April 1994. Reference Guide to ZIPFIP Data Sets This reference guide provides an overview of data sets available for the ZIPFIP program. These data sets were created specifically for use with ZIPFIP, and will be updated on a periodic basis. For information on ordering these data sets, see the back of this documentation. Among the currently available data sets are: 1990 county socio- economic variables and ZIP-code locations, 1980 ZIP-code and county socio-economic variables, climate variables by county, soil characteristics by county, 6 years of weather variables by county, and agricultural statistics by county. While each set has a unique purpose, they may share information where appropriate. The information contained in these data sets was generated from a variety of sources, which are listed below. Information Sources FIPS (county) data (1) The County and City Data Book, 1983. (2) Bureau of the Census County Statistics File I (CO- STAT 1), 1984. (3) Bureau of the Census County Statistics File II (CO- STAT 2), 1985. (4) Bureau of the Census County and City Data Book Consolidated File, 1983. (5) Bureau of the Census Personal Income, Per Capita Personal Income, and Total Population: County Annual Series. (6) Bureau of the Census, 1990 STF1 Data Tape. (6a) Bureau of the Census, 1990 STF3 Data Tape. (7) Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics File. (8) Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), REIS CD-ROM. FIPS geographic locations (9) Centers of Population for States and Counties (weighted by population). Bureau of the Census (US Government Printing Office, 12/74). (10) 1990 County Boundaries courtesy of the National Center for Resource Innovations, 703-525-7886. ZIP data (11) 1980 Summary Tape File 3b, Bureau of the Census. 1990 Summary Tape File 3b, Bureau of the Census. (obtainable on CD-ROM). ZIP Geographic locations (12) 1986 ZIP place names and latitude/longitude courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service Outdoor and Wilderness Group, Athens GA. (13) 1990 ZIP place names, and latitude/longitude, obtained from MELISSA Data Corporation, 714-661-5885. Consumer Price Index (14) Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1988. Circuity factors (15) Description and Technical Documentation of the PICADAD File. Bureau of the Census (U.S. Government Printing Office, 3/78). Agricultural statistics (16) Census of Agriculture, 1978 and 1987: Final County File. Prepared by the Bureau of the Census. (16a) Census of Agriculture, 1987. ZIP Code Tabulations on CD-ROM (1992). Soil Characteristics (17) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, National Resources Inventory Data Tape (1982 and 1987). Climate and Weather information (18) U.S. Department of Commerce, National Climatic Data Center, Climatography Of the U.S. No. 20, 1951-1980 (1986). (18a) NOAA: Monthly Averages of Preciptation and Temperatur By Climatic Division. Extracted from the Economic Research Service (USDA) ARIES Data Base: Series Name MBR-WEA-PRCP and MRP-WEA-TEMP. (18b) The CLIM-20 CD-ROM from US West Publishing; which is a based on the CLIM-20 files of the National Climatic Data Center. Regional identifiers (19) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, County ID tape. The following is a description of several available data sets. Note that italicized numbers in parenthesis refer to the data sources listed above. In addition to the description below, a documentation file (a .DOC file) is provided with the distribution diskette containing the data set. ZIPFIP-1980 ============================================== ZIPFIP - 1980 ZIPFIP-1980 is based on data gathered for the 1980 census. It provides demographic data both by FIPS and by ZIP codes. ZIPFIP- 1980 contains data for both counties and ZIP codes. The county data is based on the 1980 census. For several variables, additional (time series) information is also available on a per county basis. ZIP code information is based on the 1980 census, and on a 1986 listing of ZIP codes. FIPS (county) Census Variables: Variable Description and source Unless otherwise noted, all values are from the County and City Data Book, 1983. FIPS The county's FIPS code. All counties in same state have same first two digits (of five-digit number). For example, all MA counties are 25xxx (for example, MIDDLESEX = 25017). SQ MILES Land area, in square miles, of the county. % FARMLAND Percent of land area that is classified as farmland, 1978. Also available for 1974. POPULATION Population in 1980. Time series information, from 1969 to 1988, is also available. (8) HHOLD SIZ Average household size = POPULATION / number of households. % URBAN Percent of population living in urban areas. This differs slightly from % UA (it includes towns with populations less than 2,500 outside of UA's). Thus: % RURAL = 1 - %URBAN. % WHITE Percent of population classified as White. % BLACK Percent of population classified as Black. % HISPANIC Percent of population classified as Hispanic. % NAT AMER Percent of population classified as Native American (American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut). (2) % MALE Percent of population that is male. % MOVED Percent of individuals over 5 years old who lived outside of this FIPS in 1975. % NATIVE Percent of individuals born in state of residence. % RENTERS Percent of occupied housing units that are rentals. (2) % COUPLES Percent of households composed of married couples (with or without children). (2) DIVORCE /K Divorces per 1,000 people. Also available for 1970, 1978, 1979, and 1982. MEDIAN AGE Median age. % < 17 Percent population less than 17 years old. % > 65 Percent population 65 years or older. Also available for 1975. % IN SCHOOL Percent of individuals (over 3 years old) enrolled in K-12 schools. % PRIV SCHL Percent of individuals enrolled in K-12 who are in private school. (2) % IN COLLEG Percent of individuals in college. (2) % HS DEGREE Percent of individuals over 18 years old with a high school degree. % COL DEGRE Percent of individuals over 18 years old with a college degree. PERCAP Per capita income, includes "quasi-individuals" (nonprofit institutions, private noninsured welfare funds, and private trust funds). Time series information, from 1969 to 1988, is also available. (8) MONYPERCAP Money income per capita (a Census Bureau measure). Less than PERCAP, since it does not include imputed income, lump sum payments, and quasi-individuals). Measured before social insurance deductions. MED INC Median income per household. MEAN HINC Mean household income (approximate). Estimated from nine counts on household income range. % IN LF Percent of people over 17 years old who are in the labor force: military, civilian employed, and civilian unemployed. (7) % UNEMPLOY Percent of civilian labor force unemployed (in 1980). Unemployment statistics from 1975 to 1988 are also available. (7) % PROF IND Percent of employed labor force (over 16 years old) employed in "professional" industries, including health and education. EARNINGS Earnings in all industries, in thousands of dollars ($1,000). Earnings are listed by workplace, not residence. Also available for 1976-83. (3) % EARN NAT Percent of EARNINGS from forestry, fisheries, agricultural services. (3) % POVERTY Percent of individuals living in households below the poverty level. % 10-20 K$ Percent of households in various income % 20-30 K$ ranges (in dollars). % 30-40 K$ % 40-50 K$ % >50 K$ VOTE PRES Number of votes cast in the 1980 presidential race. Originally from the AMERICA VOTES series gathered by the Elections Research Council (ERC). Also available for 1984. (3) % VOTE DEM Percent of votes in the 1980 presidential election for the Democratic Party candidate (== DEMVOT/VOTE PRES). Also available for 1984. See VOTE PRES for source. (3) CRIME RATE Reported crimes per person (statistic of the Federal Bureau of Investigation). Time series information for 1977 and 1983 are also available. ONE A constant (=1). Useful for extracting scales and labeling. NOTE Missing values occasionally occur in FIPS data, especially in Alaska. For a variety of reasons, in the FIPS databases these missing values were replaced whenever possible with their respective "State-level" values. ---------------------- ZIP Code Variables: ZIP Census Variables. All ZIP-code measures are from Summary Tape File 3b, Bureau of the Census. To approximate non-1980 data, one can use the county-specific scales (scales are used to obtain time-series information). Variable Description ZIP The ZIP code. POPULATION Population as of 1980. HHOLD SIZ Average household size = POPULATION / number of households. PERCAP Per capita income, includes "quasi-individuals" (nonprofit institutions, private noninsured welfare funds, and private trust funds). MONYPERCAP Money income per capita (a Census Bureau measure). Less than PERCAP, since it does not include imputed income, lump sum payments, and quasi-individuals). Measured before social insurance deductions. MED INC Median income per household. AVG TRAV Average travel time to work of working population. % WHITE Percent of population classified as White. % BLACK Percent of population classified as Black. % HISPANIC Percent of population classified as Hispanic. % NAT AMER Percent of population classified as Native American (American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut). % MALE Per cent of population that is male. % UA Urbanized area population. Urbanized area (UA) is defined as a population concentration greater than 50,000 people, generally consisting of a central city and surrounding suburbs. NOTE: The user may want to change this to % URBAN, to allow for "Missing Value Substitution." (However, the FIPS variable % URBAN is not the same as % UA.) % RURAL POP Per cent of populations outside of UA's. Notice that people living in towns of greater than 2500, that are not in UA's, are not classified as either RURAL or UA. % > 65 Per cent population greater than 65 years old. % < 17 Per cent population less than 17 years old. MEDIAN AGE Median age, computed using counts of population in 26 age ranges, with interpolation. % COUPLES Percent of households composed of married couples (with or without children). % MOVED Percent of individuals > five yrs old or nger who lived outside of this FIPS in 1975. % RENTERS Per cent of occupied housing units that are rentals. % NATIVE Per cent of individuals who are born in same state. % PRIV SCHL Per cent of individuals, enrolled in K-12, who are in private school. % IN COLLEG Per cent of individuals in college. % HS DEGREE Per cent of individuals, over 18 years old, with high school degree. % COL DEGRE Per cent of individuals, over 18 years old, with college degree. % IN LF Per cent of people, over 17 years old, who are in labor force -- military, employed, and unemployed. % UNEMPLOY Percent of labor force unemployed. % PROF IND Percent of employed labor force (over 16 years old) employed in "professional" industries (including health and education). % POVERTY Per cent of individuals living in households below the poverty level. % 10-20 K$ Per cent of households in various income ranges (in dollars). % 20-30 K$ % 30-40 K$ % 40-50 K$ % >50 K$ ONE A constant (=1). Useful for extracting scales, etc. =========================================== ZIPFIP-1990 ZIPFIP-1990 is similar to the ZIPFIP-80 data set. Several new FIPS codes have been added, and thousands of new ZIP codes. Note: ZIPFIP is currently shipped with the ZIPFIP-1990 data base. ---------------------- ZIPFIP90: FIPS DATA. Many, but not all, of the variables in ZIPFIP80 are available in the ZIPFIP90 database. In addition, a few new variables have been added. Unless otherwise specified, all 1990 values are from the US Census 1990 STF3 tape (6a). Time series information, when available, is primarily drawn from the same sources used to create ZIPFIP80 (the timeseries variables available through ZIPFIP80, and those available through ZIPFIP90, partially overlap). Note: all income measures from STF3 are based on 1989 data (respondents gave their 1989 incomes). FIPS (county) Census Variables Variable Description and source FIPS The county's FIPS code. POPULATION Population in 1990. Time series information, from 1969 to 1990, is also available. (8) HOUSEHOLDS Number of households. % MALE Percent of population that is male. % WHITE Percent of population classified as White. % BLACK Percent of population classified as Black. % HISPANIC Percent of population classified as Hispanic. % NAT AMER Percent of population classified as Native American (American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut). % URBAN Percent of population living in urban areas. This includes towns with populations less than 2,500 outside of urbanized areas. MEDIAN AGE Median age (interpolated from thirty one age range variables). % < 16 Percent population less than 16 years old (note that ZIPFIP80 uses less then 17 years). % > 65 Percent population 65 years or older. % COUPLES Percent of households composed of married couples (with or without children). % NATIVE Percent of individuals born in state of residence. % NO MOVE Percent of individuals over 5 years old who lived in the same house in 1985. % SAME FIP Percent of individuals over 5 years old who lived in this FIPS in 1985. % IN SCHOOL Percent of individuals (over 3 years old) enrolled in K-12 schools. % PRIV SCHL Percent of individuals enrolled in K-12 who are in private school. (2) % IN COLLEG Percent of individuals (over 3 years old) in college. (2) % HS DEGREE Percent of individuals over 18 years old with a high school degree (includes people who have some college, but no college degree). % COL DEGRE Percent of individuals over 18 years old with a college degree (associates, bachelor, or graduate). Note: % with a high school degree, but no college: "% HS DEGREE" - "% COL DEGRE" PERCAP Per capita income (1989). Time series information, from 1969 to 1989, is also available (8). Note that, due to data limitations, 1989 and 1990 values are identical. MED INC Median income per household (1989). MEAN HINC Mean household income (1989) for households earning less then $150,000. % 10-20 K$ Percent of households in various income % 20-35 K$ ranges (1989). Note that the ranges % 35-50 K$ are different then ZIPFIP80. % 50-75 K$ % 75-100 K$ % 100-150 K$ % > 150 K$ % IN LF Percent of people 16 years or older who are in the labor force: including military, civilian employed, and civilian unemployed. % UNEMPLOY Percent of civilian labor force unemployed. Unemployment statistics from 1975 to 1989 are also available. (7) % POVERTY Percent of individuals living in households below the poverty level. % PROF IND Percent of employed labor force (over 16 years old) employed in "managerial and specialty" occupations (SIC 000-202). % SALES Percent of employed labor force in "Technical, sales and administrative support occupations (SIC 203-402). % SERVICE Percent of employed labor force in "Service occupations" (SIC 403-472). % NAT RES Percent of employed labor force in "Farming, forestry and fishing occupations" (SIC 473-502). % CRAFT Percent of employed labor force in "Precision production, craft and repair occupations" (SIC 503- 702). % BLUE COL Percent of employed labor force in "Operators, fabricators and laborers" (SIC 703-902). AVG TRAVEL Average travel time to work (of all workers who did not work at home). HOUSES Number of housing units. ROOMS Average number of rooms in housing units. MED BUILT Median year housing unit built % RENTERS Percent of occupied housing units that are rentals. MED RENT Median gross rent of renter occupied housing units. MED VALUE Median vaalue of owner occupied housing units. SQ MILES Land area, in square miles, of the county. % FARMLAND Percent of land area that is classified as farmland, 1987. Derived from (16). NOTES Missing values occasionally occur in FIPS data, especially in Alaska. For a variety of reasons, in the FIPS databases these missing values were replaced whenever possible with their respective "State-level" values. The "N_A" scale is included in the scale database. This is used by the ZIP-STF3B database, and should not be used with ZIPFIP-1990 variables. ----------------------------------------- ZIPFIP90: ZIP CODE DATA The ZIP code data that comes with ZIPFIP-1990 primarily consists of geographic information as of June 1991: including place-name, FIPS code and latitude/longitude. In addition, the following variables are in the "census" database: TYPE A Character variable indicating the "type" of postoffice Valid types include: P=Post office boxes, U=unique A=APO/FPO (Military) 1=Main PO 2=Branch PO 3=Community PO 4=Place name (discontinued) 5=Community name 9=Other name Almost all will be "1", a few thousand are P, a few hundred are "A". AREA_CODE The area code the ZIP code is in. RESIDENCES The number of "deliverable addresses". This is a rough measure of population (multiply by 2.66 for approximate population). NRI_POLY The NRI_Poly this ZIP code (centroid) is in. NRI_Poly is a sub-county region for which NRI (National Resources Inventory) data can be constructed. It is included here as a reference into the NRI database. Note that 1990 ZIP code geographic information is (in most cases) more accurate, and more complete, than 1980 ZIP code geographic information. ======================================== A Note on Other ZIP code data: For more detailed ZIP-code level data, please see the "ZIPSTF3B" database. ZIPSTF3B has the same variables as in the FIPS-level data, with the exception of SQ MILES and % FARMLAND (which were not available at the ZIP-code level). Note that ZIP-code census information is from the 1990 U.S. Census tape STF3B, which has the same format as census tape STF3A (the FIPS level census tape). This census level data is avaiable for about 28,000 ZIP codes. About 4,000 zip codes had zero POPULATION count, and were not included in this census database. Note that there are about 41,000 ZIP-codes in the location database. At the moment, we can not account for the difference of 8,000-12,000. Contact Daniel Hellerstein for more info. ================================== ZIP-STF3B ZIP-STF3b is an exension of the ZIPFIP-90 data set. With a few exceptions, it contains the same US Census variables as found in ZIPFIP-90 database, at both the FIPS and ZIP code level. ---------------------- ZIP STF3B: ZIP and FIPS DATA. Unless otherwise specified, all 1990 values are from the US Census 1990 STF3a (for FIPS) or STF3B (for ZIP) tapes (6a). Time series information, when available, is primarily drawn from the same sources used to create ZIPFIP-80 (the timeseries variables available through ZIPFIP-80, and those available through ZIPFIP90, partially overlap). Note: all income measures from STF3 are based on 1989 data (respondents gave their 1989 incomes). Unless otherwise noted, all variables are available for bot FIPS (county) and ZIP codes. Note that the FIPS code information contained within ZIP-STF3B is a subset of the FIPS code information found in ZIPFIP-90. Variable Description and source FIPS or ZIP The county's FIPS code, or the ZIP code. POPULATION Population in 1990. Time series information, from 1969 to 1990, is also available. (8) HOUSEHOLDS Number of households. % MALE Percent of population that is male. % WHITE Percent of population classified as White. % BLACK Percent of population classified as Black. % HISPANIC Percent of population classified as Hispanic. % NAT AMER Percent of population classified as Native American (American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut). % URBAN Percent of population living in urban areas. This includes towns with populations less than 2,500 outside of urbanized areas. MEDIAN AGE Median age (interpolated from thirty one age range variables). % < 16 Percent population less than 16 years old (note that ZIPFIP80 uses less then 17 years). % > 65 Percent population 65 years or older. % COUPLES Percent of households composed of married couples (with or without children). % NATIVE Percent of individuals born in state of residence. % NO MOVE Percent of individuals over 5 years old who lived in the same house in 1985. % SAME FIP Percent of individuals over 5 years old who lived in this FIPS in 1985. % IN SCHOOL Percent of individuals (over 3 years old) enrolled in K-12 schools. % PRIV SCHL Percent of individuals enrolled in K-12 who are in private school. (2) % IN COLLEG Percent of individuals (over 3 years old) in college. (2) % HS DEGREE Percent of individuals over 18 years old with a high school degree (includes people who have some college, but no college degree). % COL DEGRE Percent of individuals over 18 years old with a college degree (associates, bachelor, or graduate). Note: % with a high school degree, but no college: "% HS DEGREE" - "% COL DEGRE" PERCAP Per capita income (1989). Time series information, from 1969 to 1989, is also available (8). Note that, due to data limitations, 1989 and 1990 values are identical. MED INC Median income per household (1989). MEAN HINC Mean household income (1989) for households earning less then $150,000. % 10-20 K$ Percent of households in various income % 20-35 K$ ranges (1989). Note that the ranges % 35-50 K$ are different then ZIPFIP80. % 50-75 K$ % 75-100 K$ % 100-150 K$ % > 150 K$ % IN LF Percent of people 16 years or older who are in the labor force: including military, civilian employed, and civilian unemployed. % UNEMPLOY Percent of civilian labor force unemployed. Unemployment statistics from 1975 to 1989 are also available. (7) % POVERTY Percent of individuals living in households below the poverty level. % PROF IND Percent of employed labor force (over 16 years old) employed in "managerial and specialty" occupations (SIC 000-202). % SALES Percent of employed labor force in "Technical, sales and administrative support occupations (SIC 203-402). % SERVICE Percent of employed labor force in "Service occupations" (SIC 403-472). % NAT RES Percent of employed labor force in "Farming, forestry and fishing occupations" (SIC 473-502). % CRAFT Percent of employed labor force in "Precision production, craft and repair occupations" (SIC 503- 702). % BLUE COL Percent of employed labor force in "Operators, fabricators and laborers" (SIC 703-902). AVG TRAVEL Average travel time to work (of all workers who did not work at home). HOUSES Number of housing units. ROOMS Average number of rooms in housing units. MED BUILT Median year housing unit built % RENTERS Percent of occupied housing units that are rentals. MED RENT Median gross rent of renter occupied housing units. MED VALUE Median vaalue of owner occupied housing units. The following variables are for FIPS only (they are not available for ZIP codes). SQ MILES Land area, in square miles, of the county. % FARMLAND Percent of land area that is classified as farmland, 1987. Derived from (16). NOTE Missing values occasionally occur in FIPS data, especially in Alaska. For a variety of reasons, in the FIPS databases these missing values were replaced whenever possible with their respective "State-level" values. In addition, a special "scale" is included in the ZIP-STF3B database. POPFIX An adjustment factor used to insure that the population for a FIPS derived by aggregating all ZIPS codes in the FIPS is the same as the value in the FIPS database. Note that the average value of POPFIX is about 1.01. (this is much more accurate than the similar value found in the ZIPFIP-1980 database). Notes: This census level data is avaiable for about 28,000 ZIP codes. About 4,000 zip codes had zero POPULATION count, and were not included in this census database. Note that there are about 41,000 ZIP-codes in the location database. At the moment, we can not account for the difference of 8,000-12,000. ================================== FIPS-Region Identifiers The FIPS-Region identifiers database provides, for all counties, a variety of "regional identifiers." These identifiers can be used to match counties to other types of regions (such as those used by the Census Bureau or the Soil Conservation Service). All variables are from the Economic Research Service County ID Tape, except RU CONTINU (from Margaret Butler of ERS/ARED). Variable Description FIPS FIPS Code PROD AREA Producing area. 105 regions, derived from ASA (see below), used in the National Linear Programming Model. WRSA Hydrologic boundaries representing major river basins (Water Resources Council, 1971 definitions). First 2 digits represent one of 20 Water Resource Regions. LAND RR Land Resource Region, defined by the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). Aggregations of Land Resource Areas (see below). LAND RA Land Resource Area (Soil Conservation Service). Also know as Major Land Resource Areas. Geographic grouping of 156 relatively homogeneous areas (soil types, etc). BEA Bureau of Economic Analysis code. SMSA Census Bureau, Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. Appears only when a portion of county falls within an SMSA. CNI Conservation Needs Inventory (SCS). NRE STATE Economics, Statistics, and Coopera- tives Service State (ESCS) state code. Old version of FEDS (see below) NRE REGION ESCS Region. ASA Water Resources Council, Aggregated Sub Area. Groupings of WRSA's (total of 99). Similar to PROD AREA. FEDS REG Firm Enterprise Data region identifier (used by ESCS). Used to report Firm Enterprise Data System budgets (average crop and livestock budgets for a region). FEDS STATE Firm enterprise data, State identifier. FEDS AREA Firm enterprise data, within State. FEDS SUBAR Firm enterprise data, subarea. NSF PROD National Science Foundation (NSF) producing area. Similar to PROD AREA. NSF MARKET NSF market regions. 28 aggregations of NSF PROD. NSF SEQ# Sequential County Number. Sequential numbering of the alphabetical listing of counties (3069) in the lower 48 States (excluding D.C. and Virginia independent cities). NOAA STATE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) State code. Used for NOAA's automated weather records. NOAA WEATH NOAA weather division. CRD CODE Crop reporting district. Older version of FEDS code. LATITUDE and The population centroid of the (1970) LONGITUDE counties. TOTAL AREA In square (sq) miles X 10 (thus, 5421 means 542.1 sq mi) LAND AREA In square (sq) miles X 10 (thus, 5421 means 542.1 sq mi) WATER AREA In square (sq) miles X 10 (thus, 5421 means 542.1 sq mi) POP70 U.S. population in 1970. RU CONTINU Rural-Urban continuum code (0-most urban, 9=most rural) ================================================ Agricultural Statistics The agricultural statistics database contains a variety of measures of agricultural production and capital stock. For each variables, 3 years of FIPS level data are available (1978, 1982, and 1987). One year of ZIP level data is available (1987). FIPS Agricultural Statistics The FIPS level variables are: (Note: All variables are from the Census of Agriculture, 1978 and 1987, final county file.) Except where noted, values for 1978, 1982, and 1987 are available.) Number of farms (1982 and 1987) Land in farms (acres) Total cropland (acres) (1987) Irrigated land (acres) Harvested cropland (acres) Percent of irrigated land that is harvested (1982 and 1987) VALUE AND WAGES: Value, machinery and equipment Value, seeds, bulbs and trees Value, commercial fertilizer Value, other agricultural chemicals Wages, hired farm labor Wages, contract labor Value, energy and petroleum products CORN: Corn for grain or seed (acres) Corn, irrigated land (acres) Corn (bushels/acre) Corn, (revenue/acre) WHEAT: Wheat for grain or seed (acres) Wheat, irrigated land (acres) Wheat (bushels/acre) Wheat (revenue/acre) SOYBEANS: Soybeans, beans (acres) Soybeans, irrigated land (acres) Soybeans, beans (bushels/acre) Soybeans, beans (revenue/acre) BARLEY: Barley for grain (acres) Barley, irrigated land (acres) Barley for grain (bushels/acre) Barley for grain (revenue/acre) COTTON: Cotton (acres) Cotton, irrigated land (acres) Cotton (bales/acre) Cotton (revenue/acre) IRISH POTATOES: Irish potatoes (acres) Irish potatoes, irrigated land (acres) Irish potatoes (bales/acre) Irish potatoes (revenue, not available) PEANUTS: Peanuts for nuts (acres) Peanuts for nuts, irrigated land (acres) Peanuts for nuts (lbs./acre) Peanuts for nuts (revenue, not available) TOBACCO: Tobacco (acres) Tobacco, irrigated land (acres) Tobacco (lbs./acre) Tobacco (revenue/acre) HAY: Hay (acres) Hay, irrigated land (acres) Hay, (dry tons/acre) Hay (revenue/acre) ------------------------ ZIP Agricultural Statistics ZIP codes with less then five farms do not appear in this database. In addition, many variables are not measured in certain portions of the Nation (for example, rice production in Alabama); a missing value is assigned to the variable when this occurs. The ZIP level variables are: (Note that all variables are from Census of Agriculture, 1987, ZIP code tabulations.) Farms Number of farms in this zip code (minimum of 5) All other variables are percent variables that were computed using FARMS as the denominator. % 1-49 AC Farms with land area of 1 to 49 acres (percent of FARMS). % 50-999 Farms with land area of 50-999 acres. % >1,000 Farms with land area greater then 1,000 acres. %$ < 10,000 Farms with market value of agricultural products less then $10,000. %$10-99,000 Farms with market value of agricultural products less of $10,000 to $99,999. %$>100,000 Farms with market value of agricultural products greater then $100,000. % 1-49 CL Farms with cropland harvested of 1 to 49 acres. %50-499 CL Farms with cropland harvested of 50 to 499 acres. % >500 CL Farms with cropland harvested greater then 500 acres. The following statistics refer to the percent of FARMS on which the crop is grown (or a livestock inventory maintained). Note that the original data broke this down by acres (or animals). % CATTLE Farms with cattle and calf % HOGS Farms with hogs and pigs. % CORN_G Farms with corn for grain. % CORN_S Farms with corn for silage. % SORGHUM Farms with sorghum for grain. % WHEAT Farms with wheat for grain. % BARLEY Farms with barley for grain. % RICE Farms with rice. % SUNFLRW Farms with sunflower seeds. % COTTON Farms with cotton. % TOBACCO Farms with tobacco. % SOYBEAN Farms with soybeans for beans. % POTATO Farms with Irish potatoes. % SUGARCN Farms with sugarcane for sugar. % PEANUTS Farms with peanuts for nuts. % HAY Farms with hay (alfalfa, small grain). % VEGETBL Farms with vegetables. % ORCHARD Farms with orchards. Note: Users of ZIP code level agricultural statistics may note that agricultural statistics exist for ZIP codes in highly urbanized areas (such as downtown Washington D.C.). This is due to the limitations of the agricultural census, as described below: "The publication of ZIP code data was limted to farm counts and selected items, because of the large number of ZIP codes involved. Additionally, using only farm counts eliminated any need for disclosure analysis...The 1987 Census of Agriculture ... employed the mailout/mailback method of enumeration. In most cases, the respondent's mailing address ... was the same as the location of the farm the respondent operated. Therefore, the vast majority of farms were tabulated in the ZIP codes they were located. However, in some instances, the operator's farm was not within the same area as his or her ZIP code. These farms were not counted in the ZIP codes where they were physically located." ==================================== NRI Database: Soil Characteristics and Cover Types The Soil Characteristics and Cover Types database contains a subset of the variables gathered for the 1982 and 1987 National Resources Inventory (NRI). The NRI contains 800,000 sample points; with sample points drawn from non-urban, non-governmental lands. In this database, a subset of the NRI variables are aggregated at the county level. All values (except for FIPS, EXPANSION, and POINTS) are computed using an expansion factor that is unique for each NRI point. This expansion factor, when added across all NRI points in a county, equals the total NRI target acres (which should equal the total non-urban, non-goverment land acreage). Thus, the typical percent (say %RCA1) is computed as a weighted sum of all points (having a non-zero value for RCA1) divided by the expansion factor. Some percents use different denominators (i.e.; %CROP HORT uses total cropland acreage). More precisely: X_F = ä (Xi * Ei) iîF -------------- ä Ei iîF where: X_F : Ratio or percent value of variable "X", for FIPS=F. Xi : Value of "X" at NRI point i. Ei : Expansion factor of NRI point i. iîF : Summation over all NRI points in FIPS=F. Note that for many variables (such as %CROPLAND), X is a 0/1 dummy derived from a categorical NRI variable (such as COVER TYPE). Similarly, non-percent variables (i.e.; T FACTOR) are computed as weighted totals, divided by the (appropriate) expansion factor. ------------------------------- 1982 NRI Variables Variable Description -------- ------------- FIPS EXPANSION Expansion factor, in 100 acres (= # of 100 acres in county in NRI sampled land. Note that NRI samples do NOT include state and federal lands). POINTS Number of NRI sample points (in this FIPS). %RCAn variables are based on the Land Capability Class (LCC) and Subclass (sub). Note that there are 8 classes, with class 1 being the best (no impediments to agriculture) and class 8 the worst, and 4 subclasses (e,s,w,c). The subclasses identify the chief limitation, with e=erosion, w=water, s=shallow, and c=climate. %RCA1 % of acres that are classified as RCA=1. RCA1 is equivalent to LCC=1 (LCC=1 has no subclasses). Thus, all points with LCC1 are included in the numerator of %RCA1 (the denominator is EXPANSION). %RCA2 LCC=2, sub=e %RCA3 LCC=3, sub=e %RCA4 LCC=4, sub=e %RCA5 1 < LCC < 5, sub= c %RCA6 1 < LCC < 5, sub= s %RCA7 1 < LCC < 5, sub= w %RCA8 LCC > 4 T FACTOR Average T-Factor. T-Factor is the acceptable level of annual soil loss (between 1 and 5 tons per acre per year). %SEV EROSN Percent of acres with severe erosion (= 1 - %Moderate_erosion - %no_erosion). SALINE Percent of acres with special management need due to past saline and/or alkali soil. %NOT IRRIG Percent of acres with no irrigation %WELL IRRG Percent of acres with irrigation from groundwater %IRR PLRS Percent of acres with irrigation from pond, lake, reserovir or stream. Note that "%COMBINATIONS" + "%LAGOONS&WASTEWATER" = 1 - "%NOT IRRIG" - "%WELL IRRG" - "%IRR PLRS" %HI IRRIG Percent of acres that irrigation provides 1/2 water requirements %FLOOD Percent of acres that are in flood prone areas %CROPLAND Percent of acres with Cover type = Cropland %PASTURE " " " " Pasture %RANGE " " " " Rangeland %FOREST " " " " Forestland %OTHER FRM " " " " Other farmland %WATERA Percent of acres in large water bodies (>40 arces or 1/8mi wide) %WATERB Percent of acres in other water bodies %CROP HORT Percent of CROPLAND in horticultural (fruits, nuts, etc.) %CROP ROW " " " row crops %CROP CLSE " " " close grown crops %CROP HAY " " " hay land %DBL CROP Percent of acres that is double cropped K FACTOR, R FACTOR, and SLPLNGTH are variables used in the Universal Soil Loss Equation (along with C-factor, P-factor, slope-percent, and USLE-Flag). They are included here as "proxy variables", and are NOT intended to be useable in an aggregated USLE. K FACTOR Average k factor (soil erodabiliby factor). R FACTOR Average r factor (rainfall factor) SLPLNGTH Average slope length (in feet). USLE TONS Estimated average soil loss (sheet and rill erosion), in 1/100th tons/acre/year. Calculated using the USLE. WIND TONS Estimated average soil loss (wind erosion), in 1/100th tons/acre/year. Thus, 142 = 1.42 tons/acre/year. USLE CROP Same as USLE TONS, but for CROPLAND only. WIND CROP Same as WIND TONS, but for CROPLAND only. Note: When USLE TONS, WIND TONS, USLE CROP, and WIND CROP were computed, NRI points with extremely large values (greater then 100 acres per year) were dropped. If these points represent legitimate values, then the above numbers are an underestimate of "average" erosion rates (although they may be good estimates of "typical" erosion rates). %POTNTL0 Percent of acres with "zero", or "unlikely" cropland conversion potential %POTNTL1 Percent of acres with "medium", or "high" cropland conversion potential. Note: %(Current Cropland" + "Built-up" + "Transportation" + "Water") = 1 - %POTNTL0 - %POTNTL1 %WETLAND Percent of acres that is a wetland. %RIPARIAN Percent of acres that is riparian. %CROP MI Percent of acres that is further than 1 mile to nearest cropland DIST CROP Average distance to cropland (excluding points >1 mi to nearest waterbody) %WATER MI Percent of acres that are further than 1 mile to nearest water DIST WATER Average distance to nearest waterbody (excluding points >1 mi to nearest waterbody) %POORSTCK Percent of FORESTLAND acres with "average dbh < 5 inches " that are "poorly stocked". %MOD STOCK Percent of FORESTLAND acres with "average dbh < 5 inches " that are "moderately or fully" stocked. BASAL AREA Average basal area of FORESTLAND with "average dbh > 5in " In addition to the above variables, several variables that use the SOILS-5 database were calculated. Each NRI point contains a reference to a SOILS-5 record (each SOILS-5 record describes a particular soil type, i.e. READING SILTY LOAM). The SOILS-5 record contains a complete description of the soil type. Up to 6 "horizons" can be described. For each horizon, up to 3 "textures" can be listed (such as Fine Sandy Loam). In addition, several continuous variables (such as Permeability) are listed in ranges (i.e.; 0.2 - 2.0). Note: The TEXTURE variables use only the first listed (of up to three) textures of this top horizon. The 5 classes represent a summarization of 21 "USDA texture terms". %CLAY, AVG PERM and AVG WATER are from the top horizon (a midpoint of a range is used). Thus, these SOILS-5 measures are to be interpreted VERY loosely. %TEXTURE 1 % Soil texture that is COS,S,FS,VFS,LCOS or LS COS= Coarse Sand. S=SAND. FS=Fine Sand. VFS= Very Fine Sand. LCOS=Loamy Coarse Sand. LS=Loamy Sand. %TEXTURE 2 % Soil texture that is LFS,LVFS,COSL,SL,FSL, or VFSL LFS=Loamy Fine Sand. LVFS=Loamy Very Fine Sand. COSL=Coarse Sandy Loam SL=Sandy Loam. FSL=Fine Sandy Loam. VFSL=Very Find Sandy Loam. %TEXTURE 3 % Soil texture that is L,SIL,SI, or SCL L=Loam. SIL=Silt Loam. SI=Silt. SCL=Sandy Clay Loam. %TEXTURE 4 % Soil texture that is CL or SICL CL=Clay Loam. SICL=Silty Clay Loam. %TEXTURE 5 % Soil texture that is SC, SIC, or C SC=Sandy Loam. SIC=Silty Clay. C=Clay. % CLAY % Clay (pct < 20mm). Average Percent of Total Clay, as a percent of the <2mm material (for the top horizon). AVG PERM Average permeability, in/hr (for the top horizon) AVG WATER Average available water capacity, in/in (for the top horizon) -------------------------------------------------------- 1987 NRI Variables Values from the 1987 NRI are available for a subset of the above variables. Note that these values are stored in the "scale database", and can be obtained by selecting "87" as the YEAR (see the PRINTSTATS option of ZIPFIP). These variables are: EXPANSION POINTS %NOT IRRIG %WELL IRRG %IRR PLRS %CROPLAND %PASTURE %RANGE %FOREST %WATERA %WATERB %CROP HORT %CROP ROW %CROP CLSE %CROP HAY %DBL CROP USLE TONS WIND TONS USLE CROP WIND CROP %WETLAND --------------------------------------------------- NRI Polygon Data (1982) In the NRI database, NRI POLYGONS are used instead of ZIP codes. THEREFORE: When using the NRI database, whenever the ZIPFIP software mentions "ZIP" you should mentally substitute "NRI POLYGON" (in other words, NRI POLYGON is a ZIP code equivalent). The "NRI POLYGON" is the smallest sub-county region that can be identified using NRI data. An NRI POLYGON is defined by the land area that falls within the same county (FIPS), Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) and 8-digit hydrological unit code (HYDRO). There are 18,984 such areas. The data for a particular NRI POLYGON is constructed using all NRI points that share the same FIPS, MLRA and HYDRO. Unfortunately, 5264 of these 18,984 NRI POLYGONS have no NRI points within them (typically, this occurs when the NRI POLYGON lies predominately in federal lands). Thus, for these "non-mapping" polygons there is no NRI data available (the total number of "mapping NRI POLYGONS" is 13,720). Given the large number of "non-mapping" NRI POLYGONS, we recommend using the "MISSING VALUES SUBSTITUTION" option (in PRINTSTATS) when using NRI POLYGON data. When POINTS is equal to zero, data reported for an NRI POLYGON will be at the FIPS level of aggregation (using data for the FIPS that the NRI POLYGON is part of). In addition to the FIPS level NRI data, the following variables are included in the NRI POLYGON database: NRI_POLY The NRI POLYGON Identifier. Note that NRI_POLY can be used as a cross reference to the ZIP code data in the ZIPFIP90 database. MLRA MLRA (integer portion) MLRA SUB MLRA (character designator, if required, else missing) HYDRO_1 First 4 digits of 8 Digit hydrological unit area HYDRO_2 Last 4 digits of 8 Digit hydrological unit area Note 8 digit hydro is HYDRO_1..HYDRO_2 example: HYDRO_1=1790 and HYDRO_2=27 yields 8 digit hydro=17900027 SQ KM Area of NRI_POLYGON, in square kilometers This area is computed by summing up the area of each of the non-contiguous polygons that consitute this NRI POLYGON (see note below). # POLYS Number of # of distinct (non-contiguous) polygons in this NRI POLYGON. Notes: Due to limitations in the NRI data, WATERA and WATERB are not available at the NRI POLYGON level. For the non-mapping NRI POLYGONS, the NRI variables (EXPANSION, POINTS, % RCA1, etc.) have missing values. ----------------------------------------- Note on the Latitude and Longitude of NRI POLYGONS: Essentially, NRI POLYGONS are constructed by overlaying FIPS, MLRA and HYDRO boundaries. If one were to actually conduct such an overlay, almost 40,000 seperate polygons would be observed. In other words, many NRI POLYGONS actually consist of several, non-contiguous polygons; each of which lies in the same FIPS, MLRA and HYDRO. In such cases, the Latitude and Longitude of the centroid of the NRI POLYGON is computed using a weighted (by acreage) average of the centroids of these several non-contiguous polygons. For further discussion of NRI POLYGON, see: "Agricultural Chemical Use and Ground Water Quality: Where are the Potential Problem Areas?", by R. Kellogg, M. Maizel, and D. Goss. USDA/ERS publication. 12/92. ------------------------------------------------- Note on Accuracy of the NRI. Although the preceding NRI derived variables are presented at the county level, the following provisions should be read by all users of this data: "The major objective of the 1982 NRI was to obtain data useable for analysis at the Major Land Resource Area within State level. The sample was selected in a way guaranteeing that the coefficient of variation of an estimate is less than 10 percent if the land use comprises at least 10 percent of the land area within the particular MLRA under consideration. An example of why data users should be cautious is presented below for estimates of pastureland acreage: REGION ESTIMATED ACRES MARGIN OF ERROR U.S. 133,310,000 0.67 % Iowa 4,536,000 3 % MLRA 107 1,770,000 5 % Adair County, IA 76,000 29 % ====================================== Weather, Climate and Soil Database The weather, climate and soil database contains several climate and soil variables, by county. It also contains 6 years of monthly averages of rainfall and temperature (for 1982, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992). Note that several of the soil variables are also contained in the NRI database. (in fact, the quality control on these "NRI" variables is better in the NRI database). The variables are: FIPS FARM VALUE 1982 market value of farm land, including buildings, $ per acre. FARM REVNU 1982 gross revenue from crops sold in 1982, $ per acre. JAN PAVG1 January rainfall, inches, interpolated from climate weather stations. APR PAVG1 April rainfall, inches, interpolated from climate weather stations. JUL PAVG1 July rainfall, inches, interpolated from climate weather stations. OCT PAVG1 October rainfall, inches, interpolated from climate weather stations. JAN TAVG1 January temperature (average of daily minimum and maximum readings). interpolated from climate weather stations. APR TAVG1 April temperature interpolated from climate weather stations. JUL TAVG1 July temperature interpolated from climate weather stations. OCT TAVG1 October temperature interpolated from climate weather stations POP DENS Population density per square mile. SALINITY Percent of land which needs special treatment because of salt/alkalinity in the soils. FLOOD PRON Percent of land which is prone to flooding. IRRIGATED Percent of land where irrigation provides at least 50% of water requirements. WETLAND Percent of land considered wetland. K-FACTOR K factor-soil erodability in hundredths of inches. SLOPE LNTH Number of feet of slope length (not steepness). ALTITUDE Height from sea level, in feet. SOIL Mean surface layer texture of soil. SAND SAND = 1 if SOIL=1 or 2; = 0 if SOIL=3, 4, 5, or 6. CLAY CLAY = 1 if SOIL=5 or 6; = 0 if SOIL=1, 2, 3, or 4. CLIM DIV NOAA "within state" climate division (values from 1 to 10) The next 24 variables contain average Rain and Temperature for each month in 1982. Data for 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 can be extracted by choosing the "YEAR" (or SCALE) option under PRINTSTATS. County values are based on the NOAA climate division the county falls within (there are 344 NOAA climate divisions). Thus, these values are identical for all counties in the same climate division. NOTE that these RAIN and TEMP variables are WEATHER variables, as opposed to CLIMATE variables (the PAVG1 and TAVG1 variables above, and the GD60, TAVG and PAVG variables below). JAN RAIN 1/100 inches (516 = 5.16 inches). FEB RAIN MAR RAIN APR RAIN MAY RAIN JUN RAIN JLY RAIN AUG RAIN SEP RAIN OCT RAIN NOV RAIN DEC RAIN JAN TEMP Average temperature, computed as average over the monty FEB TEMP of the average of the min and max temperature. MAR TEMP In 1/100 degrees (6345 = 63.45 degrees) APR TEMP MAY TEMP JUN TEMP JLY TEMP AUG TEMP SEP TEMP OCT TEMP NOV TEMP DEC TEMP The following 36 variables are "30 year averages", for each of the 12 months. There is some redundancy between these variables and the TAVG1 and PAVG1 above, due to limitations of the various data sources). i)TAVG1 and PAVG1 variables are available only for 4 months (representing each of the 4 seasons). They were computed using weighted averages of climate weather stations near each county centroid. ii) The GD60, TAVG and PAVG variables are available for all 12 months. About 1/3 of these values (for the 17 western states) were computed using a weighted average of nearby weather stations. The remainder of the counties use data from the Weather District that the county falls within (there are 344 weather districts in the nation). iii)The GD60 variables are not available for the non-western states. Note: The weighted averages use the 10 closest "climate" weather stations, with the weight dependent on distance to county centroid and altitude (there are about 1800 climate weather stations nationwide). Note that following data is available ONLY for the 17 western states (about 1060 counties). They are computed using a weighted average of the 10 closest "climate" weather stations, with the weight dependent on distance to county centroid and altitude (there are about 1800 climate weather stations nationwide). JAN GD60 The GD60 are "growing degree days" variables, in 1/10 degrees. FEB GD60 The number of growing degree days in a month is computed as: MAR GD60 APR GD60 SUM MAX(0, 60 - TAVGi) MAY GD60 i=all days JUN GD60 in month JLY GD60 AUG GD60 Thus, if the average temperatur (TAVG) on day i SEP GD60 is 65 degrees, this will contribute 5 growing OCT GD60 degree days to the total. Note that if TAVGi < 60, NOV GD60 a value of 0 is used (negative numbers are NOT used). DEC GD60 (Note: a value of 5983 = 598.3 sixty degree growing degree days) JAN TAVG Average temperature in 1/100 degress= FEB TAVG Average over all days in a month MAR TAVG of (TEMP_MAX - TEMP_MIN ) / 2 APR TAVG MAY TAVG (Note: a value of 5013 = 50.13 degrees) JUN TAVG JLY TAVG AUG TAVG SEP TAVG OCT TAVG NOV TAVG DEC TAVG JAN PAVG Total precipitation per month, in 1/100 inches. FEB PAVG MAR PAVG (Note: a value of 134 = 1.34 inches) APR PAVG MAY PAVG JUN PAVG JLY PAVG AUG PAVG SEP PAVG OCT PAVG NOV PAVG DEC PAVG Note: The state code and name of these 17 western states are: 4 = ARIZONA 6 = CALIFORNIA 8 = COLORADO 16 = IDAHO 20 = KANSAS 30 = MONTANA 31 = NEBRASKA 32 = NEVADA 35 = NEW MEXICO 38 = NORTH DAKOTA 40 = OKLAHOMA 41 = OREGON 46 = SOUTH DAKOTA 48 = TEXAS 49 = UTAH 53 = WASHINGTON 56 = WYOMING