- Description
- Codes
- Comparability
- Universe
- Availability
- Questionnaire Text
- Flags
- Source Variables
- Editing Procedure
Description
COSTELEC reports the annual electricity cost for each housing unit (rented or owned), excluding contract rent or other types of payments.
Amounts are expressed in contemporary dollars, and users studying change over time must adjust for inflation (See INCTOT for Consumer Price Index adjustment factors). The exception is the ACS/PRCS multi-year files, where all dollar amounts have been standardized to dollars as valued in the final year of data included in the file (e.g., 2007 dollars for the 2005-2007 3-year file). Additionally, more detail may be available than exists in the original ACS samples.
COSTELEC amounts for renters are part of RENTGRS. Census Bureau research comparing respondents' reported costs with utility company records indicates that respondents tend to overstate their costs.
In 1970, COSTELEC only reported annual electricity cost for each rented housing unit, excluding contract rent payments. At this time, the universe for the U.S. Census samples specified renter-occupied units rented for cash rent, not one-family houses on 10+ acres and not group quarters; however, in the Puerto Rican census of 1970, this specification is for renter-occupied units rented for cash rent, not one-family houses on 3+ cuerdas, and not group quarters. For 1970 and 1980, units within the universe that used no electricity can be identified. Beginning in 1990, the survey questionnaire combines the categories "no charge" and "no electricity used."
User Note: ACS respondents are surveyed throughout the year, and amounts do not reflect calendar year dollars. While the Census Bureau provides an adjustment factor (available in ADJUST), this is an imperfect solution. See the ACS income variables note for further details.
Note about Puerto Rico land areas:
The traditional unit of land area in Puerto Rico is the cuerda. The cuerda is equal to about 3930 square meters, 4700 square yards, or 0.971 acres. Because the cuerda and the acre are so close to being equal, they are often treated informally as being equal. Mainlanders sometimes call the unit the "Spanish Acre." IPUMS has preserved the units for the mainland U.S. as acres and Puerto Rico as cuerdas.
COSTELEC is a 5-digit numeric code which reports the annual electricity cost for each housing unit (rented or owned), excluding contract rent or other types of payments.
COSTELEC specific variable codes for missing, edited, or unidentified observations, observations not applicable (N/A), observations not in universe (NIU), top and bottom value coding, etc. are provided below by Census year (and data sample if specified).
Amounts are expressed in contemporary dollars. Users studying change over time must adjust for inflation.
COSTELEC Specific Variable Codes
00000 = N/A
00002 = $1 or $2 (2000)
99993 = No charge or no electricity used (1990, 2000, 2003-onward ACS/PRCS)
99994 = Electricity not used (1970, 1980)
99995 = Electricity included in rent or no charge (1980)
99996 = Electricity included in rent (1970)
99997 = Electricity included in rent or in condo fee (1990, 2000, 2003-onward ACS/PRCS)
99998 = No charge, no electricity used, or electricity included in rent or condo fee (2000-2002 ACS)
| COSTELEC | |
| Census | Top Code |
| 1970 (US) | $1,188 |
| 1970 (PR) | - |
| 1980 | $2,400 |
| 1990 (US) | $3,100* |
| 1990 (PR) | $3,000 |
| 2000 | $4,800** |
| ACS (2000) | $4,560** |
| ACS (2001-2002) | $4,800** |
| ACS (2003-onward) | 99.5th Percentile in State** |
| PRCS (2005-onward) | 99.5th Percentile in State** |