Description

MORTAMT2 reports the household's second or junior mortgage monthly payment obligations, if any. Amounts are given even if payments were delinquent or paid by someone outside the household. By definition, respondents could not have a second or junior mortgage if they reported no first mortgage (see MORTAMT1).

The universe for 2000 census samples, the ACS and the PRCS samples relies on a "yes" response in the variable MORTGAGE.

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.

MORTAMT2 is a 4-digit numeric code which reports the household's second or junior mortgage monthly payment obligations, if any. Amounts are given even if payments were delinquent or paid by someone outside the household. By definition, respondents could not have a second or junior mortgage if they reported no first mortgage (see MORTAMT1). MORTAMT2 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).

User Note: Amounts are expressed in contemporary dollars, and users studying change over time must adjust for inflation (See Description). 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)

MORTAMT2 Specific Variable Codes
0000 = N/A
0001 = No regular payment (1990, 2000, 2000-2002 and 2021-onward ACS/PRCS)
0001 = $1 (2003-2020 ACS/PRCS)

* Higher amounts are expressed as the state medians of values above the listed Top Code value for that specific Census year (i.e. For Census Year 1990, any observed value greater than the Top Code value of $1,000 was coded as the median value greater than $1,000 within that observation's state.).
** Higher amounts are expressed as the state means of values above the listed Top Code value for that specific Census year.

Values Exceeding Top codes, by State: 1990 - onward

Comparability

Apart from universe differences and differing Top codes, this variable is largely comparable across years. The 2003 ACS does not have a "no regular payment" category. Households without a regular second mortgage payment are included in the N/A category in that sample.

MORTAMT2 can be combined with MORTAMT1 to create figures similar to those yielded for 1980 by MORTOTAL.

Users studying change over time must adjust for inflation (See INCTOT for Consumer Price Index adjustment factors).

Universe

Availability

• 2023: All samples
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: All samples
• 2017: All samples
• 2016: All samples
• 2015: All samples
• 2014: All samples
• 2013: All samples
• 2012: All samples
• 2011: All samples
• 2010: ACS; ACS 3yr; ACS 5yr
• 2009: All samples
• 2008: All samples
• 2007: All samples
• 2006: All samples
• 2005: All samples
• 2004: All samples
• 2003: All samples
• 2002: All samples
• 2001: All samples
• 2000: All samples
• 1990: All samples
• 1980: --
• 1970: --
• 1960: --
• 1950: --
• 1940: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --
• 1900: --
• 1880: --
• 1870: --
• 1860: --
• 1850: --

• 2023: All samples
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: All samples
• 2017: All samples
• 2016: All samples
• 2015: All samples
• 2014: All samples
• 2013: All samples
• 2012: All samples
• 2011: All samples
• 2010: PRCS; PRCS 3yr; PRCS 5yr
• 2009: All samples
• 2008: All samples
• 2007: All samples
• 2006: All samples
• 2005: All samples
• 2000: All samples
• 1990: All samples
• 1980: --
• 1970: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --

Flags

Editing Procedure

MORTGAG2 and MORTAMT2 (Second mortgage and Second mortgage monthly payment)
ACS Years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
ACS editing procedure:
If the value for having a second mortgage (MORTGAG2) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a first mortgage (MORTGAGE) is "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value", but the amount of the second mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) is between 1 and 99,999, the value of MORTGAG2 will be allocated as "Yes, Home equity loan."
If an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a first mortgage (MORTGAGE) reports not having a second mortgage or home equity loan (MORTGAG2) or has a missing value (and it wasn't allocated in the first step), but the amount of the second mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) is between 1 and 99,999, the value of MORTGAG2 will be allocated as "Yes, second mortgage."
If the value for having a second mortgage (MORTGAG2) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a first mortgage (MORTGAGE) is "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value", and the amount of the second mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) is either 0 or "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value", the value of MORTGAG2 will be allocated as "No." MORTAMT2 will be replaced with a missing value.
If the reported second mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a mortgage (MORTGAGE) and a second mortgage or home equity loan (MORTGAG2) is "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value", MORTAMT2 will be allocated. The allocated value is the MORTAMT2 value from another owner-occupied unit of the same type of building (UNITSSTR, which shows if a building is a mobile home, detached single family, or attached single family), similar value (VALUEH), that has a second mortgage or home equity loan (MORTGAG2). When this happens, the flag will show that the value is allocated (QMORTAM2).
After the previous steps, if the value for having a second mortgage (MORTGAG2) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a first mortgage (MORTGAGE) is still "Blank, Don't Know, Refused, or Bad Value", it will be allocated as a "No."
If a unit that is renter-occupied (OWNERSHP), does not have a mortgage (MORTGAGE) or is vacant (VACANCY) has a value for MORTGAG2 or MORTAMT2, it will be changed to "Not in universe."
If the reported mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a second mortgage or home equity loan (MORTGAG2) is too high relative to the value of the property (VALUEH), MORTAMT2 will be allocated. The allocated value is the MORTAMT2 value from another owner-occupied unit of the same type of building (UNITSSTR, which shows if a building is a mobile home, detached single family, or attached single family), similar value (VALUEH), and in the same geographic unit (it is not specified what level of geography is used). When this happens, the flag will show that the value is allocated (QMORTAM2).
If the reported mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a second mortgage (MORTGAG2) is 0 or blank, it will be allocated. The allocated value is the MORTAMT2 value from another unit with the same type of building (UNITSSTR), similar value (VALUEH), and in the same geographic unit (it is not specified what level of geography is used). When this happens, the flag will show that the value is allocated (QMORTAM2).
If an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) does not have a second mortgage or home equity loan (MORTGAG2) but the reported mortgage payment (MORTAMT2) is non-missing, it will be replaced with a missing value.
Internal ACS variable : SM and SMX