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Risk Factors for Children in the U.S., States, and Metropolitan Areas: Data from the 2007

American Community Survey

Robert Kominski, U.S. Census Bureau

Diana B. Elliott, U.S. Census Bureau

Molly Clever, University of Maryland

Session 186: ACS in Applied Demography

PAA – 2009 Annual Meeting

Detroit, Michigan

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Estimating Child Well-Being

• Lots of research efforts • Annie E. Casey, Child Trends, Federal

Interagency Forum• Foundation for Child Development/Ken Land• Many data sources – some integrated, some not

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What is the goal?

• Portraying the status of children• Use indicators – link to “domains”• Some summarize scores (102.5), others do

not • See variability over groups, time and space• Geography is a problem – US is often the

best we can do

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Geographic Specificity

• Very few data systems at sub-national level • Some sub-national data in administrative

systems • But – these sometimes lack definitional

comparability

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Solution? • Consistent data source • Wide variety of measures • Collected routinely • For various subgroups • Across various levels of geography

American Community Survey (ACS)?

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ACS• Part of redesigned 2010 decennial census • Long-form data moved to continuous data

collection • 250,000 households/month in sample • Yearly data/estimates for geographic units of

65,000+ (7000)• 3- and 5-yr collections for smaller units

(20,000+, tracts)• Data reissued ANNUALLY

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This Study

• Data from the 2007 ACS • 1,055,000 sample kids (73,590,243 weighted),

ages 0-17 • Households and Group Quarters • Data for all States and 363 Metro Areas 65K+• Those 363 MSA’s are 84% of all kids 0-17

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Indicators

• No data set is fully complete • Identified 22 items in ACS data • Focus on ‘risk’ – conditions that might

negatively affect children• Four domains: Individual; Familial/Household;

Economic; Physical Environment• Some subjectivity and redundancy

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22 Risk FactorsIndividual Familial and

HouseholdEconomic Physical

Environment

Presence of disability Single parent household Receives food stamps Overcrowded household

Presence of multiple disabilities

Linguistically isolated household

Household receives public assistance

Household lacks complete kitchen

Not enrolled in school – not HS grad

Non-English speaking household

Household below poverty

Household lacks complete plumbing

Speaks English less than very well

Parent(s) foreign born; in U.S. 5 years or less

No employed parent in household

Rented home

Child is foreign born; in U.S. 5 years or less

Parent(s) has less than high school education

Chronic unemployment in household

Not a single family home

Cared for by grandparent

Cared for by grandparent for 3 or more years

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1.2 0.6 0.2 0.1 0 0 0 0

14.2

9.7

64.7

3.5

23.2

7.9

2.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Figure 1: Number of Children by Number of Risk Factors (2007), in millions

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

Number of Risk Factors

Nu

mb

er

of

Ch

ildre

n, i

n

mill

ion

s

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Figure 2: Percentage of Children with Each Risk Factor (2007)

24.034.0

0.40.4

14.8

3.18.1

17.64.6

15.8

0.14.7

17.72.9

20.56.7

31.4

2.025.1

10.11.5

6.3

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Presence of disability

Presence of mult disabilities

Not enrolled in school

Speaks Eng < very well

Child for. born, in US <=5 yrs

Single parent hh

Linguistically isolated hh

Non-English speaking hh

Parent(s) for. born, in US <=5 yrs

Parent(s) has < H.S. educ.

Cared for by gpnt

Cared for by gpnt for 3+ yrs

Receives food stamps

HH receives public assist.

HH below poverty

No empl. parent in hh

Chronic unempl. in hh

Overcrowded hh

HH lacks complete kitchen

HH lacks complete plumbing

Rented home

Not a single family home

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

Ind

ivid

ual

Fam

ilia

l/H

HE

con

om

icP

hys

E

nvi

ron

.

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Figure 3: Mean Risk Factors for Children by Selected Social Characteristics (2007)

0 1 2 3 4 5

3.75 - Hispanic

U.S. Mean: 2.18

1.77 - Not Hispanic

4.03 – Other race2.29 – Two or more races

3.08 – Nat. Hawaiian/Pac. Isl.2.54 - Asian

3.25 – Amer. Ind./Alaska Nat.3.24 – Black

1.68 - White

2.37 – 0 to 4 year olds

2.27 – 5 to 9 year olds2.06 - 10 to 13 year olds1.96 - 14 to 17 year olds

2.18 - Boys

2.18 - Girls

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

Rac

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isp

anic

Ag

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rou

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ex

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Figure 4: Percentage of Children with No Risk Factors by Selected Social Characteristics (2007)

0 10 20 30 40 50

9.1% - Hispanic

U.S.: 31.5%

37.4% - Not Hispanic

6.5% – Other race 25.7% – Two or more races

9.8% – Nat. Hawaiian/Pac. Isl.19.2% - Asian

12.3% – Amer. Ind./Alaska Nat.

13.1% – Black40.0% - White

28.0% - 0 to 4 year olds

31.9% - 5 to 9 year olds33.7% - 10 to 13 year olds

33.3% - 14 to 17 year olds

31.4% - Boys31.7% - Girls

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

Rac

eH

isp

anic

Ag

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rou

pS

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Figure 5: Percentage of Children with 8 or More Risk Factors by Selected Social Characteristics (2007)

0 5 10 15

8.6% - Hispanic

U.S.: 3.0%

1.5% - Not Hispanic

10.0% – Other race2.4% – Two or more races

5.4% – Nat. Hawaiian/Pac. Isl.4.1% - Asian4.2% – Amer. Ind./Alaska Nat.

4.0% – Black1.9% - White

2.7% - 0 to 4 year olds

3.8% - 5 to 9 year olds3.0% - 10 to 13 year olds

2.5% - 14 to 17 year olds

3.0% - Boys3.0% - Girls

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

Rac

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isp

anic

Ag

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Mean risk factors: States and Metros

Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

States

U.S. Mean:

2.2

0 to 1.9

2.0 to 2.9

3.0 to 3.9

0 to 0.9

1 to 1.9

2 to 2.9

3 to 3.9

4 or more

Outside Metro Area

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No risk factors: States and Metros

Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

States

U.S. Average:

31.5%

Less than 10%

10 to 19.9%

20 to 29.9%

30 to 39.9%

40 to 49.9%

50% or more

Outside Metro Area

Less than 20%

20 to 29.9%

30 to 39.9%

40% or more

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8+ risk factors: States and Metros

Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

States

U.S. Average:

3.0%

Less than 2%

2.0 to 2.9%

3.0 to 3.9%

4% or more

Less than 1%

1 to 1.9%

2 to 2.9%

3 to 3.9%

4 to 7.9%

8% or more

Outside Metro Area

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Individual risk factors: States and Metros

Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

States

Less than 14%

14.0% to 15.9%

16.0% to 18.9%

19.0% to 20.9%

21% or more

Less than 12%

12 to 13.9%

14 to 15.9%

16 to 18.9%

19 to 20.9%

21 to 29%

30% or more

Outside Metro Area

U.S. Average:

17.0%

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Familial and household risk factors: States and Metros

Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

States

U.S. Average:

52.0%

Less than 40%

40.0 to 49.9%

50.0 to 59.9%

60.0 to 69.9%

70% or more

Less than 30%

30 to 39%

40 to 49%

50 to 59%

60 to 69%

70 to 79%

80% or more

Outside Metro Area

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Economic risk factors: States and Metros

Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

States

U.S. Average:

27.1%

Less than 20%

20.0 to 24.9%

25.0 to 29.9%

30.0 to 34.9%

35% or more

Less than 15%

15 to 19.9%

20 to 24.9%

25 to 29.9%

30 to 34.9%

35 to 44.9%

45% or more

Outside Metro Area

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Physical risk factors: States and Metros

States Metros

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007

Less than 40%

40.0 to 49.9%

50.0 to 54.9%

55.0 to 59.9%

60% or more

Less than 30%

30 to 39.9%

40 to 49.9%

50 to 54.9%

55 to 59.9%

60 to 69.9%

70% or more

Outside Metro Area

U.S. Average:

44.1%

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Summary

• Analysis shows risk is not evenly distributed across groups or space

• High geography (state) hides variability at lower levels (metros)

• While the ACS is not perfect, content comparability, geographic specificity and temporal regularity are BIG plusses

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Contact Information

U.S. Census BureauHousing and Household Economic Statistics

Division

Robert Kominskirobert.a.kominski@census.gov

Diana B. Elliottdiana.b.elliott@census.gov