DOI: 10.3886/icpsr08427.v1
title: Old Age in the United States, 1880
title: Version 1

description: This data collection describes the social conditions of the older population of the United States in the late nineteenth century. Variables include personal characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, race, birthplace, number of children, and occupation of sampled older persons. Detailed information, extracted from the 1880 United States Census manuscript census schedules, is provided on household composition and family structure. In addition, occupational and ethnic characteristics of family heads appearing on the same sampled census page as the older person (on census pages grouped by street location) are reported. The data collection consists of three independent samples: (1) a national sample, (2) a Southern urban sample, and (3) a Southern Black sample. Older Blacks are over-represented in the Southern urban and Southern Black samples in order to focus on their family experiences in the urban and rural South.
description: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: Standardized missing values.; Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.; Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes..
description: Datasets: 
 
 DS0: Study-Level Files 
 DS1: National Sample 
 DS2: Southern Urban 
 DS3: Southern Blacks 
 DS4: SAS Proc Format for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS5: SAS Input for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS6: SAS Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS7: SAS Missing Value Recode for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS8: SAS Format for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS9: SPSS Data List for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS10: SPSS Variable Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS11: SPSS Missing Value Recode for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS12: SPSS Value Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL National Sample Data 
 DS13: SAS Proc Format for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS14: SAS Input for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS15: SAS Labels for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS16: SAS Missing Value Recode for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS17: SAS Format for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS18: SPSS Data List for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS19: SPSS Variable Labels for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS20: SPSS Missing Value Recode for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS21: SPSS Value Labels for Card Image National Sample Data 
 DS22: SAS Proc Format for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS23: SAS Input for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS24: SAS Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS25: SAS Missing Value Recode for OSIRIS/LRECL for Southern Urban Data 
 DS26: SAS Format for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS27: SPSS Data List for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS28: SPSS Variable Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS29: SPSS Missing Value Recode for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS30: SPSS Value Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Urban Data 
 DS31: SAS Proc Format for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS32: SAS Input for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS33: SAS Labels for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS34: SAS Missing Value Recode for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS35: SAS Format for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS36: SPSS Data List for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS37: SPSS Variable Labels for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS38: SPSS Missing Value Recode for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS39: SPSS Value Labels for Card Image Southern Urban Data 
 DS40: SAS Proc Format for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS41: SAS Input for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS42: SAS Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS43: SAS Missing Value Recode for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS44: SAS Format for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS45: SPSS Data List for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS46: SPSS Value Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS47: SPSS Missing Value Recode for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS48: SPSS Variable Labels for OSIRIS/LRECL Southern Black Data 
 DS49: SAS Proc Format for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS50: SAS Input for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS51: SAS Labels for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS52: SAS Missing Value Recode for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS53: SAS Format for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS54: SPSS Data List for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS55: SPSS Value Labels for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS56: SPSS Missing Value Recode for Card Image Southern Black Data 
 DS57: SPSS Variable Labels for Card Image Southern Black Data
description: The age distributions are as follows: National sample: 65-74 (N = 1,049), 75-84 (N = 373), 85+ (N = 78). Southern urban sample: 65-74 (N = 564), 75-84 (N = 177), 85 and older (N = 47). Southern Black sample: 65-74 (N = 866), 75-84 (N = 265), 85+ (N = 78).
description: Noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 65 and older in 1880 for the sample, noninstitutionalized population aged 65 and older living in the urban South in 1880 for the Southern urban sample, and noninstitutionalized population aged 65 and older living in the South in 1880 for the Southern Black sample.
description: Three independent samples were drawn from the 1880 United States Census. Sample members were selected from clusters defined by manuscript census pages. The first sample was a stratified sample of the population aged 65 and older in 1880. Southern Blacks were oversampled in the other two samples. The Southern urban sample was drawn from 17 urban Primary Sampling Units (cities with populations over 4,000) and included 473 Blacks and 315 Whites. The Southern Black sample was drawn from 32 counties in the South and consisted of 804 Blacks and 405 Whites.