Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population and Housing, Demographic Profile. Updated every 10 years. http://factfinder.census.gov
Definitions:
Per capita income is the mean money income received in 1999 computed for every man, woman, and child in a geographic area. It is derived by dividing the total income of all people 15 years old and over in a geographic area by the total population in that area. Note -- income is not collected for people under 15 years old even though those people are included in the denominator of per capita income. This measure is rounded to the nearest whole dollar.
Money income includes amounts reported separately for wage or salary income; net self-employment income; interest, dividends, or net rental or royalty income or income from estates and trusts; Social Security or Railroad Retirement income; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); public assistance or welfare payments; retirement, survivor, or disability pensions; and all other income.
Scope and Methodology:
These data are collected on the census long form. Roughly one in every six households received this sample questionnaire. The data are estimates and are subject to sampling variability. Information on the accuracy of data and sampling is in Chapter 8 of Summary File 3 documentation.
Since answers to income questions are frequently based on memory and not on records, many people tended to forget minor or sporadic sources of income and, therefore, underreport their income. Underreporting tends to be more pronounced for income sources that are not derived from earnings, such as public assistance, interest, dividends, and net rental income.
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