A person under care or custody at the time of enumeration. Inmates are persons in such facilities as homes, schools, hospitals, or wards for the physically or mentally handicapped; persons in hospitals or wards for mental, tubercular, or chronic diseases; persons in homes for unmarried mothers; persons in nursing, convalescent, and rest homes for the aged and dependent; persons in orphanages; and persons in correctional institutions. These persons are enumerated as residents of an institution--regardless of their length of stay in the particular place and regardless of the number of people in the places. Some tabulations include data by major types of institutions (home for the aged, mental hospital, correctional institution and other institutions).

Persons living in group quarters who are not inmates of institutions. Rooming and boarding houses, communes, farm and nonfarm workers' dormitories, convents or monasteries, and other living quarters are classified as "other" group quarters if there are 9 or more persons unrelated to the person listed in column 1 of the census questionnaire; or if 10 or more unrelated persons share the unit. Persons residing in certain other types of living arrangements are classified as living in "other" group quarters regardless of the number or relationship of people in the unit. These include persons residing in military barracks, on ships, in college dormitories, or in sorority and fraternity houses; patients in general or maternity wards of hospitals who have no usual residence elsewhere; staff members in institutional quarters; and persons enumerated in missions, flophouses, Salvation Army shelters, railroad stations, etc.

In 1970, 6 or more unrelated persons living together were classified as group quarters; for 1980 that requirement was raised to 10 or more unrelated persons.

See also: "Household."