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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Consumer Expenditure Survey > Home

Note to 1980 through 2006 Consumer Expenditure Public Use Microdata Files

To users of the 1980 thru 2006 Consumer Expenditure Public Use Microdata Files:

Two small errors were found in the Interview and Diary public-use FMLY microdata files.

Error 1:

Files affected: All Diary and Interview FMLY files from 1980 through 2006, both SAS and ASCII.

Variables affected: HHID

It was discovered that the household identifier (HHID) on the FMLY files for both Interview and Diary was created incorrectly. HHID is designated to link CUs that live in the same census household together. In a handful of cases each quarter, some CUs are grouped together that did not live in the same household.

Error 2:

Files affected: Interview FMLY files: 1991Q4 (2 cases), 1992Q1 (2 cases), 1993Q3 (2 cases), 1994Q1 (2 cases), 1994Q3 (2 cases), and 1995Q2 (4 cases).

Diary FMLY files: 1997Q4 (2 cases)

Variables affected: HH_CU_Q

A few instances were found where there were incorrect HH_CU_Q values (total number of CUs in the CU’s household).

Fixes:

New HHIDs have been created for the files from 1990 onward. Prior to 1990, due to issues with the ID variables on the public-use CDs, we will not be creating the addendum files. The addendum files include all values for HHID and HH_CU_Q (though most values for HH_CU_Q will be identical to the previous release). These variables can be linked to the public-use files using NEWID and are available in both SAS and comma-delimited ASCII datasets.

Addendum files will be sent upon request to all users who have received the original release of the affected CDs.

To request the “HHID/HH_CU_Q addendum files” in ASCII or SAS format, please contact the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) and specify the year and survey (Interview and/or Diary) for which you need the addendum files. For these requests or for more information, contact the Consumer Expenditure Survey at:

Phone – (202) 691- 6900

Email – cexinfo@bls.gov

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us by telephone or email.

Last Modified Date: September 30, 2008