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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Consumer Expenditure Survey > Publications

PUMD Documentation

This page contains the documentation for the CE public-use microdata (PUMD).

All year-specific Interview and Diary Survey documentation has been combined into the PUMD Getting Started Guide.

PUMD Getting Started Guide provides documentation for the CE PUMD, its conventions, files, and methodology.
Dictionary for Interview and Diary Surveys (XLSX) provides variables and codes.
Sample code provides code in SAS, STATA, and R to prepare annual averages using the data in the Interview Survey, Diary Survey, or both surveys (called "Integrated") and the results. The code may need to be adjusted for specific years.

Additional resources

Considerations When Using the Public-use Microdata discusses considerations when preparing and interpreting estimates with PUMD.
Survey materials lists the documents used to collect data for the Interview Survey and the Diary Survey.

Hierarchical groupings (zip) includes a description of each UCC along with its hierarchical standing within each expenditure or income category for a given year. Hierarchical groupings are not available for years prior to 1996. For years 1996 and forward, three file types are available:

Integrated groupings lists UCCs that the CE tables use, and identifies the survey source for the UCCs. These files use this naming convention: CE-HG-Integ-2017.
Interview groupings lists the UCCs from the Interview Survey. These files use this naming convention: CE-HG-Inter-2017. Not available for 1996.

Diary groupings list the UCCs from the Diary Survey. These files use this naming convention: CE-HG-Diary-2017. Not available for 1996.

For each UCC, the files provide this information:

Column	Content	Start position	Options
1	Type of information in the line	1	1: First line of name 2: Second line of name *: Comment line
2	Level of aggregation	4	Highest level of aggregation is 1 and lowest 9.
3	Name of the UCC	7
4	UCC lists the identifier of the UCC	70
5	Source or purpose of the UCC	83	I: Interview survey D: Diary survey G and T: Titles S: Statistical UCCs
6	Factor by which the mean has to be multiplied to match the annualized data in the published tables	86	1: Multiply times 1 4: Multiply times 4
7	Data sections	89	CUCHARS: CU characteristics FOOD: Food expenditures EXPEND: Non-food expenditures INCOME: Income types ASSETS: Asset types ADDENDA: Other financial information and gifts

Source selection file (XLSX) identifies the survey source for the characteristics, expenditure, and income items in the CE tables. Information on source selection is available starting with 1996.
Description of income imputation provides information on the methods the CE program uses to estimate income starting in 2004.
Protection of respondent confidentiality provides information on the methods the CE surveys use to protect the confidentiality of respondents.

Errata provide information on the errors and their correction in the files of a particular year.

Year	File and topic
2017	INB - Non-health insurances, HHP - Health insurance, and OPI - Condo fee
2013-2014	OPI - Properties and IHB - UCC 580311 and 580905
2010	EXPN - QYEAR
2010	MTAB - PUBFLAG and Paradata files - CU identification
2009	MEMB - Social Security
2008	UTA - QYEAR, TELRESD, TELCELL, TINTNET_, and TCABLE_
2008	RBT - Tax Rebate
2005	DTBD - AMOUNT
2005	FMLI - Selected variables and MTBI - QREC3MX and UCC 310340
2004	MOR and HEL - All variables
2004	OVB - VEHICYR
2001-2007	FRB and UTP - All variables
1980-2006	FMLI and FMLD - HHID
1999-2004	FMLI - Travel

Last Modified Date: January 16, 2020