Household Finances

This database provides a unique glimpse into household finances - the type and amounts of household assets, the types and amounts of household debts, and the distribution of net worth by neighborhood.  The data are derived from a statistical and geographic analysis of a Census Bureau survey known as the Survey of Consumer Finances.

Content
For assets (e.g. transaction accounts, life insurance with cash value, primary residence value) and debts (e.g. mortgage, credit card), separate tabulations are available for:

• Number of households with each asset or debt type
• Percentage of households with each asset or debt type
• Aggregate value of assets and debts
• Median value of assets and debts

A total of fifteen separate asset types are included, as well as six debt types.

With respect to net worth (effectively, the difference between a households assets and its debts) inlude:

• Median, average, and aggregate neighborhood net worth
• Households by net worth (e.g. < $0, $0 - $5000, etc. to >$500,000+)

Data Sources and Methodology
This primary source of this database is the 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances, issued by the Census Bureau.

This survey includes a wide range of demographic attributes related to "consuming units" (generally households), which have been modeled separately for each discrete expenditure category.  The older surveys were first inflated to current price levels using the detailed consumer price index series.  For each individual expenditure category in the survey, summary statistics were calculated for each separate element in the list below.  In several cases, it was possible to utilize cross tabulation data (e.g. income by age of head of household).  These variables are listed below:

The survey includes a wide range of demographic attributes related to “consuming units” (generally households), which have been modeled separately for each discrete expenditure category. The older surveys were first inflated to current price levels using the detailed consumer price index series. For each individual expenditure category in the survey, summary statistics were calculated for each separate element in the list below. In several cases, it was possible to utilize cross tabulation data (e.g. income by age of head of household). These variables are listed below:

• Geographic region (Northeast, South, Midwest, West)
• Metropolitan status (metropolitan, non-metropolitan) and size (e.g. > 4 million)
• Housing tenure (owner or renter)
• Age of head of household (<25 years, 25-34 years, 35-44 years, 45-54 years, 55-64 years,
• 65-74 years, and 75+ years)
• Size of household (1 person, 2 persons, 3 persons, 4 persons, 5 persons, 6+ persons)
• Household income (<5000, 5-10000, 10-15000, 15-20000, 20-30000, 30-40000, 40-50000, 50-70000, 70000+)
• Race (White, Black, American Indian, Asian)
• Number of vehicles (none, 1, 2+ vehicles per household)

For each item, a series of adjustment factors were derived for each unique demographic attribute.  These adjustment factors were then applied to the block group level using the same demographic variables in order to create estimates at the local level, which are consistent with local characteristics.  Consistency checks were undertaken in order to ensure that the results at the block group level were consistent in the aggregate with overall published estimates.

Household Finances Variable List

Pricing

Notes:

* Block Group Data also includes Census Tract, County, Place and State level data.
†  Census Tract Data also includes Country and State level data.
‡  Zip Code data also includes County and State level data.

AGS is a trademark of Applied Geographic Solutions, Thousand Oaks, CA