SANDAG Data Warehouse - Glossary of Terms by Topic

Glossary of Terms by Topic

Last revised: September 04, 2003

Group Quarters Population - All persons not living in households. Includes both institutional (e.g., nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons) and noninstitutional (e.g., college dormitories, military barracks, and workers' dormitories) settings.

Household - A person or group of people living in a housing unit that serves as a primary place of residence.

Household Population - All persons living in a household (an occupied housing unit).

Housing Unit - A house, apartment, mobile home or trailer, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters. If vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.

Occupied Housing Units - Housing units that are occupied by a person or persons who do not have a primary place of residence elsewhere.

Persons per Household - The average number of persons living in a housing unit, calculated by dividing the household population by the number of occupied housing units.

Population - Total number of persons (residents) in an area.

Vacant - A unit in which no one is living, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. Units temporarily occupied entirely by people who have a usual residence elsewhere are also classified as vacant.

People [variable list]

Civilian Population - Resident population, excluding active-duty military.

Hispanic - Persons who identify themselves as Hispanic/Latino or of Spanish origin. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Household Income - Total pre-tax annual income of all members of a household.

Household Population - All persons living in a household (an occupied housing unit).

Income - Sum of wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, tips, self-employment income, interest, dividends, net rental income, royalty income, income from estates and trusts, Social Security or Railroad Retirement income, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), any public assistance or welfare payments from the state or local welfare office, retirement, survivor, or disability pensions, and any other sources of income received regularly.

Median Age - Divides the age distribution into two equal parts; half of all persons are older than the median and half are younger.

Median Household Income - Divides the household income distribution into two equal parts; half of all households have incomes above the median and half have incomes below the median.

Military Population - All uniformed military personnel.

Population - Total number of persons (residents) in an area.

Housing [variable list]

Household - A person or group of people living in a housing unit that serves as a primary place of residence.

Housing Unit - A house, apartment, mobile home or trailer, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters. If vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.

Mobile Homes - Mobile homes or trailers to which no permanent rooms have been added.

Multiple Family - Units in structures with two or more housing units.

Occupied Housing Units - Housing units that are occupied by a person or persons who do not have a primary place of residence elsewhere.

Persons per Household - The average number of persons living in a housing unit, calculated by dividing the household population by the number of occupied housing units.

Single Family - One unit detached structures (with open space on all sides) and one unit attached structures (with one or more adjoining walls extending from ground to roof).

Households and Families [variable list]

Household - A person or group of people living in a housing unit that serves as a primary place of residence.

Multiple Family - Units in structures with two or more housing units.

Occupied Housing Units - Housing units that are occupied by a person or persons who do not have a primary place of residence elsewhere.

Persons per Household - The average number of persons living in a housing unit, calculated by dividing the household population by the number of occupied housing units.

Single Family - One unit detached structures (with open space on all sides) and one unit attached structures (with one or more adjoining walls extending from ground to roof).

Economy [variable list]

Armed Forces - People on active duty with the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard.

Civilian Employment - Wage and salary employees and self-employed and domestic workers. Excludes uniformed military.

Civilian Population - Resident population, excluding active-duty military.

Employment - All jobs in the geographic area, including wage and salary employees, self-employed and domestic workers, and uniformed military.

Military Population - All uniformed military personnel.

Land Use [variable list]

Agricultural and Extractive - Includes agricultural uses such as orchards and vineyards, nurseries, greenhouses, flower fields, cropland and pasture, as well as mining, sand and gravel extraction, salt evaporation, landfills, recycling centers and auto wrecking yards.

Commercial/Services - Includes shopping centers, other retail, hotels, motels, public facilites such as churches and museums, hospitals, and commercial recreation facilites such as golf courses and marinas.

Constrained Acres - Vacant land not available for development for physical, public policy, or environmental reasons.

Developed Acres - Land with residential or non-residential activity.

Employment Density - Civilian employment per developed employment acre (industrial, retail, office, and schools).

Future Roads and Freeways - Land designated for future development into roads or freeways.

Industrial - Includes light industry, heavy industry, industrial parks, warehousing, public storage, airports, and other transportation facilites.

Low Density Single Family - Rural residential densities; lot sizes of one acre or more.

Mobile Homes - Mobile home parks with ten or more spaces that are primarily for residential (not recreational) use.

Multiple Family - Attached housing units, two or more units per structure, including duplexes, townhouses, condominiums, apartments, and residential hotels.

Office - High rise and low rise office buildings and large government office buildings or centers (outside of military reservations) and civic centers or city halls.

Other Residential - Group living facilities such as prisons, dormitories, military barracks, and convalescent or retirement homes.

Parks and Military Use - Includes parks, open space reserves, beaches, military facilities and reservations, and bodies of water including bays, lagoons, lakes, reservoirs and large ponds.

Residential Density - Total housing units per developed residential acre.

Roads and Freeways - Freeways, surface streets and railroad rights of way.

Schools - Universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, school district offices, and other schools including adults schools, non-residential day care and nursery schools.

Single Family - Detached housing units on lots smaller than one acre.

Vacant Developable Acres - Vacant land available for development, planned for specific land uses.

Transportation [variable list]

Employed - Civilians 16 years old and over who are either "at work" or "with a job but not at work." Excludes people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Means of Transportation to Work - The principal mode of travel usually used to get from home to work.

Travel Time to Work - The total number of minutes that it usually takes to get from home to work each day.

Vehicle Availability - Passenger cars, vans, and pickup or panel trucks of 1-ton capacity or less kept at home and available for use by household members. Excludes vehicles kept at home but used only for business purposes.

Age [variable list]

Median Age - Divides the age distribution into two equal parts; half of all persons are older than the median and half are younger.

Population - Total number of persons (residents) in an area.

Age by Gender [variable list]

Median Age - Divides the age distribution into two equal parts; half of all persons are older than the median and half are younger.

Population - Total number of persons (residents) in an area.

Ethnicity [variable list]

American Indian - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Black or African American - A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa.

Ethnicity - Classification of population into four mutually exclusive ethnic groups (Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian) based on a combination of responses to two questions on the 1990 Census form concerning Hispanic origin and race.

Hispanic - Persons who identify themselves as Hispanic/Latino or of Spanish origin. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as ��Native Hawaiian,�� Guamanian or Chamorro,�� Samoan,�� and ��Other Pacific Islander.��

Other - Includes all other responses not included in the ��White,�� Black or African American,�� and ��Asian,�� race categories.

Population - Total number of persons (residents) in an area.

Race - Self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify.

Some Other Race - Includes all other responses not included in the ��White,�� Black or African American,�� American Indian or Alaska Native,�� Asian,�� and ��Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander�� race categories.

Tenure - Refers to owner-occupied vs. renter-occupied housing units.

Two or More Races - Refers to combinations of two or more of following race categories White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, Some other race.

White - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

Household Income [variable list]

Household Income - Total pre-tax annual income of all members of a household.

Income Detail [variable list]

Household - A person or group of people living in a housing unit that serves as a primary place of residence.

Household Income - Total pre-tax annual income of all members of a household.

Median Household Income - Divides the household income distribution into two equal parts; half of all households have incomes above the median and half have incomes below the median.

Occupation, Industry, and Earnings [variable list]

Earnings - The sum of wage or salary income and net income from self-employment. The amount of income received regularly before deductions for personal income taxes, Social Security, bond purchases, union dues, Medicare deductions, etc.

Employed - Civilians 16 years old and over who are either "at work" or "with a job but not at work." Excludes people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.

Household - A person or group of people living in a housing unit that serves as a primary place of residence.

Industry - The kind of business conducted by a person�s employing organization.

Interest, Dividend, or Net Rental Income - Interest on savings or bonds, dividends from stockholdings or membership in associations, net income from rental of property to others and receipts from boarders or lodgers, net royalties, and periodic payments from an estate or trust fund.

Marital Status - For people 15 years old and over, married, never married, separated, divorced or widowed.

Occupation - The kind of work the person does on the job.

Public Assistance - General assistance and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

Self-Employment - Farm (net money income from the operation of a farm by a person on his or her own account, as an owner, renter, or sharecropper) and nonfarm (net money income receipts from one�s own business, professional enterprise, or partnership) self-employment income.

Social Security - Social security pensions and survivors benefits, permanent disability insurance payments made by the Social Security Administration prior to deductions for medical insurance, and railroad retirement insurance checks from the U.S. government.

Supplemental Security Income - Income from U.S. assistance program administered by the Social Security Administration that guarantees a minimum level of income for needy aged, blind, or disabled individuals.

Wage and Salary - Total money earnings received for work performed as an employee during the calendar year 1999.

Language Spoken at Home [variable list]

Ability to Speak English - For a respondent who speaks a language other than English at home, refers to his/her assessment of his ability to speak English, from "very well" to "not at all."

Language Spoken at Home - The language currently used at home, either "English only" or a non-English language which is used in addition to English or in place of English.

Poverty Status [variable list]

Family - Householder and one or more other people living in the same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption.

Poverty - Families or individuals whose total income falls below the poverty threshold set by the Census Bureau, according to family size and composition.

Marital Status [variable list]

Marital Status - For people 15 years old and over, married, never married, separated, divorced or widowed.

Disability Status [variable list]

Disability - A long-lasting physical, mental, or emotional condition making it difficult for a person to do activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning, or remembering. May also impede a person from being able to go outside the home alone or to work at a job or business.

Education [variable list]

Educational Attainment - The highest level of education completed in terms of the highest degree or the highest level of schooling completed.

Private School - Schools supported and controlled primarily by religious organizations or other private groups.

Public School - Schools supported and controlled primarily by a federal, state, or local government (including tribal schools).

School Enrollment - Enrollment in public or private nursery school, kindergarten, elementary school, and schooling which leads to a high school diploma or college degree.

Value [variable list]

Housing Value - Respondent's estimate of how much the house and lot, mobile home and lot, or condominium unit would sell for if it were for sale.

Rent [variable list]

Housing Unit - A house, apartment, mobile home or trailer, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters. If vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.

Occupied Housing Units - Housing units that are occupied by a person or persons who do not have a primary place of residence elsewhere.

Rent - Contract - The monthly rent agreed to or contracted for, regardless of any furnishings, utilities, fees, meals, or services that may be included. For vacant units, it is the monthly rent asked for the rental unit at the time of interview.

Rent - Gross - Contract rent plus the estimated average monthly cost of utilities and fuels if these are paid for by the renter.

Year Built [variable list]

Year Structure Built - Year that building was first constructed.

Units by Type [variable list]

Housing Unit - A house, apartment, mobile home or trailer, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters. If vacant, intended for occupancy as separate living quarters.

Mobile Homes - Mobile homes or trailers to which no permanent rooms have been added.

Multiple Family - Units in structures with two or more housing units.

Occupied Housing Units - Housing units that are occupied by a person or persons who do not have a primary place of residence elsewhere.

Single Family - One unit detached structures (with open space on all sides) and one unit attached structures (with one or more adjoining walls extending from ground to roof).

Single Family - Attached - One unit attached structures (with one or more adjoining walls extending from ground to roof).

Single Family - Detached - One unit detached structures, with open space on all sides.

Households by Housing Structure Type [variable list]