CPS Documentation

The primary documentation for the various CEPR data extracts are the programs themselves. They provide an exact description of the definition of each of the variables and, in most cases, are heavily annotated.

For the wage data in the CEPR ORG extracts and the other CEPR CPS extracts that have been merged with the CPS ORG, we recommend that you take a look at: “Creating a consistent hourly wage series from the Current Population Survey’s Outgoing Rotation Group, 1979-2002,” a CEPR Working Paper from August 2003.

The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have produced a great deal of useful documentation about the CPS. The best place to start is the Census CPS home page.

The National Bureau of Economic Research makes most of the original CPS documentation available on their web page, including the Basic CPS, the ORG, and most of the periodic supplements to the CPS.

 

Below are the documents that refer to the CPS in general, and not specifically to one of the supplements.

• CPS Industry Classification Codes
  • January 2014 – Present
  • May 2012 – December 2013
  • January 2003 – April 2012
• CPS Occupation Classification Codes
  • May 2012 – Present
  • January 2011 – April 2012
  • January 2003 – December 2010
• CPS Metro Area Codes
  • May 2014 – Present
  • August 2005 – April 2014
• CPS World Countries Codes
• Labor Force and Employment Estimates Smoothed for Population Adjustments