Article #29-2 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The 1990 United States Census, by United States. Bureau of the Census

  Total population......................................  4,040,587<br />

SEX
Male..................................................... 1,936,162
Female................................................... 2,104,425
AGE
Under 5 years............................................ 283,295
5 to 17 years............................................ 775,493
18 to 20 years........................................... 205,557
21 to 24 years........................................... 237,778
25 to 44 years........................................... 1,232,067
45 to 54 years........................................... 419,421
55 to 59 years........................................... 183,677
60 to 64 years........................................... 180,310
65 to 74 years........................................... 301,218
75 to 84 years........................................... 173,264
85 years and over........................................ 48,507
Median age............................................... 33.0
Under 18 years.............................................. 1,058,788
Percent of total population.............................. 26.2
65 years and over........................................... 522,989
Percent of total population.............................. 12.9
HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE
Total households............................................ 1,506,790
Family households (families)............................. 1,103,835
Married-couple families............................... 858,327
Percent of total households........................ 57.0
Other family, male householder........................ 44,288
Other family, female householder...................... 201,220
Nonfamily households..................................... 402,955
Percent of total households........................ 26.7
Householder living alone.............................. 358,078
Householder 65 years and over...................... 154,191
Persons living in households............................. 3,948,185
Persons per household.................................... 2.62
GROUP QUARTERS
Persons living in group quarters......................... 92,402
Institutionalized persons............................. 51,583
Other persons in group quarters....................... 40,819
RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN
White.................................................... 2,975,797
Black.................................................... 1,020,705
Percent of total population........................... 25.3
American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut........................ 16,506
Percent of total population........................... 0.4
Asian or Pacific Islander................................ 21,797
Percent of total population........................... 0.5
Other race............................................... 5,782
Hispanic origin (of any race)............................ 24,629
Percent of total population........................... 0.6

1990 Census of Population and Housing Page 2
*** Alabama

  Total housing units...................................  1,670,379<br />

OCCUPANCY AND TENURE
Occupied housing units................................... 1,506,790
Owner occupied........................................ 1,061,897
Percent owner occupied............................. 70.5
Renter occupied....................................... 444,893
Vacant housing units..................................... 163,589
For seasonal, recreational, or occasional use......... 35,609
Homeowner vacancy rate (percent).......................... 1.8
Rental vacancy rate (percent)............................. 9.4
Persons per owner-occupied unit.......................... 2.70
Persons per renter-occupied unit......................... 2.44
Units with over 1 person per room........................ 52,927
UNITS IN STRUCTURE
1-unit, detached......................................... 1,133,927
1-unit, attached......................................... 31,943
2 to 4 units............................................. 96,104
5 to 9 units............................................. 66,413
10 or more units......................................... 102,462
Mobile home, trailer, other.............................. 239,530
VALUE
Specified owner-occupied units........................... 753,827
Less than $50,000..................................... 343,854
$50,000 to $99,000.................................... 310,737
$100,000 to $149,000.................................. 62,459
$150,000 to $199,999.................................. 20,129
$200,000 to $299,999.................................. 11,264
$300,000 or more...................................... 5,384
Median (dollars)...................................... 53,700
CONTRACT RENT
Specified renter-occupied units paying cash rent......... 386,179
Less than $250........................................ 214,363
$250 to $499.......................................... 155,027
$500 to $749.......................................... 14,380
$750 to $999.......................................... 1,594
$1,000 or more........................................ 815
Median (dollars)...................................... 229
RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN OF HOUSEHOLDER
Occupied housing units................................... 1,506,790
White................................................. 1,159,263
Black................................................. 334,513
Percent of occupied units.......................... 22.2
American Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut..................... 5,288
Percent of occupied units.......................... 0.4
Asian or Pacific Islander............................. 6,077
Percent of occupied units.......................... 0.4
Other race............................................ 1,649
Hispanic origin (of any race)......................... 7,373
Percent of occupied units.......................... 0.5

Explanation

This excerpt is a statistical table from the 1990 United States Census, specifically for the state of Alabama. While not a traditional literary text, it is a governmental document that serves as a socioeconomic snapshot of the state at the time. Below is a detailed breakdown of its content, themes, literary/expository devices, and significance, with a focus on interpreting the data as a form of textual representation of Alabama’s demographics, housing, and social structures in 1990.

1. Context of the Source

Purpose: The U.S. Census, conducted every 10 years, collects data on population, housing, race, age, and economic status to inform policy, funding, and infrastructure planning.
Historical Context (1990):
- The U.S. was in a period of economic transition (post-Reagan era, early globalization).
- Alabama, a Southern state with a history of racial segregation and agricultural economy, was shifting toward industrialization and service sectors.
- The Civil Rights Movement (1950s–60s) had reshaped demographics, but disparities persisted.
- The AIDS epidemic, deindustrialization, and rising incarceration rates (especially affecting Black communities) were key social issues.

This census data reflects these structural realities in numerical form.

2. Themes in the Text

The data reveals several social, economic, and demographic themes:

A. Population and Age Structure

Total Population: 4,040,587 (relatively small compared to national figures).
Gender Imbalance: More females (2,104,425) than males (1,936,162), possibly due to:
- Higher male mortality rates (occupational hazards, healthcare disparities).
- Migration patterns (men leaving for military or industrial jobs).
Age Distribution:
- 26.2% under 18 → High birth rates or young population (common in Southern states).
- 12.9% over 65 → Aging population but not yet at crisis levels (cf. modern "graying" trends).
- Median age: 33 → Relatively young workforce.
- Large 25–44 cohort (1,232,067) → Prime working-age group, suggesting economic dependency on labor.

B. Race and Ethnic Composition

White (73.6%) vs. Black (25.3%): Alabama’s racial binary reflects its history of slavery, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights Movement.
- Black population (1,020,705) is disproportionately high compared to the national average (~12% in 1990), a legacy of the Great Migration’s reverse flow (some Black families returned to the South post-1970s).
- Extremely low Hispanic (0.6%) and Asian (0.5%) populations → Alabama was not yet a major immigrant destination (unlike California or Texas).
- Near-invisibility of Native Americans (0.4%) → Erasure of Indigenous presence post-colonization.

C. Household and Family Structures

Family Households (73.3%) vs. Nonfamily (26.7%):
- Married-couple families dominate (57%), reflecting traditional Southern family values.
- Female-headed households (201,220) outnumber male-headed (44,288) by ~4.5x → Indicates:
  - Single motherhood (possibly due to poverty, incarceration of men, or divorce).
  - Economic vulnerability (single-parent households are more likely to be poor).
Persons per household: 2.62 → Slightly higher than the national average (~2.5), suggesting multigenerational living (common in Black and working-class white families).

D. Housing and Economic Disparities

Homeownership Rate (70.5%) → High for the U.S. (national avg. ~64% in 1990), but:
- Median home value: $53,700 (~$115,000 in 2023 dollars) → Low compared to national median (~$79,100 in 1990), indicating lower wealth accumulation.
- Renter-occupied units (29.5%) pay extremely low rents (median $229/month → ~$500 today), suggesting:
  - Poverty-level wages (minimum wage in 1990: $3.80/hr).
  - Lack of affordable housing (overcrowding: 52,927 units with >1 person/room).
Vacancy Rates:
- Rental vacancy (9.4%) higher than homeowner (1.8%) → Landlords struggling to fill units (possible economic stagnation in rural areas).
- Mobile homes (239,530) → 14.3% of housing units, reflecting rural poverty and lack of traditional housing infrastructure.

E. Institutionalization and Group Quarters

92,402 in group quarters:
- 51,583 institutionalized (prisons, nursing homes, mental hospitals) → High incarceration rates (Alabama’s prison system was already overcrowded by 1990).
- 40,819 in "other" group quarters (college dorms, military bases) → Maxwell Air Force Base and historically Black colleges (e.g., Tuskegee, Alabama State) contribute to this figure.

3. Literary/Expository Devices

While not a "literary" text, the census uses structural and rhetorical techniques to convey information:

A. Numerical Juxtaposition (Contrast)

Wealth vs. Poverty:
- $300,000+ homes (5,384) vs. <$50,000 homes (343,854) → Stark inequality.
- Rents <$250 (214,363) vs. >$1,000 (815) → Most renters are poor.
Race vs. Opportunity:
- Black population (25.3%) vs. Black homeownership (22.2% of households) → Systemic barriers to wealth.

B. Implied Narratives (Subtext)

The data tells stories without explicit commentary:

The Legacy of Segregation: High Black population but low economic mobility.
Rural Decline: Mobile homes and low home values suggest agricultural collapse (post-mechanization).
Gendered Poverty: Female-headed households imply absent men (incarceration, military, or labor migration).

C. Statistical Irony

Alabama’s self-image vs. reality:
- "Family values" state → But high single motherhood and low wages.
- "Affordable living" → But also persistent poverty (median rent $229 = $500 today—still very low).

D. Absences and Silences

No data on:
- Education levels (would show literacy rates, college attainment).
- Income distribution (would reveal wage gaps).
- Health outcomes (life expectancy, disease rates).
- LGBTQ+ populations (not tracked in 1990).
These omissions reflect the limitations of census categories and what society deemed important to measure.

4. Significance of the Text

A. Historical Record

Captures Alabama at a transitional moment:
- Post-Civil Rights Era (25 years after Voting Rights Act).
- Pre-mass incarceration boom (1990s "tough on crime" laws would explode prison populations).
- Early stages of globalization (textile/job losses not yet fully felt).

B. Policy Implications

Housing: High mobile home usage → Need for rural infrastructure investment.
Racial Disparities: Black Alabamians overrepresented in poverty, underrepresented in homeownership → Redlining, discrimination in lending.
Aging Population: 12.9% over 65 → Future strain on Social Security/Medicare.

C. Cultural and Sociological Insights

Southern Identity: High marriage rates, religious influence, but also high poverty.
Black Belt Region: The data hints at persistent racial divides in wealth and opportunity.
Economic Stagnation: Low rents and home values suggest limited economic growth outside urban centers (Birmingham, Huntsville).

D. Comparative Value

vs. 2020 Census:
- Alabama’s population grew slowly (5M in 2020).
- Hispanic population exploded (now ~5%).
- Median home value rose (~$170K in 2020), but wage growth lagged.
- Prison population more than doubled (from ~50K in 1990 to ~100K+ in 2020).

5. Critical Interpretation: What the Numbers Don’t Say

While the census is objective, it hides human stories:

The 1,020,705 Black Alabamians: Many are descendants of sharecroppers, living in former plantation counties with generational poverty.
The 358,078 people living alone: How many are elderly, isolated, or widowed?
The 51,583 institutionalized: How many are in prisons vs. mental hospitals? (Alabama’s Bryce Hospital was infamous for abuses.)
The 24,629 Hispanics: Likely migrant farmworkers, often undercounted due to fear of deportation.

The census quantifies but doesn’t qualify—it counts people but doesn’t explain their lives.

6. Conclusion: The Census as a "Text"

This excerpt is more than just numbers—it’s a cultural artifact that reveals:

Structural inequalities (race, gender, class).
Economic vulnerabilities (low wages, housing instability).
Historical continuities (legacy of slavery, segregation, deindustrialization).
The limits of data (what’s measured vs. what’s ignored).

It invites readers to ask questions:

Why are so many households female-headed?
What does the high mobile home count say about rural Alabama?
How did these numbers change by 2000, 2010, or 2020?

In this way, the 1990 Alabama Census is not just a bureaucratic document but a narrative of a place and its people—one that requires context, criticism, and humanization to fully understand.