Definition of "households" in IMPLAN
I'd like to know whether to use household income or family income in running the Household income change module.
Specifically, does IMPLAN’s definition for households follow the Census’ definition: “A household consists of all people who live in the same housing unit, including related family members and unrelated people, such as lodgers, foster children, wards, or employees.” This definition is in contrast to the Census’ definition of a family: “A family is defined as any group of persons with identifiable relationships by blood, marriage, or adoption. A single individual residing without any relatives is considered a separate family. Thanks.
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Hello, Thank you for your forum post. We use the Census definition of Households and calculate Household counts by multiplying the average Household size from Census table B25010 (see attached screenshot) by Population in the region. We get Household expenditure data from the BEA's NIPA table 2.5.5. These data measure the goods and services purchased by “persons”—that is, by households and by nonprofit institutions serving households (NPISHs)—who are resident in the United States. See Chapter 5 of this document for more on the BEA's PCE methodology: http://bea.gov/national/pdf/NIPAchapters1-9.pdf However, all that being said, what matters most for you is what you are trying to study. While our expenditure data are based on Households, it will be a fine proxy for "Family" spending if that is what you are most interested in modeling. Thanks!
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