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

Overview of the 

Consumer Expenditure 

Surveys Program

Adam Safir, Division Chief

Consumer Expenditure Surveys Program

CE Microdata Users’ Workshop

July 22, 2020
2 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Topics

1. CE Program Overview

2. Annual Program Activities

3. CE Data Use 
3 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Overview

 Principal fact-finding agency for 

the U.S. government in the field 

of labor economics

 Established in the Department of the 

Interior in 1884, to collect 

information about employment and 

labor; now part of Department of 

Labor

Core Values

 “Just the Facts”

 Gold standard data

 Transparency & confidentiality
4 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Program Mission

 The mission of the CE is to collect, process, and disseminate 

information that presents a statistical picture of consumer 

spending for the Consumer Price Index, government 

agencies, and private data users. 

 This mission encompasses analyzing CE data to produce 

socio-economic studies of consumer spending, and 

providing CE data users with assistance, education, and tools 

for working with the data.
5 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Survey Overview

 CE data consist of estimates derived from two separate 

surveys

 The Quarterly Interview Survey is designed to collect data 

on large and recurring expenditures that consumers can be 

expected to recall for a period of 3 months or longer, such as 

rent and utilities (approximately 6,000 interviews/quarter)

 The Diary Survey is designed to collect data on small, 

frequently purchased items, including most food and 

clothing (approximately 3,000 diaries/quarter)

 Together, the data from the two surveys cover the complete 

range of consumers’ expenditures
6 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Survey Overview

 CE data are collected for BLS by the U.S. Census Bureau, 

from consumer units (CUs), in other words people living at 

one address who share living expenses (in most cases, CUs 

are the same as households)

 The sample frame is a national probability sample of 

households designed to be representative of the U.S. civilian 

noninstitutionalized population

 Respondents report dollar amounts for all non-investment 

purchases; business expenses and reimbursements are 

excluded
7 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Program Staffing Structure

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys

 Branch of Information & Analysis 

 Branch of Production & Control

 Branch of Research & Program Development

(incl. Office of Survey Methods Research consultants)

Division of Consumer Expenditure Information Systems

 Publication & Information Management Systems

 Expenditure & Income Processing Systems

Statistical Methods Division

 Consumer Expenditure Branch
8 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Program Workflow

1. Sampling (SMD, P&C, Census)

2. Questionnaire Design and Revisions (P&C, Census)

3. Field Procedures and Training (P&C, Census)

4. Data Collection (P&C, Census)

5. Data Processing and Estimation (P&C, BIA, SMD, CEIS)

6. Data Dissemination, Publications, and Outreach (All)

7. Methods Research, Development, and Evaluation (BRPD, 

P&C, BIA, SMD)
9 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Program Data Products

 CPI Cost Weights

 LABSTAT Database

 Publications

 Public-Use Microdata

 Restricted Microdata

 Tables
10 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE History – Highlights 

 1888: First BLS expenditure survey

 1972: First use of weekly Diary & 3-month recall Interview

Census Bureau begins survey collection for BLS 

 1979: Continuous data collection starts

 2003: Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) begins

 2004: Imputation for missing income data implemented

 2013: Model-based estimation of income taxes introduced

 2013: 1

st publication of midyear tables (July 2011 - June 2012)

 2015: Elimination of the first (bounding) interview in Interview

 2018: State-level weights released for 2016 and 2017 data, 

regular publication of the Data Quality Profile begins 

 2020: Pre-1996 PUMD & state-level research tables posted
11 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Topics

1. CE Program Overview

2. Annual Program Activities

3. CE Data Use
12 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Data Collection

 Inputs for Interview and Diary Survey data collection 

protocol changes, training, and questionnaires

Data Processing

 Interview and Diary Survey processing (2019 & 2020)

 Interview and Diary Survey changes (2019 & 2020)

Data Dissemination

 Midyear Tables released in April 2020 (July 2018–June 2019 

data)

 Annual Tables/Public-Use Microdata release in September 

2020 (2019 data)

FY20 Program Activities
13 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Publications 

 Beyond the Numbers

 Data Comparisons (PCE, CPS, ACS)

 Monthly Labor Review

 Spotlight on Statistics

 Data Quality Profile 

Outreach

 Conference Presentations

 Microdata Users’ Workshop

 Survey Methods Symposium 

FY20 Program Activities
14 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Research

 Continue CE redesign activities, including fielding, 

processing, and analysis of the Large Scale Feasibility test 

of an online diary

 Investigate additional methods to evaluate and reduce 

measurement error in the CE Survey

 Work with Census to evaluate matched administrative 

data for potential production use in nonresponse 

adjustments or imputation models

FY20 Program Activities
15 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Topics

1. CE Program Overview

2. Annual Program Activities

3. CE Data Use
16 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Customers

 Bureau of Economic Analysis

 Census Bureau

 Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

 Consumer Price Index

 Depts of Agriculture; Defense; Health & Human Services

 Internal Revenue Service

 Media, Market Research, & Academic Research

 YOU!
17 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

CE Data in Recent External Publications

Generational Spending

 Why Do Millennials Hate Groceries?, The Atlantic

Regional Spending

 San Diego ranked No. 1 booziest city in America, FOX 5 San Diego

Health Care Spending

 The Financial Burden of Health Care Spending, Kaiser Family 

Foundation

Policy Analysis

 Tax Cuts And Jobs Act Begins To Have Positive Impact On 

Spending Intentions, Forbes

 Annual report on US consumption poverty: 2017 - AEI, AEI
18 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bls.gov

Top CE Webpages by Views, Jan-Jun 2019
Contact Information

19 — U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS • bl s.gov

Adam Safir

Consumer Expenditure Surveys Program

(202) 691-5175 | safir.adam@bls.gov