SEAUS is a 3-digit numeric variable. Codes are state-specific and must be interpreted in combination with state of residence, as recorded GEO1_US.

See "State Economic Area Codes at IPUMS-USA.

Description

SEAUS stands for State Economic Area, a concept described fully in Donald J. Bogue, State Economic Areas, (Washington D.C., 1951). SEAs are generally either single counties or groups of contiguous counties within the same state that had similar economic characteristics when they were originally defined prior to the 1950 census.

Comparability — General

The U.S. census first used SEAs in 1950, and the concept was applied retroactively to the 1940 census public use sample. The SEAs for IPUMS International pre-1950 samples are the same as the IPUMS-USA historical SEAs. We combined counties to match as closely as possible the components of the 1940-1950 SEAs. However, shifts in county boundaries, primarily resulting from the creation of new counties as populations shifted and grew, mean that these earlier SEAs do not always contain exactly the same territory as their 1940-1950 counterparts (see COUNTYUS). This is particularly true of areas with relatively small populations in earlier years, which generally had more unstable county boundaries. There are exceptions, of course. Users who need to know the precise boundaries of counties for earlier years can refer to the boundary files available from the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) project.

SEAUS is compatible with the IPUMS-USA variable SEA, except for the Dakota Territory.

Universe

Availability

• United States: 1850a, 1850b, 1860, 1870, 1880a, 1880b, 1900, 1910