IPUMS USA: descr: COMMUSE

IPUMS USA

The 2024 ACS 1-Year PUMS file has not yet been released amidst the U.S. federal government shutdown. Once these data are available, IPUMS will process and release them as quickly as possible.

Select samples

COMMUSE

Commercial use

Return to Economic Characteristic variables list

Description

COMMUSE identifies housing units with a business (such as a store or barber shop) or medical/dental office on the property.

Note: This variable was discontinued in 2016. See the Comparability section for more information.

Codes and Frequencies

Category availability view
Case-count view

An 'X' indicates the category is available for that sample

Code	Label	2011 acs	2006 acs	2000 1pct	1990 1pct	1980 1pct	1970 met2	1970 met1	1960 1pct
0	N/A	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1	No commercial use	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
2	Yes, used commercially	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
3	Unknown, unit on 10+ acres	·	·	·	·	·	X	X	·
4	Unknown, unit on 3+ cuerdas	·	·	·	·	·	·	·	·

Comparability

The universe shifts from year to year, but a "yes" response means the same thing in all years: the unit contains a business and/or a medical/dental office. In 1960, enumerators determined whether this was the case, based on their own observations. In later years, respondents answered the question on their own. The questionnaire for the 1970-1990 censuses noted, "A commercial establishment is easily recognized from the outside; for example, a grocery store or a barber shop. A medical office is a doctor's or dentist's office regularly visited by patients." The questionnaires for the 2000 census, the ACS and the PRCS used the examples of a store, a barber shop, and a medical office to exemplify commercial use.

In the 1970 U.S. census, a house on 10+ acres which also contained a commercial establishment or medical office was coded as a unit on 10+ acres; commercial use cannot be determined for such housing units. Likewise, in the 1970 Puerto Rican census, a house on 3+ cuerdas which also contained a commercial or medical office was coded as a unit on 3+ cuerdas (one cuerda is equal to approximately 0.971 acres); commercial use cannot be determined for such housing units.

In 2016, this variable was discontinued due to questionnaire changes. The 5-year ACS files retain values for data from years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The Census Bureau suggests that users not create estimates using this variable for the ACS 5-year files beginning with the 2016 5-year ACS file.

Universe

1960: Owner-occupied single-family houses/condos/cooperatives; not rural farms and rural nonfarms on 10+ acres; not mobile homes; not group quarters.
1970-1980: Single-family houses; not mobile homes or trailers; not group quarters.
1990-2000: Single-family houses or mobile homes; not group quarters.
ACS, PRCS: Single-family houses or mobile homes; not group quarters.

Availability

United States

2023: --
2022: --
2021: --
2020: --
2019: ACS 5yr
2018: ACS 5yr
2017: ACS 5yr
2016: ACS 5yr
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: All samples
1970: All samples
1960: All samples
1950: --
1940: --
1930: --
1920: --
1910: --
1900: --
1880: --
1870: --
1860: --
1850: --

Puerto Rico

2023: --
2022: --
2021: --
2020: --
2019: PRCS 5yr
2018: PRCS 5yr
2017: PRCS 5yr
2016: PRCS 5yr
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: All samples
1970: All samples
1930: --
1920: --
1910: --

Editing Procedure

COMMUSE (Commercial use)
ACS Years: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
ACS editing procedure:
If a person living in a one-family house or in a mobile home (UNITSSTR) has a blank, don't know, refused, or a bad value for COMMUSE (if there is a business on the property), the value of COMMUSE is allocated. The allocated value is a non-missing COMMUSE value of another unit of the same type of building (UNITSSTR) and lot size (ACREHOUS) 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 (QCOMMUSE).
If a person living in an apartment building or in a boat, RV, van or other non-traditional housing structure (UNITSSTR) has value for COMMUSE, the value of COMMUSE will be replaced with a "Not in universe" value.
Internal ACS variable : BUS

Data Cart