Brief Overall Description of the Dataset:
“The census of housing, taken every 10 years since 1940, provides detailed information on housing characteristics. Information can be found for areas as small as census tracts, towns, etc., as well as for larger areas such as cities, metropolitan areas, and states. Housing characteristics such as number of units, plumbing facilities, tenure, value, rent, fuels, heating equipment, etc., are shown. Every housing unit in the United States is asked a limited number of basic demographic and housing questions such as race, age, marital status, housing value or rent (referred to as 100-percent questions). A sample of these housing units are asked more detailed questions such as income and housing costs in addition to the basic housing information (referred to as sample questions). Approximately one out of every six housing units in the Nation are included in the census sample.”
Link: http://www.census.gov/housing/census/data/
Historical: http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/hiscendata.html
1990: http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen1990.html
2000 and 2010: http://factfinder2.census.gov
Date Inventory Completed: 06/16/2015
Screening
- Is the data collected opinion-based?
- Is the data collection recurring (must be collected at least annually)?
- Is there data available for 2013?
- Is the data collected at the property or housing unit level?
- Can we access the data by August 15th?
Purpose
What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?
To record the history of American Housing records
Why is it collected and how does the organization use it?
To understand the American Housing trends, looking at variables such as “Home Ownership”, “Recent Movers” and “Crowding”. This data is used to predict trends in the market and to analyze current housing policy.
Who else uses the data?
Businesses, researchers, policy makers
Who do they sell the data to?
Anyone
Method
What is the data collection method?
Survey
What is the type of data collected?
Designed collection
If designed, who created the questions?
US Census
What is the raw source of the collected data (prior to any aggregation)?
Self-report from homeowners
Description
What is the general topic of the data (1-2 words)?
Housing in the US
What are the earliest and latest dates for which data is available?
1940-2000
Is data collected and available periodically?
Decennial censuses (every 10 years)
How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided?
Unknown
Selectivity
What is the universe (e.g., population) that the data represents?
Houses in the US
Accessibility
- How is the data accessed?
Downloaded from various sites depending on year
- Is it open data?
Yes
Any legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source?
No
Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?
No
Does this dataset appear to meet our needs for the Census study? YES
Full Inventory
Description
- Features
- What is the temporal nature of the data: longitudinal, time-series, or one time point?
Time series
- Geospatial? If Yes, at what level?
Census Tracts
Metadata
- Is there information available to assess the transparency and soundness of the methods to gather the data for our purposes?
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/dssd03-dm.pdf (not for pre 1990 census)
- Is there a description of each variable in the source along with their valid values?
No
- Are there unique IDs for unique elements that can be used for linking data?
No
- Is there a data dictionary or codebook?
No. See for actual questionnaire: http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/2000quest.html
Selectivity
What unit is represented at the record level of the data source?
Household
Does this universe match the stated intentions for the data collection? If not, what has been included or excluded and why?
Only those that complete the census
What is the sampling technique used (if applicable)?
Random
What was the coverage?
Unknown
Stability/Coherence
- Were there any changes to the universe of data being captured (including geographical areas covered) and if so what were they?
Census tracts did change over the years, and new metropolitan area shifts occurred. See for 2000, http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/notes/errata.pdf
- Were there any changes in the data capture method and if so what were they?
The dataset was no longer collected in this form after 2000. Shift to the ACS
- Were there any changes in the sources of data and if so what were they?
No
Accuracy
- Any known sources of error?
Potential incorrect recording or wrong answers selected.
- Describe any quality control checks performed by the data’s owner.
See: http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/notes/errata.pdf
Accessibility
- Any records or fields collected, but not included in data source, such as for confidentiality reasons)?
Unknown
- Is there a subset of variables and/or data that is must be obtained through a separate process? If yes, is there a separate legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source? Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?
No
Privacy and security
- Was consent given by participant? If so, how was consent given?
Yes, by turning in form
- Are there legal limitations or restrictions on the use of the data?
No
- What confidentiality policies does the source have?
Does not include PII
Research
- What research has been done with this dataset? (e.g., impact of policies, predictors of student success)
None
- Include any links to research if provided:
- List any other data use notes provided by the supplier.
Gaps/Concerns
- Feasibility - can all jurisdiction levels provide the data (if applicable)?
- Data ownership - a lack of clarity in legal guidance stemming from a lack of clarity with who owns digital data?
- Data collection authority - what data is reasonably private and what constitutes unwarranted intrusion?
- Describe any other notes you have or any gaps/concerns you see with this dataset: