This report presents estimates of households for 3,138 counties and county equivalents in the United States as of July 1, 1985. County equivalents include census areas and boroughs in Alaska, parishes in Louisiana, the District of Columbia, and independent cities in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia.

Estimates are included for two counties established since the 1980 census: Cibola County, NM, created from part of Valencia County in 1981; and La Paz County, AZ, created from part of Yuma County in 1983. The 1980 data shown for these four counties are estimates reflecting current boundaries. Data for Maui County, HI, include Kalawao County, which had only 71 households in 1980. Because of the creation of two new counties and the merging of one county for statistical purposes, the number of counties (including county equivalents) included in this report is one more than the 3,137 counties in 1980 census reports. Kobuk Census Area in Alaska (with a boundary change) was renamed Northwest Arctic Borough in 1986.

In addition, this report includes July 1, 1985, estimates of population and average population per household. The estimates of population are consistent with revised county population estimates for July 1, 1985, issued for individual States.¹ These estimates supersede provisional July 1, 1985, county population estimates published in 1986.² The estimates of July 1, 1985, households in this report are consistent with previously published State household estimates,³ except in Arizona where five counties (including over 80 percent of the State's population) had special censuses in 1985. The use of special censuses in developing county household estimates is discussed in the section on methodology.

The 1980 census data shown on households, average population per household, and population are as published in 1980 census reports and do not reflect corrections to census counts because corrections were not made to counts of households (occupied housing units). The July 1, 1985, estimates of households in this report are consistent with population estimates that reflect corrections to 1980 census population counts. See the section, Accuracy of County Household Estimates, and table A-1 concerning corrections to 1980 census counts.

This report represents the first time that the Census Bureau has published postcensal estimates of households for counties. The research underlying these estimates was funded partially by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The methodology has been tested using data from the 1970-80 decade; however, it will not be possible to test how well the methodology works for estimating households for counties in the 1980's until results of the 1990 census become available.

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¹ U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-26, Nos. 85-AL-C through 85-WY-C (1987-1988).

² 2U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-26, No. 85-52-C, Provisional Estimates of the Population of Counties: July 1, 1985 (August 1986).

³ 3U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Reports, Series P-25, No. 1010, State Population and Household Estimates, with Age, Sex, and Components of Change: 1981-86 (September 1987).