Kids Count Data Center

Definitions: Household – A household includes all the people who occupy a housing unit. (People not
living in households are classified as living in group quarters.) A housing unit is a house, an
apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant,
is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in
which the occupants live separately from any other people in the building and which have
direct access from the outside of the building or through a common hall. The occupants may
be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other
group of related or unrelated people who share living arrangements.
Child – Includes a son or daughter by birth, a stepchild, or adopted child of the householder,
regardless of the child’s age or marital status. The category excludes sons-in-law, daughtersin-
law, and foster children.
Family Type – A family consists of a householder and one or more other people living in the
same household who are related to the householder by birth, marriage, or adoption. All
people in a household who are related to the householder are regarded as members of his or
her family. A family household may contain people not related to the householder, but those
people are not included as part of the householder’s family in tabulations. Thus, the number
of family households is equal to the number of families, but family households may include
more members than do families. A household can contain only one family for purposes of
tabulations. Not all households contain families since a household may be comprised of a
group of unrelated people or of one person living alone – these are called nonfamily
households.
Families are classified by type as either a “married-couple family” or “other family”
according to the sex of the householder and the presence of relatives. The data on family type
are based on answers to questions on sex and relationship that were asked of all people.
• Married-Couple Family – A family in which the householder and his or her spouse
are listed as members of the same household.
• Other Family:

o Male Householder, No Wife Present – A family with a male householder
and no spouse of householder present.
o Female Householder, No Husband Present – A family with a female
householder and no spouse of householder present.

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey