- Description
- Codes
- Comparability
- Universe
- Availability
- Questionnaire Text
- Flags
- Source Variables
- Editing Procedure
Description
COSTGAS for 1970 reports a rented housing unit's annual costs for utility, bottled, tank, or liquid petroleum gas, excluding amounts included with contract rent payments. For later years, COSTGAS reports each rented or owned housing unit's annual gas costs, again excluding amounts included in contract rent or other types of payments. In 1970 and 1980, units that used no gas can be identified. For the 1990-2000 censuses and the ACS/PRCS, the form combines the categories "no charge" and "gas not used." The ACS/PRCS includes an additional category of "included in electricity payment."
COSTGAS amounts for renters are included in the gross monthly rental cost reported in RENTGRS. Census Bureau research comparing respondents' reported costs with utility company records indicates that respondents tend to overstate their costs.
In 1970, the universe for the U.S. Census samples specifies 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.
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.
User Note
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." The IPUMS has preserved the units for the mainland U.S. as acres and Puerto Rico as cuerdas.
COSTGAS is a 4-digit numeric code which reports each rented housing unit's annual costs for utility, bottled, tank, or liquid petroleum gas, excluding amounts included with contract rent payments for 1970 samples and gives the annual gas costs, again excluding amounts included in contract rent or other types of payments in subsequent Census samples. COSTGAS amounts for renters are included in the gross monthly rental cost reported in RENTGRS. Census Bureau research comparing respondents' reported costs with utility company records indicates that respondents tend to overstate their costs. COSTGAS 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).
COSTGAS Specific Variable Codes
0000 = N/A
0002 = $1 or $2 (2000)
9992 = Included in electricity payment (2003-onward ACS/PRCS)
9993 = No charge or no gas used (1990, 2000, 2003-onward ACS/PRCS)
9994 = Gas not used (1970, 1980)
9995 = Gas included in rent or no charge (1980)
9996 = Gas included in rent (1970)
9997 = Gas included in rent or in condo fee (1990, 2000, 2003-onward ACS/PRCS)
9998 = No charge, none used, or gas included in rent, condo fee, or electricity payment (2000-2002 ACS)
| COSTGAS | |
| Census | Top Code |
| 1970 (US) | $1,188 |
| 1970 (PR) | - |
| 1980 (US) | $1,800 |
| 1980 (PR) | $720 |
| 1990 (US) | $2,100* |
| 1990 (PR) | $1,656 |
| 2000 | $3,000** |
| ACS (2000) | $3,600** |
| ACS (2001) | $5,100** |
| ACS (2002) | $3,600** |
| ACS (2003-onward) | 99.5th Percentile in State** |
| PRCS (2005-onward) | 99.5th Percentile in State** |