1 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Sneak Peek:

CE Now and in the Future

Scott Curtin

Chief, Branch of Information & Analysis

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

CE Microdata Users’ Workshop

July 20, 2023
2 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

Where are we headed and what have 

we done lately?

Outline

◼ What’s new? 

◼ What's coming?

◼ What's on the horizon?
3 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s new?
4 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s new?

◼ Mid-year PUMD:

Interview Survey:

– Quarters 1,2 and 3 of 2022 are available.

Diary Survey:

– Quarters 1 and 2 of 2022 are available. 

◼ Provides a sneak peek of consumer spending 

for the year. 
5 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov
6 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s new?

◼ State weights for 2021, released May 2023:

Research Product introduced in 2016.

2021 Weights are available for CA,FL,NY, and TX:

–NJ no longer available starting in 2021.

Annual means utilizing 2020 and 2021 data are 

available on the tables page.
7 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

What’s new?

Database Link:

https://www.bls.gov/data/home.h

tm#spending
8 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s new?

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

1 2

Composition of consumer unit: Annual expenditure means, cars and trucks, 

new Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2021

◼ Variance estimates stored on database.
9 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s coming?

◼ 2022 annual data release, Friday September 

8

th:

2022 tables product.

Second half of 2022 public use microdata. 

◼ Further LABSTAT expansion:

Aggregates, Relative Shares.

Detailed expenditures:

– Will be subject to suppression.

Medians? Reporters only?
10 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s coming?

◼ 2023 questionnaire changes:

 Education:

– Combined education, school meals.

– Adult day care and convalescent care at home from medical expenses.

– Babysitting and childcare items from miscellaneous expenses. Some 

education expenses were moved out.

 Transportation: 

– Combined the questions on vehicle operating expenses and questions on 

taxis and public transportation from the earlier expense patterns section.

 Questionnaires are published online: 

– https://www.bls.gov/cex/csxsurveyforms.htm.

– The program is working on developing a document to house annual 

changes from year to year. 
11 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s on the horizon?

◼ 2024 questionnaire changes:

General housing characteristics.

Rental/Owned property.

Utilities.

Home improvement, repairs, and household services.

Medical expenses.

Vehicles.

Trips.

And more!
12 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s on the horizon?

◼ Continue to work towards 508 compliancy on 

the website:

Developing table output in HTML. 

More charts and visuals on homepage. 
13 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS TATISTICS • bls.gov bls.gov

What’s on the horizon?

◼ Asset and Liability Imputation:

Implement imputation process for Asset and 

Liability (A&L) data collected in the Consumer 

Expenditure Surveys (CE). 

Based on WESTAT recommendation:

– https://www.bls.gov/cex/research_papers/pdf/Feasibili

ty-of-Imputing-Assets-and-Liabilities-Account-Valuesin-the-Consumer-Expenditure-Surveys.pdf
14 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Contact information

Scott Curtin

Chief, Branch of Information & Analysis

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

CE Microdata Users’ Workshop

July 20, 2023