# Presentation: 922007

## Skills and Abilities of The Working-Age Population, Rockland County, NY: 1996-1999

- Scott Boggess
- Jonathan Chong
- Population Division,
- Education and Social Stratification Branch

## Introduction

- This presentation uses data from the American Community Survey to describe the skills and abilities of the working-age population of Rockland County, NY from 1996 to 1999.
- The statistics presented here are one example of the kind of American Community Survey data that could be made available annually through automated on-line reports.

## What is the American Community Survey?

- The American Community Survey is a new approach for the collection and dissemination of timely demographic, social, and economic data.
- In 2004, American Community Survey data will be available on an annual basis, for geographies and population subgroups of 65,000 or more.
- Multi-year estimates will be available for smaller areas and groups beginning in 2005.
- The American Community Survey is designed to replace the 2010 Census long form questionnaire.

## Three Phases of the Survey

- Demonstration Phase (1996-1998)
- Began in 4 sites (usually counties) in 1996
- Expanded to 8 sites in 1997 and 9 sites in 1998
- Comparison Phase (1999-2002)
- 31 sites
- Data will be compared with that collected from Census 2000
- Full Implementation (beginning 2003)
- Annual national sample of 3 million households
- All U.S. counties

## American Community Survey Data

- Population Data
- Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity
- Education
- Income
- Work, Unemployment
- Commuting patterns
- Language
- Citizenship
- Ancestry
- Disability status
- Migration
- Fertility
- Military Service

- Housing Data
- Tenure
- Household composition
- Property value
- Rent/Mortgage payment
- Property taxes
- Utility costs
- Home insurance
- No. of rooms/bedrooms
- Plumbing/Kitchen facilities
- Telephone service
- Number of automobiles

## Why Automated Reports?

- Automated reports will allow the Census Bureau to summarize and release American Community Survey data in a more timely fashion than would be possible with traditional reports.
- Automated reports can be programmed to provide
- annual point estimates
- estimates of change over time
- estimates of differences across geographies or population subgroups
- tests of significance
- tables and graphs

## Data Users

- Information on workforce characteristics should be of interest to a wide range of data users including
***Federal, State, and local government officials*** could use the data to help attract new businesses or to better target work training programs
***Existing businesses and entrepreneurs*** could use the data to help determine the going wage rate for certain types of labor or the optimal location for a new business
***Labor unions*** could use the data to track wage rates and work hours across counties, occupations, and industries and to identify possible new members
***Researchers*** could use the data to analyze the effects of economic, demographic, and policy changes on wages and employment.

## Rockland County, New York

- Why?
- It is one of the four original American Community Survey sites
- It is one of only two sites with data spanning the entire 1996-1999 period (along with Multnomah, Co., OR)
- It has a racially and ethnically diverse population
- Where?
- Rockland County is part of the New York City metropolitan area
- Estimated population of 284,022 in 1999, up approximately 5 percent since 1996.

## Estimates

- All the numbers presented in this profile represent population estimates calculated from American Community Survey data.
- Because the American Community Survey did not begin to survey group quarters until 1999, the estimates presented here are based only on housing unit data.

## Basic Demographic Characteristics

- For the purpose of this presentation we have divided the working-age population into two groups
***15-24 year olds****** ***
- 12 percent of the county population in 1999
- 51 percent male
- 76 percent White, 12 percent Black
- 10 percent Hispanic (may be of any race)
***25-64 year olds***
- 54 percent of the county population in 1999
- 48 percent male
- 79 percent White, 11 percent Black
- 7 percent Hispanic (may be of any race)

## Employment Status of those Aged 16-24*, 1996 and 1999

****

****

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

*******Employment status is not available for 15 year olds**

## Employment Status of those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

****

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

## Mean Hours Worked Per Week and Weeks Worked Per Year* for those Aged 15-24, 1996 and 1999

*** For those who worked in the past 12 months**

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

****

## Mean Hours Worked Per Week and Weeks Worked Per Year* for those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

*** For those who worked in the past 12 months.**

## Percent Distribution of Workers by Occupation for those Aged 15-24, 1996 and 1999

## Percent Distribution of Workers by Occupation for those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

** ****Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

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****

****

****

## Percent Distribution of Workers by Class for those Aged 15-24, 1996 and 1999

## Percent Distribution of Workers by Class for those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

****

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

## Percent Distribution of Workers by Industry for those Aged 15-24, 1996 and 1999

***Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate**

****

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

## Percent Distribution of Workers by Industry for those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

***Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate**

****

****

****

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

## Mean Annual Earnings* by Age, 1996 and 1999 (constant 1999 dollars)

*** For those who worked in the past 12 months**

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

****

## Percent Enrolled in School by Type of School for those Aged 15-24, 1996 and 1999

## Percent Enrolled in School by Type of School for those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

## Percent Distribution of Educational Attainment for those Aged 15-24, 1996 and 1999

****

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

## Percent Distribution of Educational Attainment for those Aged 25-64, 1996 and 1999

**Indicates a statistically significant change from 1996**

****

****

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## But Wait!  There’s More!

- Other workforce characteristics available from the American Community Survey include
- Disability status
- Whether on layoff
- Whether available for work or looking for work
- Whether a high school or college dropout
- Whether idle (not working and not in school--males)
- Other possible subjects for automated on-line reports include
- Children’s well-being
- Recent mothers and their children
- Characteristics of recent migrants

## For Additional Information or Feedback

- Visit the American Community Survey Internet site,
- www.census.gov/acs/www/
- Email
- ACS@census.gov
- Phone
- 1-888-456-7215