A group quarters is a place where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement, that is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. This is not a typical household-type living arrangement. People living in group quarters usually are not related to each other. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers dormitories.
Institutional Group Quarters
Includes facilities for people under formally authorized, supervised care or custody at the time of interview, such as correctional facilities, nursing facilities/skilled nursing facilities, in-patient hospice facilities, mental (psychiatric) hospitals, group homes for juveniles, and residential treatment centers for juveniles.
Noninstitutional Group Quarters
Includes facilities that are not classified as institutional group quarters, such as college/university housing, group homes intended for adults, residential treatment facilities for adults, workers group living quarters and Job Corps centers, and religious group quarters.
A complete description of the types of group quarters included in the 2008 ACS is located on the "Appendix G: Code Lists".
Collection of data from group quarters began in the 2006 American Community Survey. No data exist for prior ACS years.
