Dr. Michael R. Hyman, NMSU

Levels of Measurement

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Types of Measurement Scales

• Nominal/categorical

• Ordinal/rank order

• Interval

• Ratio

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Nominal/Categorical Data

• Zip code of residence

• Employment status

• Marital status

• Gender

• Race

• Religion

• Ethnicity

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Ordinal Data

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Interval Data

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Ratio Data

• Market share

• Sales (units and dollars)

• Income

• Number of salespersons per territory

• Number of full-time employed members of household

• Number of children in household

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Properties of Measurement Scales

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Properties of Measurement Scales

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Take measurements at highest level

Measure can’t exceed basic nature of attribute

e.g., taste

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Permissible Statistics

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Descriptive Statistics for Different Scale Types

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Recap

• Levels of measurement

– Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio

• Properties of scales

– Order, distance, and origin

• Permissible statistics