This is an update of a chart originally found on the Census Bureau web site.
| Current Population Survey (CPS) (March Income Supplement) | Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) | Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) | |
| Source | Bureau of Labor Statistics | Census Bureau | Institute for Social Research |
| Sample size | 60,000 households; (households rotate out) | 14,000 to ~40,000 households; (new panels created periodically). | ~8,000 families; (over- represents low-income families; adds descendant households). |
| Sample design | Cross-sectional | Longitudinal. | Longitudinal. |
| Date began | 1940 |
1983 (data begins with 1984) Predecessor program (1977-1981) was Income Survey Development Program (ISDP). |
1968 |
| Frequency | Monthly (Base + supplements¹) | Continuing | Annual (1968-1996); Biennial (1997 to present) |
| Documentation | BLS Handbook of Methods, chapt. 1; CPS Topics Index |
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Documentation |
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Sample designed to be representative within states?
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Yes | No | No |
| Income data | Data for prior calendar year for about 35 cash and in-kind Sources | Data for about 70 cash and in-kind Sources at each 4- month wave, with monthly reporting for most Sources | Data for prior calendar year for about 25 cash and in-kind Sources with specific months received |
| Tax data | None | Information to determine federal, state, and local income taxes; payroll taxes; property taxes | Information to determine federal, state, and local income taxes; payroll taxes; property taxes |
| Asset-holdings data | None, except home ownership | Detailed inventory of real and financial assets and liabilities; more frequent measures for assets relevant for assistance programs | Information about home value and mortgage debt; occasional information about saving behavior and wealth |
| Expenditure data | None | Information on previous month’s out-of-pocket medical care costs, shelter costs (mortgage or rent and utilities), dependent care costs, and child support payments |