DOI: 10.3886/icpsr07781
title: Census of Population and Housing, 1980 [United States]: Summary Tape File 1: 1978 Richmond Dress Rehearsal
title: Archival Version

description: This data collection is a test version of the United States
Bureau of the Census data file format for the 1980 United States
Census. It consists of data collected in the spring of 1978 during a
dress rehearsal for the 1980 United States Census and covers the city
of Richmond, Henrico County, and Chesterfield County, Virginia. The
Dress Rehearsal data were used to create two representative Summary
Tape File 1 (STF1) files for users who wanted to become familiar
with the data format or test and develop software for processing
summary data. The purpose of the dress rehearsal program was to
use the planned final materials and procedures in locations that
simulated various conditions that the Bureau would face in the
1980 Census. The STF1 files are equivalent in content to the combined
1st and 3rd count summary files in the 1970 Census data. They
contain only 100-percent items, and no sample items are present. This study
contains two test files created from the Richmond Dress Rehearsal
data: STF1A and STF1B. They are identical in content and format and
differ only in geographic coverage. STF1A file (Part 1) contains
summaries for the state, counties, minor civil divisions (MCD) or
census county divisions (CCD), places or place segments within
MCD/CCD and remainder of MCD/CCD, tracts or block numbering areas,
and block groups or, for unblocked areas, enumeration districts.
Summaries are also given for places and congressional districts for
the 96th Congress. STF1B file (Part 2) provides summaries for state,
SMSAs, nonSMSA remainder of state, counties, MCDs within counties,
places within MCDs within counties, tracts or block numbering areas
(BNAs), and blocks or, for unblocked areas, enumeration districts.
Summaries are also provided for blocked portions of all geographic
levels. Data are provided for population and housing characteristics.
The housing items include occupancy/vacancy status, tenure, contract
rent, value, condominium status, number of rooms, and plumbing
facilities. Variables on population include demographic items such as
age, race, sex, marital status, Spanish origin, household type, and
household relationship. Selected aggregates, means, and medians are
also provided. This hierarchical data collection contains
approximately 59 variables. STF1A contains 733 records with a
logical record length of 3,276 characters with 2 record segments of
1,638 characters each. STF1B contains 7,278 records with a logical
record length of 3,276 characters with 2 record segments of 1,638
characters each. The data are arrayed in 59 tables consisting of 32l
data cells. One set of documentation is provided to cover both
files. See the related collection, CENSUS OF POPULATION AND
HOUSING, 1980 [UNITED STATES]: P.L. 94-171 POPULATION COUNTS: 1978
RICHMOND DRESS REHEARSAL (ICPSR 7810).
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: STF1A
DS2: STF1B
description: All persons and housing units in Richmond City, Henrico
County, and Chesterfield County, Virginia, in 1978.
description: The codebook is provided by ICPSR as a Portable
Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format was developed
by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF
reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information
on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the
ICPSR Web site.Users should note that there are analytical
limitations to the use of the dress rehearsal data. One type of
analytical limitation of the data is geographic. A second limitation
results from changes in the questionnaire between the Richmond Dress
Rehearsal and the 1980 Census. Although the changes do not affect
the character location or the structure of this dataset, they do affect
the substantive compatibility of STF 1 for the Richmond test and STF 1
for the 1980 Census. The data from the Richmond test were forced into
the 1980 format for STF 1. Consequently, data on the Richmond STF 1
reflect the items on that questionnaire, but the format of the 1980
questionnaire governs the tape layout.