1

Reference Guide

CE Data Quality Profile 

Last updated: April 29, 2022

Grayson Armstrong, Gray Jones, Tucker Miller & Sharon Pham 
Contents

Overview................................................................................................................................................................................1

Summary of changes to data collection during COVID-19 ................................................................................................2

Final disposition rates of eligible units (Interview and Diary Surveys).............................................................................3

Records use (Interview Survey)...........................................................................................................................................9

Expenditure edit rates (Interview and Diary Surveys).....................................................................................................10

Income imputation rates (Interview and Diary Surveys).................................................................................................13

Respondent burden (Interview Survey)............................................................................................................................15

Information book use (Interview and Diary Surveys).......................................................................................................16

Survey Mode (Interview Survey).......................................................................................................................................18

Survey Time (Interview and Diary Surveys)......................................................................................................................19
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 1

Overview

The Reference Guide accompanies the annual Data Quality Profile (DQP) for the Consumer Expenditure Surveys 

(CE). It contains supplemental material on metric description and documentation that CE data users can reference 

when reading the annual DQP. The metrics produced for the DQP are outlined in table 1, as well as the error 

dimensionsthat a metric is intended to monitor, the applicable CE Interview Survey or Diary Survey, and the time 

series available on the metric. 

Table 1. Metrics by error dimensions, survey, and DQP production years

Metrics

Total Survey Error Dimensions

associated with the metric Survey

Time series

Measurement Nonresponse Processing Cost Interview Diary

1. Final 

disposition rates 

of eligible units   

2010 –

present

2. Records use

 *

2016 –

present

3. Expenditure 

edit rates     

2010 –

present

4. Income 

imputation rates     

2010 –

present

5. Respondent 

burden    

2017 –

present

6. Information 

book use  * 

2016 –

present

7. Survey mode

 * 2016 –

present

8. Survey time

  * 

2016 –

present

* These CE Interview Survey metrics are conditioned by wave. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 2

Summary of changes to data collection during COVID-19 

This section provides a brief overview of the changes in data collectionthat occurred in response to the COVID 19 

pandemic and the resulting public safety guidelines.

• March 2020 – The Census Bureau suspends all in-person interviews.

• July 2020 – Interviewersresumed in-person interviews in some locations. Since then, in-person 

interviews have expanded as local regulations allowed.

• 2021 Q2 – The Bureau of Labor Statisticsshifted the responsibility of COVID non-response 

reclassifications to the Census Bureau. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 3

Final disposition rates of eligible units (Interview and Diary Surveys)

The unit of observation for the CE is the CU, so response and nonresponse rates are computed at the CU level. The 

CE adopts the Census Bureau’s categorization of eligible CUs who do not respond to the survey as a “Type A 

nonresponse.” Type A nonresponse is differentiated into subcategories of reasons for nonresponse: “Noncontact” 

when the interviewer is unable to contact an eligible member of the CU; “Refusal” when the contacted CU 

member refuses; and “Other nonresponse” for miscellaneous other reasons. Among the “Type A nonresponse” 

reasons is a minimal expenditure edit check performed by the CE that can change an interviewer-coded 

“completed interview” for a CU to “non-respondent”; this type of edit is referred to as nonresponse 

reclassification. A mapping of the CE to American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) final disposition 

codes for in-person, household surveysis presented in this section. 

Response and nonresponse rates are measures of cooperation levels in a survey. Since not all eligible sample units 

will be available or agree to participate in the survey, there will be some nonresponse to the survey request. 

Characteristics of non-respondents may differ from respondents, and if these characteristics correlate with their 

expenditures, their omission from the survey may result in biased estimates. While weighting adjustments may 

reduce bias, the effectiveness of this approachdepends on the availability and quality of variables used in the 

weighting, so concerns about bias persist. A single, survey-level measure, such as a survey response rate, in itself is 

an inadequate measure of nonresponseerror. Nevertheless, higher response rates are preferred in the absence of 

other indicators of nonresponsebias.

The nonresponsereclassification check is conducted in both the CE Interview Survey and CE Diary Survey. The 

nonresponsereclassification rates can serve as an indicator of the potential for nonresponsebias because the 

minimal expenditure edit (which triggers reclassification) converts these respondents to non-respondents. If those 

reclassified as non-respondents are systematically different from respondentsin their spending patterns, 

nonresponsebias will result. All else equal, lower reclassification rates are desired.

Response rates can be reported unweighted or weighted. Unweighted response rates provide an indicationof the 

proportion of the sample that resulted in useable information to produce estimates. They also serve as a means of 

monitoring the progress of fieldwork and for identifying problems with nonresponsethat can be addressed during 

fieldwork operations. Weighted response rates provide an indication of the proportion of the survey population for 

which useable information is available, since the weights allow for inference of the sample to the population. The 

weights typically used are base weights (the inverse probability of selecting the sample units). Weighted and 

unweighted response rates for CE do not meaningfully differ,so only unweighted rates are presented in the DQP.
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 4

Each survey wave is treated independently (that is, as an independent CU) in the computation of the CE Interview 

Survey response rates, and each diary week is treated independently for the CE Diary Survey response rates. In the 

metric tables for Final Disposition, the number of eligible CUs is the countof CU addresses eligible for the interview 

in the collection period, not the countof unique CUs.

Response and nonresponse rates

Table 3 shows the mapping of the CE final disposition codes to the AAPOR final disposition codes for inperson household survey: [AAPOR Standard Definitions (2016)]. 

Table 2. Mapping of CE final disposition codes with AAPOR codes

AAPOR final disposition codes for in-person, household 

survey 

CE Interview Survey Final 

Disposition Codes

CE Diary Survey Final 

Disposition Codes

1. Interview 1.0

Complete (I) 1.1 201 Completed interview 201 Completed interview

Partial (P) 1.2 203 Sufficient partial 

(through Section 20, no 

further follow-up)

217 Interview- Temporarily 

Absent1

2. Eligible, Non-Interview 2.0

Refusal and break-offs (R) 2.10

 Refusals 2.11 321 Refused, hostile(A)

322 Refused, time(A)

323 Refused, language (A)

324 Refused, other (A)

321 Refused, hostile(A)

322 Refused, time(A)

323 Refused, language (A)

324 Refused, other -specify 

(A)

 Household-level refusal 2.111 n/a n/a

 Known respondent refusal 2.112 n/a n/a

Break-off 2.12 215 Insufficient partial (A)

Non-contact (NC) 2.20

 No one at residence 2.24 216 No one home 216 No one home 

 Respondent away/unavailable 2.25 217 Temporarily absent

Other (O) 2.30 324 Refused, other 324 Refused, other

 Unable to enter 

 building/reach housing unit 

2.23 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

 Dead 2.31 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

 Physically or mentally

 unable/incompetent 

2.32 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

1 CE Diary Survey: Type A code “217 – temporarily absent” is treated as a completed interviewby CE. The Diary 

Survey is designed to collect data for respondents when they are at home, and the Interview Survey is designed to 

collect data for respondents when they are both at home and away on trips. When everyone is away on a trip in a 

Diary household during the Diary placement or pickup window, they are counted as completed interviews with $0 

of expenditures at home. This includes respondents away at a secondary residence. Since Diary Survey and 

Interview Survey data are merged or “integrated” during estimation, this practice is designed to capture the right 

amount of expenditures.
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 5

AAPOR final disposition codes for in-person, household 

survey 

CE Interview Survey Final 

Disposition Codes

CE Diary Survey Final 

Disposition Codes

 Language (did not refuse) 2.33 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

 Household-level language

 problem 

2.331 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

 Respondent language

 problem 

2.332 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

 No interviewer available

 for needed language 

2.333 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

 Miscellaneous 2.36 219 Other (A) 219 Other (A)

320 Second week diary 

picked up too early (A)

325 Diary placed too late (A)

326 Blank diary, majority of 

items recalled w/o receipts 

(A)

3. Unknown eligibility, non-interview2 3.0

Unknown if housing unit occupied (UH) 3.10 n/a n/a

 Not attempted or worked 3.11

 Unable to reach/unsafe area 3.17

 Unable to locate address 3.18 258 Unlocated sample 

address (C): Treated as 

ineligible for CE

258 Unlocated sample 

address (C): Treated as 

ineligible for CE

Housing unit/Unknown if eligible 

respondent (UO) 

3.20 n/a n/a

 No screener completed 3.21

 Other 3.90

4. Not Eligible 4.0

Out of sample 4.10

Not a housing unit 4.50 228 Unfit, to be demolished 

(B)

229 Under construction, not 

ready (B)

231 Unoccupied tent/trailer 

site (B)

232 Permit granted, 

construction not started (B)

240 Demolished (C)

241 House/trailer moved (C)

243 Converted to permanent 

nonresidential (C)

228 Unfit, to be demolished 

(B)

229 Under construction, not 

ready (B)

231 Unoccupied tent/trailer 

site (B)

232 Permit granted, 

construction not started (B)

240 Demolished (C)

241 House/trailer moved (C)

243 Converted to permanent 

nonresidential (C)

Business, government office, other 

organization 

4.51 243 Converted to permanent 

nonresidential (C)

243 Converted to permanent 

nonresidential (C)

Institution 4.52 n/a n/a

2 CE does not have an “Unknown eligibility” classification because the Census Bureau trains interviewers to treat 

any case of unknown eligibility as Type A.
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 6

AAPOR final disposition codes for in-person, household 

survey 

CE Interview Survey Final 

Disposition Codes

CE Diary Survey Final 

Disposition Codes

Group quarters 4.53 252 Located on military base 

or post (C) 

252 Located on military base 

or post (C)

Vacant housing unit 4.60 226 Vacant for rent (B)

331 Vacant for sale (B)

332 Vacant other (B)

341 CU moved (C)

342 CU merged with another 

CE CU within the same 

address (C)

226 Vacant for rent (B)

331 Vacant for sale (B)

332 Vacant other (B)

341 CU moved (C)

342 CU merged with another 

CE CU within the same 

address (C)

Regular, Vacant residences 4.61

Seasonal/Vacation/Temporary residence 4.62 332 Vacant other (B)

225 Occupied by persons 

with URE (B)

332 Vacant other (B)

225 Occupied by persons 

with URE (B)

Other 4.63 233 Other (B)

244 Merged units within 

same structure (C) 

245 Condemned (C)

247 Unused serial number or 

listing sheet (C)

248 Other (C)

259 Unit does not exist or is 

out of scope 

290 Spawned in error (C)

233 Other (B)

244 Merged units within 

same structure (C) 

245 Condemned (C)

247 Unused serial number or 

listing sheet (C)

248 Other (C)

259 Unit does not exist or is 

out of scope 

No eligible respondent 4.70 224 All persons under 16 (B) 224 All persons under 16 (B)

Quota filled 4.80 n/a n/a

Note: Census Bureau non-interview categories: (A) = Type A, (B) = Type B, (C) = Type C

In the following definitions for eligible sample, response rate, refusal rate, noncontact rate, and other nonresponse

rate, the formula contain the variablesI, P, R, NC, O, which refer to groupings of final disposition codes that are 

defined in table 3 above.

Eligible Sample (denominator for response, refusal, noncontact, and other nonresponse rates)

= I + P + R + NC + O

The total number of eligible units -those who completed interviews (I, P), plus nonresponsedue to refusals, noncontact, or other reasons (R, NC, O). This excludes any address that was sampled and ineligible (for example, an 

abolished household at a sampled address or a commercial business at a sampled address). 

Response Rate (AAPOR definition RR2) 

= (I + P) / (I + P + R + NC + O)
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 7

Defined as total number of good and partial interviews (interviews that provide data for use in the production 

tables), divided by the eligible sample. For the CE, unknown eligible housing units are coded as “Eligible noninterview” (i.e. Type A).

Refusal Rate (AAPOR definition REF3)

= R / (I + P + R + NC + O)

Defined as total number of eligible nonresponses that were refused or started, but not completed, divided by the 

eligible sample. Refused interviews includes refusals due to time, language problems, and other types of refusals.

Noncontact Rate (1 - AAPOR definition CON3)

= NC / (I + P + R + NC + O)

Defined as total number of eligible nonresponses, due to inability to make contact with an eligible sample unit 

member, divided by the eligible sample.

Other Nonresponse Rate 

= O / (I + P + R + NC + O)

Defined as total number of eligible nonresponses, due to reasons other than refusal and noncontact with an 

eligible sample unit member, divided by the eligible sample. 

The sum of Response Rate, Refusal Rate, Noncontact Rate, and Other Nonresponse Rate comprise 100 percent of 

the universe of eligible sample units. In addition to these four rates, we also report on the Nonresponse 

Reclassification rate, which is a subset of Other Nonresponse cases.

Nonresponse reclassification rate 

Defined as the total number of interviews that were changed from completed to a Type A non-interview based on 

a review of total expenditures (CE’s Minimal Expenditure Edit routine) and other information about the CU, divided 

by the eligible sample.Reclassification of an interview from completed to Type A non-interview is based on 

analysts’ expert judgementwhen there is evidence that what is reported is not an accurate representation of the 

CU’s spending. This review process differs between the CE Interview Surveyand the CE Diary Survey. 

For the CE Interview Survey

Only a small number of completed interviews are reclassified as Type A non-interviews in the CE Interview 

Survey. Cases where the CU reports fewer than $100 in total expenditures or fewer than $300 in total 

expenditures and a total interview time of less than 15 minutes are output for review. Review of these 

cases is done holistically, and the requirement for the nonresponse reclassification review offers the 

following guidance: “low expenditure totals and low interview time contribute to reclassification. Phone 

interviews, converted refusal cases, hostile respondents in previous interviews, proxy respondents, and 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 8

refused or unknown demographic information should also contribute towards reclassifying a case to a 

Type A non-interview.” Additionally, analysts have access to interviewer notesmade through the 

interviewthat can provide more detail about the case, such as respondent reactions to questions.

For the CE Diary Survey

A larger number of completed interviews are reclassified in the CE Diary Survey. Consistent with this 

higher incidence of reclassification, the nonresponse reclassification procedure is rule-driven and requires 

no analyst judgement. The rules for the CE Diary Survey nonresponse reclassification are as follows: 

• Zero items in both weeks:Diaries with zero items reported in both weeks of the survey;OR Diaries 

with zero items reported and the diary from the other diary week is a Type A, B, or C non-interview.

• Zero items in one week:Diaries with zero items reported in one week and the diary from the other 

diary week has > 10 items reported in FDB with the total cost of these items being <= $50 OR Diaries 

with zero items reported and the diary from the other diary week has <= 10 items reported in FDB 

with the total cost of these items being <= $50 and the CU does not live in a rural area or a college 

dormitory, and no members of the CU were away during the reference period.

• Single member CUs: Diaries where there is one person in the CU and the total amount spent on food 

(at home and away from home) is <= $5 in the current week and <= $15 in the other diary week, and 

the number of items reported for non-food items in the current week is < 4 or the total cost of items 

reported for non-food items in the current week is < $30.

• Two or Three member CUs: Diaries where there are 2 or 3 members in the CU the total amount 

spent on food (at home and away from home) is <= $10 in the current week and <= $20 in the other 

diary week and the number of items reported of non-food items in the current week is < 4 or the 

total cost of non-food items reported in the current week is < $30.

• Four or more members:Diaries where there are four or more CU members and the total amount 

spent on food (at home and away from home) is <= $20 in the current week and <= $30 in the other 

diary week and the number of items reported of non-food items in the current week is < 4 or the 

total cost of non-food items reported in the current week is < $30
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 9

Records use (Interview Survey)

Responses to survey questions about spending that are based on expenditure records result in higher reporting 

accuracy and lower measurement error, so a higher prevalence of records use is desirable.Using recordsis 

optional for respondents, so it is likely that respondents who do choose to use any records at all – even if only for 

occasional reference on an as needed basis – are more engaged than those respondents who choose not to 

consult records. In addition, it is plausible that “no or very few records were used” would be more salient in an

interviewer’s recollection of the interview than the varying extent of records used in the other response options. 

Note that respondents’ use of records is reported by interviewers based on their subjective judgement at the end 

of the interview. For interviews conducted by telephone, determining whether a respondent used records can be 

even more subjective. In addition, interviewers need not respond to the question to close out the case, hence the 

high incidence of item nonresponsefor the records use question.

This metric is based on the overall records used question asked of the interviewer at the end of the CE Interview 

Survey, and its response options are mapped into metric subgroups as shown in table 4.

CE Interview Survey records use question: “In the interview, how often did the respondent consult records?”

Table 4.Record use mapping

CE Interview Survey records use

response options

Mapping to metric subgroups

1. Almost always 

Records used 2. Most of the time 

3. Occasionally or used at least 1 record

4. Never, no records used None

(nonresponse) Missing

The metric tabulation is conditioned on wave; the wave subgroups are wave 1, waves 2 and 3, and wave 4. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 10

Expenditure edit rates (Interview and Diary Surveys)

At the completion of an interview, data from the interviewer’s laptop are transmitted to the Census Master 

Control System. The Census Bureau’s Demographics Surveys Division performs some preliminary processing and 

reformatting of the data before transmitting the data to BLS on a monthly basis. At BLS, a series of automated and 

manual edits are applied to the data in order to ensure consistency, fill in missing information, and to correct 

errors in the collected data. (For more description about the data collection and processing for the CE, see 

Handbook of Methods: Consumer Expenditure Survey). 

Edits are defined as any changes in the data made during processing, with the exception of calculations (e.g. 

conversion of weekly value to quarterly value)and top-coding/suppression. Calculations are not considered edits 

as they do not require BLS to make any assumptions about a response. Top-coding and suppression are not 

considered edits as they only apply to the public-use microdata (PUMD) and not to the internal research files or 

the published tables. Imputation and allocation are thetwo major types of data edits performed on the Interview 

and Diary Surveys:

• Imputation replaces missing or invalid entries with a valid response

• Allocation edits are applied when respondents provide insufficient detail to meet tabulation 

requirements. For example, if a respondent provides a non-itemized overall expenditure report for the 

category of fuels and utilities, that overall amount will be allocated to the target items mentioned by the 

respondent (such as natural gas and electricity). 

In addition to allocation and imputation, data are reviewed, and certain cases are manually edited by BLS analysts

based on research and expert judgment. When making manual edits, BLS analysts are able to use previously 

reported data from the respondent, descriptions of the items reported, and interviewer notes attached to the 

case. It is possible for multiple edits to be applied to a single expenditure, and for the purposes of calculating 

expenditure edit rates this is counted as a single edited record. Non-expenditure variables may also be edited, and 

these edits are not currently captured in the expenditure edit rates.

The need for data imputation results from missing data (item or expensenonresponse). Thus, lower imputation 

rates are desirable. The need for data allocation is a consequence of responses that did not contain the required 

details of the item asked by the survey. Likewise, lower allocation rates are also preferred, and in general, lower 

data editing rates are preferred since that lowers the risk of processing error. However, imputation based on 

sound methodology can improve the completeness of the data and improve the overall quality of survey 

estimates.

Ideally, the computation of edit rates are based on the edit flag values of the expenditure variables that 

correspond directly to the survey questions about the expenditures. This is how edit rates are computed for CE 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 11

Diary Survey. However, the CE Interview Survey has hundreds of expenditure variables spread across more than 40 

data tables. To overcome this challenge, CE Interview Survey edit rates are calculated from a modified version of 

the interview monthly tabulation file – MTBI.

Reported expenditures 

For the calculationof expenditure edit rates, a distinction is made between the set of expenditure records based 

on respondent reports (reported expenditure records) and the set of post-processing expenditure records used to 

produce officialtables and released as public-use microdata (processed expenditure records). The set of reported 

expenditure records is smaller than the set of processed expenditure records.During BLS data editing, a single 

reported expenditure may be split into multiple processed expenditures if it was allocated from a single combined 

expense to multiple individual expenses. Calculating expenditure edit rates based on processed expenditures leads 

to double counting of edited expendituressince it treats any allocated record as multiple edits rather than multiple 

instances of a single edited expenditure.Overall, processed expenditures lead to misleadingly higher allocation 

rates.Additionally, reported quarterly or annual amounts can be split into multiplemonthly processed records.

This has the effect of counting both unedited and edited expenditures multiple times. Using reported expenditures 

answers how much of the collected data were edited.We provide expenditure edit rates based on reported 

expenditure records because we believe that this more closely matches what users have in mind when they ask 

“how much of the data are edited.” 

Expenditure edit flags: CE Interview Survey 

The expenditure edit rates presented in the Data Quality Profile were calculated using reported expenditures from 

the internal data, however we refer exclusively to data files and variablesthat are available in the public-use 

microdata files for the convenience of data users in this Reference Guide. CE Interview Survey expenditure edits 

are calculated using a subset of records that were unique by the combination of three variables on the MTBI file: 

NEWID (the CU identifier), SEQNO (the expenditure sequence number), and EXPNAME (the source variable name).

Then, the cost flag variable, COST_, is used to identify if an expenditure was edited and what type of edit was 

made (imputation, allocation, combination, or manual). The differenttypes of edits (or non-edits) were identified 

by the flag values for the CE Interview Survey, shown in table 5.

Users attempting to calculate their own edit rates based on table 5 below should be aware that PUMD flags are 

less detailed than what is available internally. Thus, PUMD users will not be able to separate manually edited 

records from imputed or allocated records because the PUMD flags for imputation and allocation include manual 

edits done during these processes. Because manual updates represent a small fraction of the overall number of 

edits performed, this should not significantly impair users’ ability to calculate edits rates in the PUMD.
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 12

Table 5. Flag values CE Interview Survey

CE Interview 

Survey Flag value

(internal/PUMD)

Flag Description Metric edit group

0/D The expenditure was not flagged by Census, and not changed by BLS. 

Expenditures with this flag may have been reviewed by BLS, but were 

not changed.

Unedited

1/D The expenditure was flagged by Census, but was not changed by 

Census or BLS.

Unedited

2/F Manually updated by BLS. Manual edit

3/F Imputed by BLS. Imputed

4/E Allocated by BLS. Allocated

5/G Imputed and then allocated by BLS. Imputed and allocated

6/D Computed by BLS from respondent provided information. Unedited

7/F Computed by BLS from imputed data. Imputed

8/E Allocated by BLS and then computed from allocated data. Allocated

9/G Imputed by BLS, then allocated, and computed from allocated data. Imputed and allocated

Q/F Imputed manually by BLS analystdue to there being insufficient source 

data for automatic imputation.

Manual edit

R/E Allocated manually by BLS analystdue to there being insufficient 

source data for automatic allocation.

Manual edit

S/E Allocated by BLS based on fixed proportions rather than on source 

data.

Allocated

Expenditure edit flags: CE Diary Survey 

Users of the public-use microdata will not be able to calculate their own edit rates from the microdata because the 

CE Diary Surveymicrodata do not contain all of the necessary variables. We subset the four EXPN filesto records 

that were unique by the combination of two variables on the internal EXPN files: NEWID (the CU identifier) and 

SEQNO (the sequence number). Then,the allocation number (ALCNO) was used to determine whether a record 

had been allocated or not, and the cost flag variable(COST_), was used to determine if anothertype of editwas 

performed.Users of the public-use microdata will be able to determine whether a CE Diary Survey expenditure is 

the result of allocation using the ALLOC variable in the EXPD file, but they will not be able to identify the set of

reported expenditures from the set of processed expenditures. For the difference between processed and 

reported expenditures see the discussion above. In addition, public-use microdata users are unable to identify the 

small number of expenditures that had edits other than allocation. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 13

Income imputation rates (Interview and Diary Surveys)

Income data are collected twice in CE Interview Survey – in the first and fourth waves, and once in CE Diary Survey

– either with the initial placement or with the diary pickup at the end of the second week. The CE performs three 

types of imputations for income in the CE Interview Surveyand CE Diary Survey. The first is “Model-based” 

imputation: when the respondent indicates an income source but fails to report an amount of income received. 

The second is “Bracket response” imputation: when the respondent indicates the receipt of an income source, fails 

to report the exact amount of income but does provide a bracket range estimate of the amount of income 

received. The third type of income imputation is referred to as “All valid blankconversion”: when the respondent 

reports no receipt of income from any source but the CE imputes receipt from at least one source. Flag indicators 

for income imputation are described in the table below. Since the need for imputation reflects item nonresponse 

or that insufficient item detail was provided, lower imputation rates are desirable for lowering measurement error. 

However, imputation based on sound methodology can improve the completeness of the data.

Methods - Income imputation 

The CE implemented multiple imputations of income data, starting with the publication of 2004 data. Prior to that, 

only income data collected from complete income reporters were published. However, even complete income 

reporters may not have provided information on all sources of income for which they reported receipt. With the 

collection of bracketed income data starting in 2001, this problem was reduced but not eliminated. One limitation 

was that bracketed data only provided a range in which income falls, rather than a precise value for that income. In 

contrast, imputation allows income values to be estimated when they are not reported. In multiple imputations, 

several estimates are made for the same CU, and the average of these estimates is published. Note that income 

data from the CE Diary Survey are processed in the same way as in the CE Interview Survey.

Imputation rates for income are calculated based on the internalCE data. Each survey waveistreated 

independently for the CE Interview Survey, and each weekly diary istreated independently for the CE Diary Survey. 

This means that if a respondent fails to provide income data, then every wave will have its own imputed values.

Imputation rates are calculated using final income before taxes. The income is considered to be imputed if any of 

its summed components were imputed during processing. For example, if a respondent reportsreceipt of both a 

salary and royalties, their income will be considered imputed if either the salary or the royalties were imputed. In 

addition, if two household members both report having salaries, their income will be considered imputed if either 

member’s salary is imputed. These cases are identified using the imputation indicator flag (FINCBTXI), applicable to 

both the CE Diary Survey and CE Interview Survey, and available in the PUMD. Any value of the flag not equal to 

‘100’ is considered imputed. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 14

Table 6. Income Imputation flag values for CE Interview Survey and CE Diary Survey

Income 

Imputation 

Flag Value

Description Edit classification

100 No imputation. This would be the case only if 

none of the variables that are summed to get the 

summary variables is imputed.

Unedited

2nn Imputation due to invalid blanks only. This would 

be the case if there are no bracketed responses, 

and at least one value is imputed because of 

invalid blanks.

Model

3nn Imputation due to brackets only. This would be 

the case if there are no invalid blanks, and there 

is at least 1 bracketed response

Bracket

4nn Imputation due to invalid blanks and bracketing Bracket and model

5nn Imputation due to conversion of valid blanks to 

invalid blanks. (Occurs only when initial values for 

all sources of income for the CUand each 

member are valid blanks.)

All valid blank 

conversion (AVB)

All Valid Blank (AVB) conversion rate 

This measure quantifies the instances when all valid nonresponses (i.e., the respondent replied that the CU did not 

receive income from any source) are converted to invalid nonresponses, which were subsequently imputed during 

processing. This will be based on the indicator flag with a value of ‘500’ or above. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 15

Respondent burden (Interview Survey) 

The CE Interview Surveybegan continuously tracking perceived respondent burden in the CE Interview Survey

beginning in 2017q2.3 A caveat to the interpretation of this metric is that the burden question is asked of 

respondents only in the final wave (wave 4) of the CE Interview Survey, and itlikely underestimates survey burden 

due to survivorship bias.

This metric is based on the question asked of the respondent at the end the interview. This question, its five 

response options, and the collapsing of these response options into three categoriesfor the metric tabulation are 

shown in table 7.

CE Interview Survey respondent burden question: “How burdensome was this survey to you?”

Table 7. Respondent burden mapping

CE Interview Survey 2017q2 –

current

response options

Mapping to metric subgroups

1. Not at all burdensome Not burdensome

2. A little burdensome Some burden 

3. Somewhat burdensome

4. Very burdensome Very burdensome 

5. Extremely burdensome

(nonresponse) Missing

3 Previously,the CE Interview Surveyhad intermittently collected information on respondent burden for research 

purposes, but these data are not available to the public.
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 16

Information book use (Interview and Diary Surveys)

Both the CE Interview Survey and the CE Diary Surveyrespondents are supplied with an information bookto assist 

them when they are participating in one of the surveys. Both provideresponse options for demographic questions 

and the bracket response options. The CE Interview Survey information book provides examples that can clarify 

the kinds of expenditures that each section/item code is intended to collect, and it also provides the response 

options for demographic questions and the bracket response options. 

There is evidence that respondents who consult the information book more frequently provide higher quality data 

[i.e. fewer misclassified expenditures, less item nonresponse, and more accurate income reports; for example, 

Safir and Goldenberg (2008)] as they are more engaged in the interview process. Thus, a higher level of 

information book use is preferred. At the end of both surveys, the interviewer is asked a question about 

information book use(as shown below). Similarly to the records use metric, an interviewer’s judgement on how 

often a respondent used the information book is subjective. When the interview is conducted over the phone, this 

judgement can become even more subjective. The information book use metric is based on mapping the response 

options to this question as follows: 

CE Diary Surveyinformation book use question: “Was the information book used during the interview?”

Table 8. Information book use mapping CE Diary Survey

CE Diary Survey information book use

response options

Mapping to metric subgroups

1. Yes Yes

2. No No

(nonresponse) Missing
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 17

CE Interview Survey information bookuse question: “In the interview, how often did the respondent consult the 

information book?”

Table 9. Information book use mapping CE Interview Survey

CE Interview Survey information book use

response options

Mapping to metric subgroups

5. Almost always (90% of the time)

Used 6. Most of the time (50% to 89% of the 

time)

7. Occasionally (10% to 49% of the time)

8. Never or almost never (less than 10% of 

the time)

Did not use

9. The respondent did not have access to 

the information book

No information book

(nonresponse) Missing

The metric tabulation is conditioned by wave; the wave subgroups are wave 1, waves 2 and 3, and wave 4. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 18

Survey Mode (Interview Survey)

Survey mode refers to the medium or method of administering the survey to the sample unit. The CE Interview 

Survey is designed to be an in-personinterview, but data collection by phone, or a mix of both modes, is also 

permitted. This metric is based on the interviewer’s report on how the interview was administered, and is used to 

assess the prevalence of each mode. There is evidence that in-personinterviews yield superior results (Safir and 

Goldenberg, 2008), and every year CE makes agreements with the Census Bureau that no less than a set percent of 

interviews can be collected over the phone. CEmonitors this metric so that action can be taken if targets are not 

met. 

At the end of the survey, the interviewer is asked a question about the mode used to collect the data. This metric 

is based on mapping the response options to this question as follows(see table 10):

CE Interview Survey mode question: “How did you collect the data for this (first/second/third/fourth) interview 

for this household?”

Table 10. Survey mode mapping

CE Interview Survey mode

Response options

Mapping to metric subgroup

1. Personal visit for all sections In-person

2. Personal visit for all sections, but 

telephone followup for some questions

3. Personal visit for more than half the 

sections, the rest by telephone

Mixed

4. Equally split between personal visit and 

telephone

5. Telephone for more than half the 

sections, the rest by personal visit

Telephone

6. Telephone for all sections

(nonresponse) Missing

The metric tabulation is conditioned on wave; the wave subgroups are wave 1, waves 2 and 3, and wave 4. 
Reference Guide – CE Data Quality Profile | 19

Survey Time (Interview and Diary Surveys)

The length of interview is often used as an indicator for respondent burden; the moretime needed to complete 

the survey, the more burdensome the survey. This is a concern because respondent burden negatively impacts 

both response rates and data quality. However, survey response time could also reflect the degree of engagement 

by the respondent, as an engaged respondent could take longer to complete the survey because s/he usesrecords 

or more thoroughly reports expenses. In spite of the problem of ambiguity in interpreting survey response time as 

a standalone metric, it is nonetheless useful to track the median survey response time so that the impact of 

changes in survey features on this dimension of the survey design can be assessed. 

The CE Diary Survey contains a personal interview component that collects information about income and 

demographics. This metric measures the median time to complete the personal interview component of the CE 

Diary Survey among respondents. This metric is not broken down by Diary Week because the survey time collected 

in the instrument combines both weeks. 

For the CE Interview Survey, the metric tabulation is conditioned on wave; the wave subgroups are wave 1, waves 

2 and 3, and wave 4.