- Description
- Codes
- Comparability
- Universe
- Availability
- Questionnaire Text
- Flags
- Source Variables
- Editing Procedure
Description
AGEMONTH reports the age, in months, of persons less than one year old (AGE = 0) on census day. For the 1910 U.S. Census, the 1920 U.S. and Puerto Rican Censuses and the 1930 U.S. Census, AGEMONTH also reports the age in months of persons beyond one year of age. Users should consult the Comparability tab for more details.
Codes and Frequencies
An 'X' indicates the category is available for that sample
Code | Label |
1940
1pct
|
1930
1pct
|
1920
1pct
|
1910
1pct
|
1900
1pct
|
1880
1pct
|
1870
1pct
|
1860
1pct
|
1850
1%+
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
00 | 0 months old | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
01 | 1 month old | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
02 | 2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
03 | 3 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
04 | 4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
05 | 5 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
06 | 6 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
07 | 7 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
08 | 8 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
09 | 9 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
10 | 10 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
11 | 11 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
12 | 12 | · | · | X | X | · | · | · | · | X |
98 | Unknown/illegible | X | X | · | · | · | · | X | X | · |
99 | N/A or blank | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
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Comparability
For the 1910 U.S. Census, the 1920 U.S. and Puerto Rican Censuses and the 1930 U.S. Census, AGEMONTH also reports the age in months of persons beyond one year of age. In the 1910 U.S. Census sample (when the age in months of one-year-olds is reported), an 18-month-old would be coded 1 in AGE and 6 in AGEMONTH; a 6-month-old would also be coded 6 in AGEMONTH, but would be coded 0 in AGE. The 1920 and 1930 samples contain AGEMONTH information for persons up to 4 years old. For this reason, AGEMONTH must be used alongside the AGE variable in these years.
Most users who analyze the AGEMONTH over the long-term will want to select only persons for whom AGE = 0, to achieve comparability across years.
Age in months was originally recorded as a fraction of a year on the census form. The enumerator instructions suggest that the response be recorded as some number over 12, but the frequency distributions indicate that some enumerators recorded it as a rounded number (often as "1/2," coded in the samples as 6 months--the most common code in all years) instead of the exact figure. Enumerators in 1850-1880 recorded children who were under one month old as one month old. Respondents often rounded up the ages of eleven-month-olds to age 1.
BIRTHMO and BIRTHQTR can be used to create information for 1950, 1960, 1970, and 1980 that is roughly the same as that yielded by AGEMONTH.
Universe
- 1850-1900 1860: Persons under age 1.
- 1910: Persons under age 2.
- 1910 Puerto Rico: Persons under age 1.
- 1920-1930: Persons under age 5.
- 1940: Persons under age 1.
Availability
- 2023: --
- 2022: --
- 2021: --
- 2020: --
- 2019: --
- 2018: --
- 2017: --
- 2016: --
- 2015: --
- 2014: --
- 2013: --
- 2012: --
- 2011: --
- 2010: --
- 2009: --
- 2008: --
- 2007: --
- 2006: --
- 2005: --
- 2004: --
- 2003: --
- 2002: --
- 2001: --
- 2000: --
- 1990: --
- 1980: --
- 1970: --
- 1960: --
- 1950: --
- 1940: All samples
- 1930: All samples
- 1920: All samples
- 1910: All samples
- 1900: All samples
- 1880: All samples
- 1870: All samples
- 1860: All samples
- 1850: All samples
- 2023: --
- 2022: --
- 2021: --
- 2020: --
- 2019: --
- 2018: --
- 2017: --
- 2016: --
- 2015: --
- 2014: --
- 2013: --
- 2012: --
- 2011: --
- 2010: --
- 2009: --
- 2008: --
- 2007: --
- 2006: --
- 2005: --
- 2000: --
- 1990: --
- 1980: --
- 1970: --
- 1930: All samples
- 1920: All samples
- 1910: All samples
Questionnaire Text
1940 1% |
1930 1% |
1920 1% |
1910 1% |
1900 1% |
1880 1% |
1870 1% |
1860 1% |
1850 1% |
459. Ages of Infants.-The entry in col. 11 for children less than a year old should indicate age in completed months, expressed as twelfths of a year. Ask the following question in each household: "Are there any children in this household who were born on or after April 1, 1939?" For each child born after April 1, 1939, ascertain the actual birth date and determine the proper entry for col. 11 by referring to the table showing ages by birth dates at the foot of the schedule. Thus the age of a child born on May 2, 1939, should be entered as 10/12. Note that a child born after 12:01 a.m., April 1, 1940, is not to be enumerated.
111. Age in round numbers.?In many cases persons will report the age in round numbers, like 30 or 45, or "about 30" or "about 45," when that is not the exact age. Therefore, when an age ending in 0 or 5 is reported, you should ascertain whether that is the exact age. If, however, it is impossible to get the exact age, enter the approximate age rather than return the age as unknown.
112. Ages of children.?Take particular pains to get the exact ages of children. In the case of a child not 2 years old, the age should be given in completed months, expressed as twelfths of a year. Thus the age of a child 3 months old should be entered as 3/12, a child 7 months old as 7/12, a child 1 year and 3 months as 1 3/12, etc. If a child is not yet a month old, enter the age as 0/12. But note again that this question should be answered with reference to April 15. For instance, a child who is just a year old on the 17th of April, 1910, should nevertheless be returned as 11/12, because that is the age in completed months on April 15.
132. For each person of one year of age or over, enter the age at last birthday in whole years, omitting months and days. for children who, on the first day of June, 1900, were less than one year of age, enter the age in months, or twelfths of a year, thus: 3/12, 7/12, 8/12. For a child less than one month old, enter the age as follows: 0/12.
The age, either exact or estimated, is to be inserted.
If the person be a child under 1 year old, the entry is to be made by the fractional parts of a year, thus: one month, one-twelfth; two months, two-twelfths; three months, three-twelfths, and so on to eleven months, eleven-twelfths.
Flags
This variable has no flags.Editing Procedure
There is no editing procedure available for this variable.