Description

MORTAMT1 reports the household's monthly first mortgage payment obligations, if any. It may include such extras as property taxes and insurance; other variables (TAXINCL, INSINCL) reveal whether these items were part of the mortgage payment. Amounts are given even if payments were delinquent or paid by someone outside the household. If respondents indicated that they had a second mortgage but not a first mortgage, the Census Bureau altered their response to say that they did have a first mortgage, with the amount specified in MORTAMT1.

The universe for 2000 samples, the ACS and the PRCS samples rely 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.

MORTAMT1 is a 5-digit numeric code which reports the household's monthly first mortgage payment obligations if any. It may also include additional related obligations such as property taxes and insurance; other variables (TAXINCL, INSINCL) reveal whether these items were part of the mortgage payment. Amounts are given even if payments were delinquent or paid by someone outside the household. If respondents indicated that they had a second mortgage but not a first mortgage, the Census Bureau altered their response to say that they did have a first mortgage, with the amount specified in MORTAMT1. MORTAMT1 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)

MORTAMT1 Specific Variable Codes
00000 = N/A
00001 = No regular payment (1990, 2000, 2000-2002 ACS)

* 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 $2,000 was coded as the median value greater than $2,000 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 different topcodes, this variable is largely comparable across years prior to 2020. The 2003 ACS does not have a "no regular payment" category. Households without a regular mortgage payment are included in the N/A category in that sample.

In 2020, the Census Bureau made a change allowing homeowners to have a home equity loan without being listed as having a first mortgage. The census bureau encourages users to exercise caution when comparing samples containing 2020 data to other years.
For more detail related to this change, see Comparing 2011-2015 ACS 5-year and 2016-2020 ACS 5-year under the "Housing Characteristics" tab.

MORTAMT1 can be combined with MORTAMT2 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

MORTAMT1 (First mortgage monthly payment)
ACS Years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
ACS editing procedure:
If the reported mortgage payment (MORTAMT1) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a mortgage (MORTGAGE) is too high relative to the value of the property, MORTAMT1 will be allocated. The allocated value is the MORTAMT1 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 (QMORTAM1).
If the reported mortgage payment (MORTAMT1) for an owner-occupied unit (OWNERSHP) with a mortgage (MORTGAGE) is 0 or blank, it will be allocated. The allocated value is the MORTAMT1 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 (QMORTAM1).
If a unit that is renter-occupied (OWNERSHP), does not have a mortgage MORTGAGE) or is vacant (VACANCY) has a value for MORTAMT1, it will be changed to "Not in universe."
Internal ACS variable : MRG