. Monitoring
data indicate the average pollutant concentration during a specified time interval,
usually 1 hour or 24 hours. AQS also contains meteorological data, descriptive information
about each monitoring station (including its geographic location and its operator),
and data quality assurance or quality control information. The system is administered
by EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Information Transfer and Program
Integration Division, located in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
For more information, contact:
David Mintz
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Phone: 919–541–5224
Website: www.epa.gov/air/data/aqsdb.html
American Housing Survey
The American Housing Survey (AHS) was mandated by Congress in 1968 to provide data
for evaluating progress toward “a decent home and a suitable living environment
for every American family.” It is the primary source of detailed information on
housing in the United States and is used to generate a biennial report to Congress
on the conditions of housing in the United States, among other reports. The
survey is conducted for the Department of Housing and Urban Development by the U.S.
Census Bureau. The AHS encompasses a national survey and 21 metropolitan surveys
and is designed to collect data from the same housing units for each survey. The
national survey, a representative sample of approximately 60,000 housing units,
is conducted biennially in odd numbered years; the metropolitan surveys, representative
samples of 3,500 housing units, are conducted in odd numbered years on a 6-year
cycle. The AHS collects data about the inventory and condition of housing
in the United States and the demographics of its inhabitants. The survey provides
detailed data on the types of housing in the United States and its characteristics
and conditions; financial data on housing costs, utilities, mortgages, equity loans,
and market value; demographic data on family composition, income, education, and
race; and information on neighborhood quality and recent movers.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Cheryl Levine
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
E-mail: Cheryl.A.Levine@hud.gov
Phone: 202–402–3928
Website: www.census.gov/hhes/www/ahs.html
American Time Use Survey
The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is a nationally representative sample survey
conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ATUS
measures how people living in the United States spend their time. Estimates show
the kinds of activities people do and the time they spent doing them by sex, age,
educational attainment, labor force status, and other characteristics, as well as
by weekday and weekend day.
ATUS respondents are interviewed one time about how they spent their time on the
previous day, where they were, and whom they were with. The survey is a continuous
survey, with interviews conducted nearly every day of the year and a sample that
builds over time. About 13,000 members of the civilian noninstitutionalized population
age 15 and over are interviewed each year.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
American Time Use Survey Staff
E-mail: atusinfo@bls.gov
Phone: 202–691–6339
Website: www.bls.gov/tus
Consumer Expenditure Survey
The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) is conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics
by the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey contains both a diary component and an interview
component. Data are integrated before publication. The data presented in this chartbook
are derived from the integrated data available on the CE website. The published
data are weighted to reflect the U.S. population.
In the interview portion of the CE, respondents are interviewed once every 3 months
for 5 consecutive quarters. Respondents report information on consumer unit characteristics
and expenditures during each interview. Income data are collected during the second
and fifth interviews only.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
E-mail: CEXINFO@bls.gov
Phone: 202–691–6900
Website: www.bls.gov/cex
Current Population Survey
The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a nationally representative sample survey
of about 60,000 households conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The CPS core survey is the primary source of information
on the labor force characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population
age 16 and over, including estimates of unemployment released every month by BLS.
Monthly CPS supplements provide additional demographic and social data. The Annual
Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), or March CPS Supplement, is the primary source
of detailed information on income and poverty in the United States. The ASEC is
used to generate the annual Population Profile of the United States, reports on geographical
mobility and educational attainment, and detailed analyses of money income and poverty
status.
Race and Hispanic origin: In 2003, for the first time CPS respondents were asked
to identify themselves as belonging to one or more of the six racial groups (white,
black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific
Islander, and Some Other Race); previously they were to choose only one. People
who responded to the question on race by indicating only one race are referred to
as the race alone or single-race population, and individuals who chose more than
one of the race categories are referred to as the Two-or-More-Races population.
The CPS includes a separate question on Hispanic origin. Starting in 2003, people
of Spanish/ Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto
Rican, Cuban, or Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino. People of Hispanic origin may be
of any race.
The 1994 redesign of the CPS had an impact on labor force participation rates for
older men and women. (See “Indicator 11: Participation in the Labor Force.”) For
more information on the effect of the redesign, see “The CPS After the Redesign:
Refocusing the Economic Lens.”55
For more information regarding the CPS, its sampling structure and estimation methodology,
see “Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error.”56
For more information, contact:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Department of Labor
E-mail: cpsinfo@bls.gov
Phone: 202–691–6378
Website: www.census.gov/cps/
Decennial Census
Every 10 years, beginning with the first census in 1790, the United States government
conducts a census, or count, of the entire population as mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
The 1990 and 2000 censuses were taken April 1 of their respective years. As in several
previous censuses, two forms were used: a short form and a long form. The short
form was sent to every household, and the long form, containing the 100 percent
questions plus the sample questions, was sent to approximately one in every six
households.
The Census 2000 short form questionnaire included six questions for each member
of the household (name, sex, age, relationship, Hispanic origin, and race) and whether
the housing unit was owned or rented. The long form asked more detailed information
on subjects such as education, employment, income, ancestry, homeowner costs, units
in a structure, number of rooms, plumbing facilities, etc.
Race and Hispanic origin: In Census 2000, respondents were given the option of selecting
one or more race categories to indicate their racial identities. People who responded
to the question on race indicating only one of the six race categories (white, black,
American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander,
and Some Other Race) are referred to as the race alone or single-race population.
Individuals who chose more than one of the race categories are referred to as the
Two-or-More-Races population. The six single-race categories, which made up nearly
98 percent of all respondents, and the Two-or-More-Races category sum to the total
population. Because respondents were given the option of selecting one or more race
categories to indicate their racial identities, Census 2000 data on race are not
directly comparable with data from the 1990 or earlier censuses.
As in earlier censuses, Census 2000 included a separate question on Hispanic origin.
In Census 2000, people of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves
as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino. People of Hispanic
origin may be of any race.
For more information, contact:
Age and Special Populations Branch
Phone: 301–763–2378
Website: www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html
Health and Retirement Study
The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a national panel study conducted by the
University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research under a cooperative agreement
with the National Institute on Aging. In 1992, the study had an initial sample of
over 12,600 people from the 1931–1941 birth cohort and their spouses. The HRS was
joined in 1993 by a companion study, Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest
Old (AHEAD), with a sample of 8,222 respondents (born before 1924 who were age 70
and over) and their spouses. In 1998, these two data collection efforts were combined
into a single survey instrument and field period and were expanded through the addition
of baseline interviews with two new birth cohorts: Children of the Depression Age
(CODA: 1924–1930) and War Babies (WB: 1942–1947). Plans call for adding a new 6-year
cohort of Americans entering their 50s every 6 years. In 2004, baseline interviews
were conducted with the Early Boomer birth cohort (1948–1953). Telephone follow-ups
are conducted every second year, with proxy interviews after death. Beginning
in 2006, one-half of this sample has an enhanced face-to-face interview that includes
the collection of physical measures and biomarker collection. The Aging, Demographics,
and Memory Study (ADAMS) is a supplement to HRS with the specific aim of conducting
a population-based study of dementia.
The combined studies, which are collectively called HRS, have become a steady state
sample that is representative of the entire U.S. population age 50 and over (excluding
people who resided in a nursing home or other institutionalized setting at the time
of sampling). HRS will follow respondents longitudinally until they die (including
following people who move into a nursing home or other institutionalized setting).
The HRS is intended to provide data for researchers, policy analysts, and program
planners who make major policy decisions that affect retirement, health insurance,
saving, and economic well-being. The study is designed to explain the antecedents
and consequences of retirement; examine the relationship between health, income,
and wealth over time; examine life cycle patterns of wealth accumulation and consumption;
monitor work disability; provide a rich source of interdisciplinary data, including
linkages with administrative data; monitor transitions in physical, functional,
and cognitive health in advanced old age; relate late-life changes in physical and
cognitive health to patterns of spending down assets and income flows; relate changes
in health to economic resources and intergenerational transfers; and examine how
the mix and distribution of economic, family, and program resources affect key outcomes,
including retirement, spending down assets, health declines, and institutionalization.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Health and Retirement Study
E-mail: hrsquest@isr.umich.edu
Phone: 734–936–0314
Website: hrsonline.isr.umich.edu
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey
The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is an ongoing annual survey of the civilian
noninstitutionalized population that collects detailed information on health care
use and expenditures (including sources of payment), health insurance, income, health
status, access, and quality of care. MEPS, which began in 1996, is the third in
a series of national probability surveys conducted by the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality on the financing and use of medical care in the United States.
MEPS predecessor surveys are the National Medical Care Expenditure Survey (NMCES)
conducted in 1977 and the National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) conducted in
1987. Each of the three surveys (i.e., NMCES, NMES, and MEPS) used multiple rounds
of in-person data collection to elicit expenditures and sources of payments for
each health care event experienced by household members during the calendar year.
To yield more complete information on health care spending and payment sources,
followback surveys of health providers were conducted for a subsample of events
in MEPS (and events in the MEPS predecessor surveys).
Since 1977, the structure of billing mechanism for medical services has grown more
complex as a result of increasing penetration of managed care and health maintenance
organizations and various cost-containment reimbursement mechanisms instituted by
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers. As a result, there has been substantial
discussion about what constitutes an appropriate measure of health care expenditures.57
Health care expenditures presented in this report refer to what is actually paid
for health care services. More specifically, expenditures are defined as the sum of
direct payments for care received, including out-of-pocket payments for care received.
This definition of expenditures differs somewhat from what was used in the 1987 NMES,
which used charges (rather than payments) as the fundamental expenditure construct.
To improve comparability of estimates between the 1987 NMES and the 1996 and 2001
MEPS, the 1987 data presented in this report were adjusted using the method described
by Zuvekas and Cohen.54 Adjustments to the 1977 data were considered unnecessary
because virtually all of the discounting for health care services occurred after
1977 (essentially equating charges with payments in 1977).
A number of quality-related enhancements were made to the MEPS beginning in 2000,
including the fielding of an annual adult self-administered questionnaire (SAQ).
This questionnaire contains items on patient satisfaction and accountability measures
from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®; previously
known as the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans), the SF-12 physical and mental
health assessment tool, EQ-5D EuroQol 5 dimensions with visual scale (2000–03),
and several attitude items. Starting in 2004, the K-6 Kessler mental health distress
scale and the PH2 two-item depression scale were added to the SAQ.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
MEPS Project Director
E-mail: mepsprojectdirector@ahrq.hhs.gov
Phone: 301–427–1406
Website: www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb
Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey
The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) is a continuous, multipurpose survey
of a representative sample of the Medicare population designed to help the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administer, monitor, and evaluate the Medicare
program. The MCBS collects information on health care use, cost, and sources of
payment; health insurance coverage; household composition; sociodemographic characteristics;
health status and physical functioning; income and assets; access to care; satisfaction
with care; usual source of care; and how beneficiaries get information about Medicare.
MCBS data enable CMS to determine sources of payment for all medical services used
by Medicare beneficiaries, including copayments, deductibles, and noncovered services;
develop reliable and current information on the use and cost of services not covered
by Medicare (such as long-term care); ascertain all types of health insurance coverage
and relate coverage to sources of payment; and monitor the financial effects of changes
in the Medicare program. Additionally, the MCBS is the only source of multidimensional
person-based information about the characteristics of the Medicare population and
their access to and satisfaction with Medicare services and information about the
Medicare program. The MCBS sample consists of Medicare enrollees in the community
and in institutions.
The survey is conducted in three rounds per year, with each round being 4 months
in length. MCBS has a multistage, stratified, random sample design and a rotating
panel survey design. Each panel is followed for 12 interviews. In-person interviews
are conducted using computer-assisted personal interviewing. A sample of approximately
16,000 people are interviewed in each round. However, because of the rotating panel
design, only 12,000 people receive all three interviews in a given calendar year.
Information collected in the survey is combined with information from CMS administrative
data files and made available through public-use data files.
Race and Hispanic origin: The MCBS defines race as white, black, Asian, Native Hawaiian
or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and other. People are allowed
to choose more than one category. There is a separate question on whether the person
is of Hispanic or Latino origin. The “other” category in Table 30c on page 118 consists
of people who answered “no” to the Hispanic/Latino question and who answered something
other than “white” or “black” to the race question. People who answer with more
than one racial category are assigned to the “other” category.
For more information, contact:
MCBS Staff
E-mail: MCBS@cms.hhs.gov
Website: www.cms.hhs.gov/mcbs
The Research Data Assistance Center
E-mail: resdac@umn.edu
Phone: 888–973–7322
Website: www.resdac.umn.edu
National Assessment of Adult Literacy
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy, funded by the U.S. Department of Education
and 12 States, was created in 1992 as a new measure of literacy. The aim of the
survey was to profile the English literacy of adults in the United States based
on their performance across a wide array of tasks that reflect the types of materials
and demands they encounter in their daily lives.
To gather information on adults’ literacy skills, trained staff interviewed a nationally
representative sample of nearly 13,600 individuals age 16 and over during the first
8 months of 1992. These participants had been randomly selected to represent the
adult population in the country as a whole. Black and Hispanic households were oversampled
to ensure reliable estimates of literacy proficiencies and to permit analyses of
the performance of these subpopulations. In addition, some 1,100 inmates from 80
Federal and State prisons were interviewed to gather information on the proficiencies
of the prison population. In total, nearly 26,000 adults were surveyed.
Each survey participant was asked to spend approximately an hour responding to a
series of diverse literacy tasks, as well as questions about his or her demographic
characteristics, educational background, reading practices, and other areas related
to literacy. Based on their responses to the survey tasks, adults received proficiency
scores along three scales that reflect varying degrees of skill in prose, document,
and quantitative literacy. The results of the 1992 survey were first published in
a report, Adult Literacy in America (NCES 93-275), in September 1993.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Sheida White
National Center for Education Statistics
E-mail: Sheida.White@ed.gov
Website: nces.ed.gov/naal
National Health Interview Survey
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by the National Center for
Health Statistics, is a continuing nationwide sample survey in which data are collected
during personal household interviews. NHIS is the principal source of information
on the health of the civilian, noninstitutionalized, household population of the
United States. Interviewers collect data on illnesses, injuries, impairments, and
chronic conditions; activity limitation caused by chronic conditions; utilization
of health services; and other health topics. Information is also obtained on personal,
social, economic, and demographic characteristics, including race and ethnicity
and health insurance status. The survey is reviewed each year, core questionnaire
items are revised every 10–15 years (with major revisions occurring in 1982 and
1997), and special topics are added or deleted annually.
In 2006, a new sample design was implemented. This design, which is expected
to be in use through 2014, includes all 50 States and the District of Columbia,
as the previous design did. Oversampling of the black and Hispanic populations
has been retained in 2006 to allow for more precise estimation of health characteristics
in these growing minority populations. The new sample design also oversamples the
Asian population. In addition, the sample adult selection process has been revised
so that when black, Hispanic, or Asian people age 65 and over are present, they
have an increased chance of being selected as the sample adult. The new design reduces
the size of NHIS by approximately 13 percent relative to the previous sample design.
The interviewed sample for 2006 consisted of 29,204 households, which yielded 75,716
people in 29,868 families. More information on the survey methodology and
content of NHIS can be found at www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
Race and Hispanic origin: Starting with data year 1999, race-specific estimates in
NHIS are tabulated according to 1997 standards for Federal data on race and ethnicity
and are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years. The single race
categories for data from 1999 and later (shown in Tables 16a, 18, 21a, 22, 24b,
and 26a on pages 100, 102, 106, 107, 109, and 111) conform to 1997 standards and
are for people who reported only one racial group. Prior to data year 1999, data
were tabulated according to the 1977 standards and included people who reported
one race or, if they reported more than one race, identified one race as best representing
their race. In Table 21a on page 106, estimates of non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic
blacks in 1997 and 1998 are for people who reported only a single race. In Table
26a on page 111, the white and black race groups include people of Hispanic origin.
Additional background and health data for adults are available in Summary Health
Statistics for the U.S. Population: National Health Interview Survey.58
For more information, contact:
NHIS staff
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov
Phone: 866–441–6247
Website: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), conducted by the
National Center for Health Statistics, is a family of cross-sectional surveys designed
to assess the health and nutritional status of the noninstitutionalized civilian
population through direct physical examinations and interviews. Each survey’s sample
was selected using a complex, stratified, multistage, probability sampling design.
Interviewers obtain information on personal and demographic characteristics, including
age, household income, and race and ethnicity directly from sample persons (or their
proxies). In addition, dietary intake data, biochemical tests, physical measurements,
and clinical assessments are collected.
The NHANES program includes the following surveys conducted on a periodic basis
through 1994: the first, second, and third National Health Examination Surveys (NHES
I, 1960–1962; NHES II, 1963–1965; and NHES III, 1966–1970); and the first, second,
and third National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES I, 1971–1974;
NHANES II, 1976–1980; and NHANES III, 1988–1994). Beginning in 1999, NHANES changed
to a continuous data collection format without breaks in survey cycles. The NHANES
program now visits 15 U.S. locations per year, surveying and reporting for approximately
5,000 people annually. The procedures employed in continuous NHANES to select samples,
conduct interviews, and perform physical exams have been preserved from previous
survey cycles. NHES I, NHANES I, and NHANES II collected information on people 6
months to 74 years of age. NHANES III and later surveys include people age 75 and
over.
With the advent of the continuous survey design (NHANES III), NHANES moved from
a 6-year data release to a 2-year data release schedule. Estimates for 1999-2000,
and later, are based on a smaller sample size than estimates for earlier time periods
and, therefore, are subject to greater sampling error.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
NHANES
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov
Phone: 866–441–6247
Website: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm
National Nursing Home Survey
The National Nursing Home Survey (NNHS), conducted by the National Center for Health
Statistics, provides information on characteristics of nursing homes and their residents
and staff. NNHS provides information on nursing homes from two perspectives: that
of the provider of services and that of the recipient. Data about the facilities
include characteristics such as bed size, ownership, affiliation, Medicare/Medicaid
certification, specialty units, services offered, number and characteristics of
staff, expenses, and charges. Data about the current residents include demographic
characteristics, health status, level of assistance needed with activities of daily
living, vision and hearing impairment, continence, services received, sources of
payment, and discharge disposition (information on discharges was not collected
in 1995 and 2004). The survey underwent a major redesign in 2004. New content
added to the survey included medications, medical, mental health, and dental services
offered or provided, end-of-life care and advance directives, education, specialty
credentials, and length of service of key staff, turnover and stability of nursing
staff, use of contract/agency staff, overtime shifts worked, wages and benefits,
facility practices for immunization, dining, and use of mechanical lifting devices.
The initial NNHS, conducted in 1973–1974, included the universe of nursing homes
that provided some level of nursing care and excluded homes providing only personal
or domiciliary care. The 1977 and 1985 NNHS encompassed all types of nursing
homes, including personal care and domiciliary care homes. The 1995, 1997, 1999,
and 2004 NNHS also included only nursing homes that provided some level of nursing
care and excluded homes providing only personal or domiciliary care, similar to
the 1973–1974 survey.
The Nursing Assistant Supplement to the 2004 NNHS was designed to determine the
likelihood that workers will continue in their present positions and the factors
that affect those decisions, including job satisfaction, environment, training,
advancement opportunities, benefits, working conditions, and personal or family
demands. This first national survey of nursing assistants was conducted as a separate
telephone interview with a sample of workers who provide nursing home residents
assistance with activities of daily living (eating, transferring, toileting, dressing,
and bathing).
Race and Hispanic origin: Starting with data year 1999, the instruction for the
race item on the Current Resident Questionnaire was changed so that more than one
race could be recorded. In previous years, only one racial category could be checked.
Estimates for racial groups presented in this table are for residents for whom only
one race was recorded. Estimates for residents where multiple races were checked
are unreliable because of small sample sizes and are not shown. Other race
includes Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska
Native and multiple races.
For more information, contact:
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov
Phone: 866–441–6247
Website: www.cdc.gov/nchs/nnhs.htm
National Vital Statistics System
Through the National Vital Statistics System, the National Center for Health Statistics
collects and publishes data on births, deaths, and prior to 1996, marriages and
divorces occurring in the United States based on U.S. standard certificates. The
Division of Vital Statistics obtains information on births and deaths from the registration
offices of each of the 50 States, New York City, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, America Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Geographic coverage for births and deaths has been complete since 1933. Demographic
information on the death certificate is provided by the funeral director based on
information supplied by an informant. Medical certification of cause of death is
provided by a physician, medical examiner, or coroner. The mortality data file is
a fundamental source of cause-of-death information by demographic characteristics
and for geographic areas such as States. The mortality file is one of the few sources
of comparable health-related data for smaller geographic areas in the United States
and over a long time period. Mortality data can be used not only to present the
characteristics of those dying in the United States but also to determine life expectancy
and to compare mortality trends with other countries. Data for the entire United
States refer to events occurring within the United States; data for geographic areas
are by place of residence.
Race and Hispanic origin: Race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on the
death certificate. Therefore, data by race shown in Tables 14b, 15b, and 15c (on
pages 93 and 96–99) include people of Hispanic or non-Hispanic origin; data for
Hispanic origin include people of any race.
For more information on the mortality data files, see “Deaths: Leading causes for
2004.”59
For more information, contact:
Mortality Statistics Branch
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov
Phone: 866–441–6247
Website: www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm
Panel Study of Income Dynamics
The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) is a nationally representative, longitudinal
study conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. It
is a representative sample of U.S. individuals (men, women, and children) and the
family units in which they reside. Starting with a national sample of 5,000 U.S.
households in 1968, the PSID has reinterviewed individuals from those households
annually from 1968 to 1997 and biennially thereafter, whether or not they are living
in the same dwelling or with the same people. Adults have been followed as they
have grown older, and children have been observed as they advance through childhood
and into adulthood, forming family units of their own. Information about the original
1968 sample individuals and their current coresidents (spouses, cohabitors, children,
and anyone else living with them) is collected each year. In 1997 and 1999, in order
to enhance the representativeness of the study, a refresher sample of 511 post 1968
immigrant families was added to the PSID. With low attrition rates and successful
recontacts, the sample size grew to approximately 8,330 as of 2007. PSID data can
be used for cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intergenerational analyses and for
studying both individuals and families.
The central focus of the data has been economic and demographic, with substantial
detail on income sources and amounts, employment, family composition changes, and
residential location. Based on findings in the early years, the PSID expanded to
its present focus on family structure and dynamics as well as income, wealth, and
expenditures. Wealth and health are other important contributors to individual and
family well-being that have been the focus of the PSID in recent years.
The PSID wealth modules measure net equity in homes and nonhousing assets divided
into six categories: other real estate and vehicles; farm or business ownership;
stocks, mutual funds, investment trusts, and stocks held in IRAs; checking and savings
accounts, CDs, treasury bills, savings bonds, and liquid assets in IRAs; bonds,
trusts, life insurance, and other assets; and other debts. The PSID measure of wealth
excludes private pensions and rights to future Social Security payments.
Race and Hispanic origin: The PSID asks respondents if they are white, black, American
Indian, Aleut, Eskimo, Asian, Pacific Islander, or another race. Respondents are
allowed to choose more than one category. They are coded according to the first category
mentioned. Only respondents who classified themselves as white or black are included
in Table 10 on page 87.
For information, contact:
Frank Stafford
E-mail: fstaffor@isr.umich.edu or psidhelp@isr.umich.edu
Phone: 734–763–5166
Website: psidonline.isr.umich.edu
Population Projections
The population projections for the United States are interim projections that take
into account the results of Census 2000. These interim projections were created
using the cohort-component method, which uses assumptions about the components of
population change. They are based on Census 2000 results, official postcensus estimates,
as well as vital registration data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The assumptions are based on those used in the projections released in 2000 that
used a 1998 population estimate base. Some modifications were made to the assumptions
so that projected values were consistent with estimates from 2001 as well as Census
2000.
Fertility is assumed to increase slightly from current estimates. The projected
total fertility rate in 2025 is 2.180, and it is projected to increase to 2.186
by 2050. Mortality is assumed to continue to improve over time. By 2050, life expectancy
at birth is assumed to increase to 81.2 for men and 86.7 for women. Net immigration
is assumed to be 996,000 in 2025 and 1,097,000 in 2050.
Race and Hispanic origin: Interim projections based on Census 2000 were also done
by race and Hispanic origin. The basic assumptions by race used in the previous
projections were adapted to reflect the Census 2000 race definitions and results.
Projections were developed for the following groups: (1) non-Hispanic white alone,
(2) Hispanic white alone, (3) black alone, (4) Asian alone, and (5) all other groups.
The fifth category includes the categories of American Indian and Alaska Native,
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacifc Islanders, and all people reporting more than one
of the major race categories defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
For a more detailed discussion of the cohort-component method and the assumptions
about the components of population change, see “Methodology and Assumptions for
the Population Projections of the United States: 1999 to 2100.”60 While this
paper does not incorporate the updated assumptions made for the interim projections,
it provides a more extensive treatment of the earlier projections, released in 2000,
on which the interim series is based.
For more information, contact:
Population Projections Branch
Phone: 301–763–2428
Website: www.census.gov/population/www/projections/popproj.html
Survey of the Aged, 1963
The major purpose of the 1963 Survey of the Aged was to measure the economic and
social situations of a representative sample of all people age 62 and over in the
United States in 1963 in order to serve the detailed information needs of the Social
Security Administration (SSA). The survey included a wide range of questions on
health insurance, medical care costs, income, assets and liabilities, labor force
participation and work experience, housing and food expenses, and living arrangements.
The sample consisted of a representative subsample (one-half) of the Current Population
Survey (CPS) sample and the full Quarterly Household Survey. Income was measured
using answers to 17 questions about specific sources. Results from this survey have
been combined with CPS results from 1971 to the present in an income time series
produced by SSA.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Susan Grad
E-mail: susan.grad@ssa.gov
Phone: 202–358–6220
Website: www.socialsecurity.gov
Survey of Demographic and Economic Characteristics of the Aged, 1968
The 1968 Survey of Demographic and Economic Characteristics of the Aged was conducted
by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to provide continuing information on
the socioeconomic status of the older population for program evaluation. Major issues
addressed by the study include the adequacy of Old-Age, Survivors, Disability, and
Health Insurance benefit levels, the impact of certain Social Security provisions
on the incomes of the older population, and the extent to which other sources of
income are received by older Americans.
Data for the 1968 Survey were obtained as a supplement to the Current Medicare Survey,
which yields current estimates of health care services used and charges incurred
by people covered by the hospital insurance and supplemental medical insurance programs.
Supplemental questions covered work experience, household relationships, income,
and assets. Income was measured using answers to 17 questions about specific sources.
Results from this survey have been combined with results from the Current Population
Survey from 1971 to the present in an income time series produced by SSA.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Susan Grad
E-mail: susan.grad@ssa.gov
Phone: 202–358–6220
Website: www.socialsecurity.gov
Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health and Reliance Upon VA, 2005
The 2005 Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health and Reliance Upon VA is the fifth in
a series of surveys of veteran enrollees for the Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) health care conducted by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), within the
VA, under multiyear Office of Management and Budget authority. Previous surveys
of VHA-enrolled veterans were conducted in 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2003. All five
VHA surveys of enrollees consisted of telephone interviews with stratified random
samples of enrolled veterans. In 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2005, the survey instrument
was modified to reflect VA management’s need for specific data and information on
enrolled veterans.
As with the other surveys in the series, the 2005 Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health
and Reliance Upon VA sample was stratified by Veterans Integrated Service Network,
enrollment priority, and type of enrollee (new or past user). Telephone interviews
averaged 15 minutes in length. In the 2005 survey, interviews were conducted from
September 28, 2005, through December 12, 2005. Of approximately 6.7 million eligible
enrollees who had not declined enrollment as of December 31, 2004, some 42,000 completed
interviews in the 2005 telephone survey.
VHA enrollee surveys provide a fundamental source of data and information on enrollees
that cannot be obtained in any other way except through surveys and yet are basic
to many VHA activities. The primary purpose of the VHA enrollee surveys is to provide
critical inputs into VHA Health Care Services Demand Model enrollment, patient,
and expenditure projections, and the Secretary’s enrollment level decision processes;
however, data from the enrollee surveys find their way into a variety of strategic
analysis areas related to budget, policy, or legislation.
VHA enrollee surveys provide particular value in terms of their ability to help
identify not only who VA serves but also to help supplement VA’s knowledge of veteran
enrollees’ sociodemographic, economic, and health characteristics, including household
income, health insurance coverage status, functional status (limitations in activities
of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living), perceived health status,
race and ethnicity, employment status, smoking status, period of service and combat
status, other eligibilities and resources, their use of VA and non-VA health care
services and “reliance” upon VA, and their potential future use of VA health care
services.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this survey are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Dee Ramsel
E-mail: dee.ramsel@va.gov
Phone: 414–384–2000, ext. 42353
Website: www1.va.gov/vhareorg
Veteran Population Estimates and Projections (model name is VetPop2004, December
2004)
VetPop2004 provides estimates and projections of the veteran population by age groups
and other demographic characteristics at the county and State levels. Veteran
estimates and projections were computed using a cohort-component approach, whereby
Census 2000 baseline data were adjusted forward in time on the basis of separations
from the Armed Forces (new veterans) and expected mortality.
Race and Hispanic origin: Data from this model are not shown by race and Hispanic
origin in this report.
For more information, contact:
Cathy Tomczak
E-mail: cathy.tomczak@va.gov
Phone: 202–461–5769
Website: www1.va.gov/vetdata