I listened to a comment about the median household income in Trego – and defaulted to my professional statement before retirement – “That’s American Community Survey data, and it’s not very good for small communities.” When I checked it, the $36,458 median household income for Trego translates as “somewhere between $27,478 and $45,438. ACS data has its uses, but it has to be used with a lot of caution.
So here’s a little ACS data on our communities – you can check for margin of error (MOE) here. I wouldn’t recommend using any of the numbers without reviewing MOE – but just sharing the data shows the variance. It’s safe to admit that my household was one selected for the ACS. With two retirees at home, I didn’t hurt Trego’s school enrollment rate, I raised the percentage of bachelors degree or above, kept the employment rate down, and raised the median age.
| Trego CDP | Fortine CDP | Eureka CCD | Rexford Town | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 515 | 317 | 6,470 | 78 |
| Median Age | 60.5 | 27.9 | 50.1 | 53.3 |
| Median Household Income | $36,458 | $68,036 | $40,827 | $30,481 |
| Bachelor’s Degree or more | 26.10% | 19.20% | 22.40% | 0.00% |
| Veterans | 6.80% | 16.20% | 12.90% | 16.80% |
| Poverty | 9.50% | 5.20% | 20.40% | 23.60% |
| School Enrollment | 97.80% | 72.30% | 81.90% | 100% |
| Employment Rate | 40.20% | 59.50% | 38.30% | 20.60% |
| Housing Units | 283 | 177 | 3,716 | 73 |
| Occupied Housing Units | 237 | 144 | 2,796 | 46 |
| Disabilities | 31.10% | 18.80% | 26.70% | 65.90% |
| Children under 18 | 9.30% | 32.50% | 22.10% | 13% |
It looks like the Fortine sample drew some younger respondents. Eureka CCD with a larger population and larger sample is probably closer to correct, and the town of Rexford data is probably close to useless because the small sample size almost guarantees sampling bias
Trego's Mountain Ear 
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