Chuuk State Census Report - pacificweb.org

2000 FSM Census of Chuuk StateChapter 3. Households, Families, and Marital StatusAnalysis of Data on Households and Marital StatusHouseholds and FamiliesTable 3.1 shows the type of living quarters in Chuuk from 1973 to 2000. Over nearly 30 years, the populationincreased from 31,599 in 1973 to 53,595 in 2000. Between 1973 and 2000, the population increased by 70 percent or21,996 persons, while between 1994 and 2000, it grew slightly by less than 1 percent or 276 persons. These totals donot include Chuukese living abroad during the census but included non-Chuukese persons who were living in ChuukState during the time of the census.The proportion of regular household residences increased from 95 percent in 1973 to 99 percent in 2000. Theproportion of group quarter residences decreased from 5 percent to less than 1 percent in 2000.In 2000, the average household size for Chuuk State was about 7.7 persons per household, slightly higher than in 1994,but lower than that in 1989 (7.9 persons per household). The average household size for 1989 was the highest, mainlybecause of the change in the definition. In the 1973 Census, six or more unrelated persons living in regular housingunits were classified as group quarter residences (see limitation and comparability for further detail). For this report,only the average family size for the year 1994 and 2000 could be measured. The average family size in 2000 was 7.8persons per family, a slight increase from 1994 of just one person.Table 3.1: Type of Living Quarters in Chuuk State: 1973 to 2000Census yearsCharacteristics1973 1989 1994 2000Total persons 31,599 47,871 53,319 53,595In regular households 30,008 47,250 52,714 53,264Percent 95.0 98.7 98.9 99.4In group quarters 1,591 621 605 662Percent 5.0 1.3 1.1 -Inmate of institution - 99 - -Other 1,591 522 605 662Persons per household 7.3 7.9 7.5 7.7Persons per family - - 7.7 7.8Source: 1973 TTPI Census, Table T3; 1989 Chuuk Census; 1994 FSM Census, Table P14; 2000 FSM Census, Table P2-2.Note: In 1973, persons in group quarter not available in detail.Table 3.2 shows the relationship of the household members to the householder as observed in the census years 1973,1989, 1994, and 2000. The census results in 1994 showed that more than 59 percent of the population enumerated werechildren whereas in the 2000 Census, about 50 percent of household members were children. The proportion of ‘otherrelatives’ decreased significantly from about 31 percent in 1973 to about 17 percent in 1994, but increased to a littleover 26 percent between 1994 and 2000. The proportion of ‘non-relatives’ remained insignificant throughout theobserved period. This suggests that household composition in Chuuk State was almost the same as familycomposition and the change in the household composition shows, among other things, a gradual shift from thetraditional extended family setting to a more Westernized or immediate family membership setup, probably foreconomic reasons.Table 3.2: Household Composition, Chuuk State: 1973 to 2000RelationshipCensus YearsPercent1973 1989 1994 2000 1973 1989 1994 2000In regular households 30,008 47,250 52,714 53,264 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0Householder 4,070 5,982 7,043 6,976 13.4 12.7 13.4 13.1Spouse 3,118 4,452 5,366 5,282 10.4 9.4 10.2 9.9Child 13,180 20,015 31,419 26,792 43.9 42.4 59.6 50.3Other relative 9,265 15,971 8,722 13,910 30.9 33.8 16.5 26.1Non relative 375 830 164 304 1.2 1.8 0.3 0.6Source: 1973 TTPI Census, Table T3; 1989 Chuuk Census; 1994 FSM Census, Table P14; 2000 FSM Census, Table P2-2.Table 3.3 shows the household composition by municipality in Chuuk State in 1994 and 2000. This table excludesthose persons living in-group quarters since the relationships do not apply to person’s in-group quarters. In 2000, thehousehold composition was uniform for all regions in Chuuk State, except for the proportion for other relatives. Theproportion for other relatives was slightly higher for the Outer Islands, probably because of the more traditional familyset up in the Outer Islands.Chuuk Branch Statistics Office, Division of Statistics, FSM Department of Economic Affairs 29