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Technical Series Paper #21-02

An Overview of Data Comparisons between PSID 

and Other US Household Surveys

Noura E. Insolera

Beth A. Simmert

David S. Johnson

Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan

September 2021
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1. Introduction

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) is the world’s longest running national

household panel survey. Begun in 1968, the study has followed original sample members and 

their descendants for over 50 years. In order to assess data quality, PSID releases technical 

papers and other estimates to compare the panel’s findings to those of other nationally 

representative surveys in the United States. The objective of this technical paper is to present a 

brief overview of these comparisons for the topics of income, expenditures, health, wealth, and 

time use. 

We begin with an overview of the PSID. Next, we describe each associated study and the 

domain specific information they and PSID have collected. Finally, we include estimates of the 

relationship between the measures used in PSID and each study through the 2019 wave. 

2. PSID Overview

The PSID is conducted by faculty at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social 

Research. It began in 1968 with a sample of over 18,000 individuals in around 4,800 households. 

The PSID sample design is unique in that it follows not only the original 1968 sample members 

but also their descendants as they leave home to form their own independent economic family

units. The rules for following individuals were designed to maintain a representative sample of 

families at any point in time as well as across time. In single-headed households, in depth 

questions are asked about the Reference Person (Head before 2017); in couple-headed 

households information is gathered about both Spouses/Partners. One respondent per family unit 

is interviewed in each wave, typically by telephone with a relatively smaller number being 

interviewed in person. Questions are also asked about other members of the family unit
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(McGonagle, Schoeni et al. 2012). 

The initial focus of the PSID was on changes in employment, income, and other 

conditions related to poverty. Over the life of the survey, content has been added to include many 

other domains that may influence the life course. Due to the length of the panel, its genealogical 

design, and broad content area PSID is uniquely positioned to provide a wide variety of 

information on multiple generations of families across time. Over the last 50 years, PSID has 

collected data on more than 82,000 people, and as many as seven generations within sample 

families are represented. 

3. Household Income: Comparisons to the Current Population Survey

PSID income measures are compared to the March Current Population Survey (CPS). 

The CPS includes about 60,000 households and is conducted by the US Census Bureau. 

Households are in the survey for four consecutive months, out for eight months, and then return 

for another 4 months, before exiting the study permanently. This scheme allows for the constant 

replenishment of the sample. The CPS is administered both in person and through telephone 

interviews.

The comparison of PSID and CPS data is not straightforward as the surveys use different 

definitions of “family.” The sample following rules for PSID require adopting a broader 

definition of family that encompasses unmarried couples living together and sharing resources,

as well as single-person “families.” In order to obtain the most comparable estimates of income, 

we base our analysis on the CPS household unit definition instead of the PSID’s definition of 

family unit. If you would like more information about the PSID and CPS income comparisons, 

please see Gouskova, Andreski, and Schoeni (2010).
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Figure 1 presents the comparisons between PSID and CPS income data for 1967-2018, 

which were asked in 1968-2019 about the previous calendar year. As can be seen, at almost all 

points in the distribution before 2016 we find that the estimates based on the PSID are higher 

than the estimates based on the CPS. This is especially true for the top 20% of the distribution, 

where the gap between the estimates is more pronounced. In contrast, the magnitude of 

difference for 1967-2014 is fairly constant across the entire distribution. In 2016, though, we see 

a convergence of estimates, where from the 60th percentile and above CPS’s estimates are higher 

than PSID’s estimates, which can be linked to the redesign of the CPS instrument. Irrespective of 

this as yet fully explained difference, the close agreement in trends over time is remarkable given 

the substantial differences between the two surveys and the amount of change that both surveys

have undergone.

4. Expenditures: Comparisons to the Consumer Expenditures Survey

PSID expenditure measures are compared to the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE). CE 

is collected by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) with the goal of informing estimates of 

the Consumer Price Index. The sample is drawn from the US Census Bureau and the interviews 

are conducted primarily in person, with some telephone interviewing. The family is reinterviewed every three months and expense diaries are collected for those three months. After 

their fourth consecutive interview, the family is dropped from the survey and replaced by another 

Census Bureau family. This rolling sample design means that about 25% of the sample is 

refreshed every quarter.

Although the expenditure categories are fairly similar between PSID and CE, the CE 

survey collects information at a more granular level. PSID estimates are released in nine broad 
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categories, some of which are further divided into subcategories, while the CE assigns each 

expense into one of several hundred Universal Classification Codes (UCC). CE UCC codes have 

been aggregated in order to match the categories in PSID. Please see Andreski, Li, Samancioglu, 

and Schoeni (2014) for more information on the detailed steps taken to map the CE survey data 

to PSID.

Table 1 presents the comparisons between PSID and CE data for 2005-2019. Note that all 

amounts are reported in nominal dollars, as we do not adjust for inflation. Using these 

comparable definitions, total expenditures align closely over time with an average ratio of PSID 

to CE equal to one. In addition, for nearly all of the nine broad categories measured, PSID and 

CE estimates align closely in amount and/or trend & pattern. For example, PSID and CE 

estimates for food, housing, transportation, and health care are very similar over time, with food 

(PSID=$9,172; CE=$8,915) and transportation (PSID=$9,021; CE=$8,624) estimates slightly 

higher in the PSID-2019, housing (PSID=$20,352; CE=20,355) almost equal, and health care 

(PSID=$4,103; CE=4,886) expenditures slightly higher in CE. 

Expenditures in 2019 for education (PSID=$1,378; CE=$2,176) and recreation & 

entertainment (PSID=$846, CE=$1,522) follow the consistent trend of PSID estimates being 

lower than those in the CE. The gap between PSID and CE education expenditures began after 

2007 and has widened since then, while the gap for recreation & entertainment has remained

wide. Conversely, expenditures for clothing & apparel (PSID=$1,239; CE=$974) and trips & 

vacations (PSID=$2,097; CE=$1,614), show the opposite pattern as they are consistently lower 

in CE than PSID. The comparison between PSID and CE estimates for childcare is less 

straightforward, as CE estimates were slightly higher before they converged in 2009 and PSID 
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estimates higher after that time. PSID-2019 childcare estimates ($434) were higher than in the 

CE ($307), a gap that has remained fairly steady since 2015. 

The differences between PSID and CE category expenditures most likely occur because 

of dissimilarities in survey methodology, specifically that the PSID asks only one question for 

each of these categories, while CE has many questions about specific product types. Further,

detailed questions and quarterly recall periods may make it easier for CE respondents to report 

both regular and irregular expenditures while the longer span of time between purchases and 

interviews may make it harder for PSID respondents to accurately report irregular expenses.

5. Health: Comparisons to the National Health Interview Survey

PSID health information is compared to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 

the primary source of information on US health. NHIS is conducted by the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), with the US 

Census Bureau collecting basic health and demographic information from a representative 

sample of adults in the United States. The NHIS methodology and instruments were revised in 

2019. Before that time, the NHIS survey began with a brief household interview, with all adults 

at home at the time being asked about their general health status, work limitations, and access to 

health insurance. Proxy reports for adults not at home at the time of the interview were also 

collected. One adult in the household was then randomly selected for the detailed NHIS health 

interview. In 2019 and after, the sample adult is identified first and only they are asked to 

complete an interview, although proxy reports are still allowed for sample adults who are not 

able to participate on their own. Each survey is expected to include around 30,000 sample adults

and all statistics are weighted to represent the US adult population in a given year.
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For this comparison, we use ten PSID and NHIS health measures collected from 1999-

2019: body mass index, work limitation, six chronic conditions (stroke, hypertension, diabetes, 

cancer, myocardial infarction, and asthma), self-rated general health (excellent, very good, good, 

fair, and poor), and smoking status (current smoker, ever smoked). The questions are similar 

across the two surveys for most measures. The differences in wording for the questions about 

height and weight, smoking, emotional distress, and chronic condition diagnosis are noteworthy. 

Please see Insolera and Freedman (2017) for more information on these methodological 

differences. The 2019 NHIS redesign also means that measures for general health status, work 

limitation, and access to health insurance are now collected from a different universe of 

respondents. Finally, NHIS has stopped asking the items for the K-6 Non-Specific Psychological 

Distress Scale in 2019, so we only report the PSID results for that wave. 

Table 2 shows that NHIS estimates of obesity are consistently a percentage point or two 

higher than the PSID estimates, but the two track closely since 1999. The percentage currently 

smoking is nearly identical in the two surveys and has declined modestly over time. The 

percentage who those who ever smoked is consistently higher in PSID, with PSID estimates 

fluctuating from 18%-20% whereas the NHIS estimates are 11%-12%. The prevalence estimates 

for the various chronic conditions align closely. Hypertension, diabetes and stroke prevalence 

appear to be modestly higher in the PSID but generally changes over time in similar ways in both 

studies. 

Although the share of those whose work is limited by health had been consistently higher 

in the PSID before 2019, the magnitude of difference had been nearly identical across those 10

waves (6%-8% difference). In 2019, the PSID health limitations estimates stayed the same

(19%), while increasing substantially in NHIS (12% in 2017; 22% in 2019). Health insurance 
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coverage has tracked closely over time in both surveys, with PSID and NHIS seeing similar

sharp upticks in coverage after the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014. Since 

that time, the estimates have been level, although they fell slightly in NHIS and PSID between 

2017 and 2019, matching what has been reported by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current 

Population Reports on Health Insurance Coverage in the United States (Keisler-Starkey and 

Bunch, (2020)). Although the uninsured rate is drastically lower than a decade ago, they have 

seen a slight increase in recent years.

The largest discrepancies between the two studies are reflected in general health status,

see Figures 2a and 2b, where PSID consistently has a lower percentage of people reporting 

themselves in excellent health relative to NHIS, though this difference narrowed by four

percentage points between 2017 (15% point difference) and 2019 (11% point difference). The 

percentage reporting excellent or very good health is also lower in PSID even though the pattern 

over the last 20 years is nearly the same (from 56% to 48% in PSID and 64% to 57% in NHIS). 

The movement in 2019 away from NHIS trends for general health status, health insurance access 

and, especially, work limitations may be due to the NHIS redesign, as these three items are now 

asked of only the sample adult and not all adults in the household (including potentially multiple 

proxy reports in a household) as they previously had been asked.

6. Wealth: Comparisons to the Survey of Consumer Finances 

PSID wealth measures are compared to the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), which 

is the standard for estimates of the wealth holdings of American families. Typically conducted 

by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) every three 

years, the SCF is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Department of Treasury. The 
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preferred method for collection is with in person interviews but the information may also be 

collected via telephone. The SCF instrument is extensive and features an oversample of 

households likely to hold very high levels of wealth. The sample is important because it provides 

information about a generally hard to reach population, as a large share of total wealth in the 

United States is held by a relatively small number of households. 

Beginning in 1984 the PSID asked respondents a series of in depth questions about their 

wealth. This wealth module was repeated in 1989, 1994, 1999, and every wave since then. While 

accurate wealth measurement is an important goal for PSID, the survey must also allocate 

interview time to collect a wide array of economic, social, and health data for responding 

households. Therefore, the amount of interview time devoted to measuring wealth holdings is 

much smaller in the PSID than in the SCF. Moreover, the PSID is longitudinal in design, while 

the SCF is a cross-sectional survey. Please see Pfeffer, Schoeni, Kennickell, and Andreski (2016)

for more information on PSID and SCF data collection methods.

Here, we compare the estimates of wealth holding of American families based on the 

2019 waves of PSID and SCF1. We first detail various subcomponents of wealth to determine 

which components have the greatest discrepancy across the two data sources. Then we compare 

estimates of net worth distribution and wealth inequality. 

Average wealth holdings are 73% higher based on the SCF than the PSID: $659,356 

versus $387,625. This gap is explained to a large degree by the difference in estimates of 

business assets: $166,493 for the SCF and $48,479 for PSID (see Tables 3a and 3b). The 

difference between the two surveys accounts for 42% of the difference in total net worth. This 

 

1 We thank Jeffrey Thompson and Melissa Gentry (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) for 

providing tabulations on the SCF data.
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may simply be due to the PSID sample not including the wealthiest families that are be captured 

in the SCF. Further evidence of this may be found in Table 4, where more modest differences in 

median net wealth between the two surveys are reported: $96,800 in SCF and $76,000 in PSID, 

or a difference of 27% for the median instead of 73% for the mean. Another likely source for 

such a large difference between SCF and PSID average business asset estimates is the fact that 

the PSID does not explicitly ask about some types of businesses like S corporations and limited 

partnerships. 

Tables 3a and 3b show the differences between the SCF and PSID for 8 categories of 

wealth and debt. Differences in mean estimates of five of the asset categories are less than for 

business assets, yet still substantial: value of stocks (18%), equity in real estate excluding 

primary residence (12%), equity in primary residence (10%), other assets (9%), and 

checking/savings (7%). In these cases SCF average wealth holding is between 57%-86% higher 

than PSID. Again, these differences are likely due to the fact that SCF features families with 

more overall wealth and the difference in specificity of the questions asked. 

Various percentiles in the wealth distribution are reported in Table 4 for the PSID and 

SCF. At the very low end of the distribution (5th and 10th), the PSID has almost equal or larger

levels of negative wealth holdings. Beginning at the 25th percentile all the way through to the 

95th percentile, SCF has higher estimates of wealth holdings than PSID. As shown in Pfeffer et 

al. (2016), many of the differences at the top of the distribution are due to the oversample of high 

wealth households included in the SCF.

The bottom panel of Table 4 provides measures of inequality at different points in the 

wealth distribution, as documented by percentile ratios. The estimates of the 50/25 ratio are quite 

similar (13.5 for the PSID and 11.0 for the SCF) and even more so for the 90/50 ratio (11.8 for 
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the PSID and 10.2 for the SCF). It is at the very top percentile where a substantial difference 

arises, with the 90/20 ratio estimated at 159.3 in the PSID and 112.6 in the SCF. 

7. Time Use: Comparisons to the American Time Use Survey 

PSID’s stylized time use measures are compared to the American Time Use Survey 

(ATUS). ATUS is conducted by the US Census Bureau and is the first federally administered, 

continuous survey on time use in the country. The sample is cross-sectional and consists of one 

individual from around 26,000 households who are randomly selected from the universe of those 

who have completed their eighth and final month of interviews for the Current Population Study 

(CPS). Respondent activities for the previous day are recorded via telephone interviews. In order 

to insure uniform coverage of time, the sample is split evenly between weekdays and weekend 

days. 

PSID and ATUS report work and non-work time differently. Since 1968, PSID has 

recorded the average weekly amount of time spent at work and engaging in housework. This 

language was revised in 2017 to typical week in order to match seven new categories of nonwork added that year. Categories include: personal care, shopping, caring for children, caring for 

adults, volunteering, educational activities, and leisure activities. ATUS also includes these 

broad categories. Since ATUS time diaries record time use from the day before, they record 

actual time spent “yesterday”. In addition to these textual differences, PSID does not ask 

respondents to distinguish between primary and secondary activities (activities that occur 

simultaneously with primary activities) and ATUS time diaries do not record them at all. Finally,

PSID does not ask about travel time related to activities while ATUS does. For more information 

about time use comparisons please see Insolera, Johnson and Simmert (2019).
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Housework hours have been collected in both PSID and ATUS for many years. Figure 3

shows the historical comparisons for the amount of time respondents spend on housework per 

week. The historical trend for amount of time spent on housework is similar in PSID and ATUS,

and the levels for females are very close. There is a wider difference in housework levels for men

of approximately one additional hour per week in ATUS, but if we restrict PSID data to include 

only self-reports, the estimates for men’s hours are much closer. In both studies, men spend 

almost half as much time on housework as women (approximately 7.5-8 hours per week for men 

and 15-16 hours per week for women). 

Tables 5a and 5b show that the time use measures in PSID align well with ATUS,

detailed by comparable activities of time for men and women, by different age groups. Most 

categories for all ages are comparable. For example, time spent volunteering in both studies is 

approximately one hour per week, with time spent volunteering increasing over the life course. 

Time spent in household activities and shopping are not only similar in terms of values, but the 

trends by age and sex mirror each other as well. Given that the ATUS includes many more 

categories than the PSID does, these are remarkably close.

Child care estimates are notably higher in PSID than in ATUS (13.5 hours versus 3.2

hours respectively). This finding could be because a substantial amount of child care may be 

classified as a secondary activity and therefore not captured by the ATUS time diary. In contrast, 

leisure estimates are lower in PSID than in ATUS (17.4 hours versus 36.3 hours respectively). It 

is possible that the phrase “for enjoyment” included in the PSID question leads to underreporting of leisure, since not all leisure activities are enjoyable. Moreover, the PSID question 

only explicitly mentions four leisure activities (watching TV, doing physical activities, going 
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online, or spending time with friends), while ATUS sums time over a much larger number of 

activities.

8. Conclusions

This report examines the comparability of various estimates between the PSID and other 

national surveys. Over time, we are able to not only benchmark the PSID to other standard and 

more specific topical surveys, but we are able to adapt our instrument in accordance with the 

changes if our estimates do not capture the same information as the other projects. By comparing 

our data to studies with different methodologies or sampling procedures, we can test our ability 

to maintain national representation across a myriad of measures cross-sectionally and 

longitudinally. We conclude that despite differences in design and sample the PSID measures 

align well across the domains of income, expenditures, health, wealth, and time use. 
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Figure 1. 10th-95th Percentiles of PSID Aggregated Family Income and CPS Household Income, 1967-2018

 -

 50,000

 100,000

 150,000

 200,000

 250,000

1967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018

Annual Income (Nominal Dollars)

Income Year

CPS 10th CPS 20th CPS 40th CPS 50th CPS 60th CPS 80th CPS 90th CPS 95th

PSID 10th PSID 20th PSID 40th PSID 50th PSID 60th PSID 80th PSID 90th PSID 95th

10th percentile

20th percentile

40th percentile

50th percentile

60th percentile

80th percentile

90th percentile

95th percentile
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Table 1. Average Spending by Expenditure Category, PSID and CE 2005-2019

2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

Expenditure category PSID CE PSID CE PSID CE PSID CE PSID CE PSID CE PSID CE PSID CE

Food 6373 5899 6738 7229 6635 7026 6887 7182 7184 7391 7573 7936 8615 8309 9172 8915

At home 4256 4071 4511 4406 4609 4565 4771 4690 4992 4811 5192 4958 5928 5162 6253 5501

Delivered 124 NA 121 NA 92 NA 106 NA 99 NA 108 NA 132 NA 164 NA

Away from home 1994 1475 2105 2489 1934 2119 2010 2139 2092 2217 2274 2506 2555 2656 2754 2882

Alcohol NA 353 NA 334 NA 341 NA 354 NA 363 NA 472 NA 491 NA 532

Housing 16097 15828 18027 17541 17652 17565 17439 17197 16934 17318 17443 18333 18824 19446 20352 20355

Mortgage & loan payments 5310 5444 5637 6238 5567 5924 4898 5252 4429 5002 4399 4703 4336 5235 4782 5098

Rent 2029 2311 2469 2561 2590 2812 2763 2988 2961 3272 3112 3693 3872 4071 4330 4332

Property tax 1473 1601 1634 1807 1715 1915 1728 1960 1746 1958 1776 2012 1781 2164 2017 2276

Insurance 498 335 564 355 557 352 574 362 595 359 632 433 656 456 724 502

Utilities 2097 2136 2326 2368 2503 2482 2591 2500 2587 2466 2640 2539 2609 2479 2764 2643

Telecommunication 1590 1570 1796 1679 1931 1775 2000 1887 2154 1969 2268 2123 2429 2010 2529 2076

Home repairs & maintenance 1922 969 2304 1051 1721 1040 1873 1006 1606 1087 1650 1365 1774 1449 1809 1689

Household furnishings & equipment* 1177 1462 1298 1482 1068 1264 1012 1242 858 1206 965 1465 1367 1583 1397 1740

Transportation 7449 7334 8008 7454 7281 6944 7713 7192 7710 7176 7458 7312 8504 7987 9021 8624

Vehicle loan payment 1290 1741 1258 1688 1110 1611 899 1431 1042 1389 1176 1647 1348 1856 1275 1953

Vehicle down payment 1149 1380 1212 1147 1102 1125 1151 942 1128 1110 1322 1316 1335 1282 1529 1457

Vehicle lease payment 190 237 231 245 220 200 174 167 189 254 337 315 387 355 392 405

Insurance 1400 913 1370 878 1284 884 1325 872 1332 863 1383 933 1636 1411 1710 1545

Other vehicle expenditures 133 293 100 299 98 276 111 227 82 200 71 213 1033 217 1180 249

Repairs and maintenance 1242 658 1321 704 1409 710 1409 747 1403 573 1057 565 750 613 745 1958

Gasoline 1750 1883 2176 2243 1756 1867 2343 2503 2296 2467 1792 1962 1741 1845 1837 638

Parking and carpool 44 26 39 29 50 33 46 32 49 37 55 40 61 44 75 47

Bus fares and train fares 67 52 80 55 80 65 92 75 83 76 86 92 84 81 102 84

Taxicabs 30 13 34 13 34 14 43 17 34 17 52 22 77 46 120 57

Other transportation 154 139 187 153 137 159 122 178 72 190 127 209 52 238 56 232

Education 1365 1395 1552 1427 1415 1637 1470 1681 1515 1732 1454 1816 1517 2056 1378 2176

Child care 316 299 288 354 322 338 391 330 426 236 388 286 422 277 434 307

Health care 2849 2497 3010 2694 3356 2959 3232 3129 3651 3357 3978 4110 3932 4000 4103 4886

Hospital & nursing home 405 128 432 127 542 122 499 139 460 155 550 158 466 159 600 214

Doctor 540 497 577 524 716 547 649 562 832 571 870 566 840 635 866 686

Prescription drugs 502 511 472 498 436 505 492 505 518 458 522 410 507 424 438 454

Insurance 1402 1361 1529 1544 1662 1784 1591 1921 1841 2173 2035 2977 2120 2782 2199 3532

Clothing & apparel 1550 1290 1551 1267 1378 1119 1236 1081 1266 886 1275 982 1208 993 1239 974

Trips & vacations 1606 973 1818 1135 1778 964 1623 1051 1704 1066 1874 1269 1930 1412 2097 1614

Recreation & entertainment 933 1476 1005 1538 947 1516 826 1382 801 1210 831 1386 870 1658 846 1522

Total 38537 36992 41997 40638 40764 40068 40817 40224 41191 40373 42273 43431 45822 46140 48186 49374

CE means calculated using CE data. PSID means calculated using PSID and weights. For more information see Andreski et al (http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.104.5.132)

* Beginning in 2017 computing expenses are included in ‘Household furnishing & equipment’
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Table 2. Health Status, Health Behaviors, and Health Insurance Coverage (%) in the PSID and NHIS: 1999-2019

1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS PSID NHIS

Smoking

 Currently smoke 20 23 21 23 20 21 19 21 19 19 19 21 17 19 16 18 16 15 15 14 13 14

 Never smoked 52 53 53 55 53 56 53 57 53 58 54 58 54 59 55 60 56 63 56 64 58 62

Has Health Insurance 87 87 87 85 87 84 85 83 86 84 85 82 83 82 87 83 92 89 94 90 93 88

Obese (BMI > 30) 22 22 21 22 22 23 23 25 25 26 26 28 27 28 27 29 28 30 29 31 30 32

30-Day Distress (K6*) -- -- 3.2 3.1 3.9 3.1 -- -- 3.3 2.7 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.1 3.2 2.7 3.2 2.6 3.3 2.7 3.3 *

Health doesn’t limit amount/kind of work

82 88 81 89 82 89 82 89 81 89 81 88 81 88 80 88 81 88 81 88 81 78

Health Conditions

 Asthma 7.4 8.5 7.6 11.8 8.6 9.7 9.6 10.0 10.5 10.9 10.7 13.1 11.5 12.6 11.8 11.8 11.3 12.6 12.1 13.4 11.9 13.4

 Cancer 4.6 6.5 5.0 6.9 5.3 6.6 6.9 7.4 7.2 7.3 7.8 8.2 8.1 8.2 8.1 8.5 9.3 8.7 9.4 9.4 8.6 9.5

 Diabetes 7.1 5.4 7.7 6.5 8.3 6.6 9.1 7.5 9.3 7.7 10.2 9.0 11.2 8.9 11.8 9.3 12.7 9.6 12.9 9.6 12.5 9.3

 Hypertension 21.8 22.6 23.0 23.5 25.4 25.2 27.5 25.8 29.6 27.1 30.8 28.9 32.3 29.7 34 29.6 34.0 31.1 34.5 30.6 32.9 31.6

 Myocardial Infarction 3.7 2.9 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.2 4.3 3.3 4.2 3.2 4.0 3.4 4.7 3.2 4.6 3.2 4.8 3.1 4.7 3.1 4.0 3.1

 Stroke 2.8 2.1 3.1 2.4 3.0 2.5 3.7 2.4 3.6 2.4 3.8 2.6 3.8 2.7 3.9 2.8 4.0 2.7 3.8 3.2 3.5 3.1

Self-Rated General Health

 Excellent 23 32 22 31 22 29 19 29 20 29 17 29 16 28 16 29 15 29 13 28 13 24

 Very Good 33 32 35 32 35 32 33 32 34 31 35 32 36 32 35 32 35 31 35 33 35 33

 Good 29 25 28 25 28 26 30 27 29 27 31 27 31 27 31 26 32 27 32 27 32 27

 Fair 11 8 11 9 11 9 13 9 11 9 12 9 12 10 13 10 13 10 14 10 15 12

 Poor 4 3 4 3 4 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 3 5 4

Note: The PSID sample consists of all reference persons and spouse/partners, and the NHIS sample consists of people 18 years or older. Weights are used for estimates from both surveys.

* The K-6 Non-Specific Psychological Distress Scale includes six items. The scores of the six items are summed; a score of 13 or higher indicates sensitivity around the threshold for the 

clinically significant range of the distribution of non-specific distress. For additional information see Kessler, et al 2002.
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Figure 2a. Self-Reported Health in the PSID: 1999-2019

Figure 2b. Self-Reported Health in the NHIS: 1999-2019

23 22 22 19 20 17 16 16 15 13 13

33 35 35

33 34 35 36 35 35 35 35

29 28 28

30 29 31 31 31 32 32 32

11 11 11 13 11 12 12 13 13 14 15

4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

 Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor

32 31 29 29 29 29 28 29 29 28 24

32 32 32 32 31 32 32 32 31 33

33

25 25 26 27 27 27 27 26 27 27

27

8 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10

12

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

 Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
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Table 3a. PSID Wealth Levels 2013-2019

2013 2015 2017 2019

Mean Median % positive Mean Median % positive Mean Median % positive Mean Median % positive

Total wealth

Net worth 316,258 54,000 73% 364,323 60,500 74% 352,502 65,020 7700% 382,026 76,000 76%

Net worth, excluding home 

equity 229,831 18,300 69% 267,637 18,200 69% 247,824 19,500 7100% 263,956 20,000 71%

Wealth components

Business assets 48,372 0 7% 61,556 0 6% 49,552 0 6% 48,479 0 5%

Checking/savings 29,637 3,000 67% 29,120 3,000 66% 32,894 4,500 82% 35,887 5,000 76%

Stocks 56,759 0 12% 66,937 0 11% 58,260 0 11% 59,267 0 10%

IRA/private annuities 52,452 0 20% 61,462 0 19% 57,568 0 18% 67,578 0 19%

Net worth of vehicles 14,301 8,000 80% 14,607 8,000 79% 16,336 8,000 78% 17,200 9,000 78%

Equity in primary residence 86,427 15,000 47% 96,686 25,000 48% 104,677 28,000 49% 118,070 35,000 49%

Equity in real estate excluding 

primary residence 28,561 0 10% 35,824 0 10% 34,199 0 9% 34,826 0 9%

Other assets 10,335 0 10% 9,821 0 11% 10,525 0 9% 13,186 0 9%

Other debts 10,587 0 74% 11,689 0 71% 11,509 0 70% 12,467 0 68%

PSID percentiles calculated using PSID and weights. For more information see Pfeffer et al (https://psidonline.isr.umich.edu/Publications/Papers/tsp/2014-

03_%20Measuring_Wealth_and_Wealth_Inequality.pdf)

Table 3b. SCF Wealth Levels 2013 and 2019

2013 2019

Mean Median Mean Median

Wealth components

Business assets 110,112 0 166,493 0

Checking/savings 47,530 3,802 56,217 5,500

Stocks 67,266 0 110,200 0

IRA/private annuities 60,015 0 71,654 0

Net worth of vehicles 14,999 9,406 16,179 9,000

Equity in primary residence 103,917 26,017 147,386 50,000

Equity in real estate 

excluding primary residence 52,976 0 68,682 0

Other assets 24,836 0 38,131 0

Other debts 11,228 300 15,590 810
19

Table 4. Net Worth Distribution PSID and SCF, 2007-2019

PSID SCF

2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2007 2010 2013 2016 2019

Percentiles

5th (11,500) (25,500) (32,000) (33,000) (29,100) (24,500.00) (23,000.00) (6,800) (21,200) (23,600) (22,935) (24,770)

10th (946) (6,300) (9,500) (9,500) (7,000) (3,497.00) (3,000.00) - (3,400) (4,600) (4,343) (2,849)

25th 2,508 2,400 2,800 3,000 5,000.00 5,650.00 10,700 6,000 6,300 6,720 8,800

50th 96,700 65,050 54,500 54,000 60,500 65,020.00 76,000.00 101,300 62,200 64,200 76,683 96,800

75th 278,200 260,000 270,000 285,200 290,000.00 317,000.00 316,100 261,700 262,000 300,942 341,130

90th 860,000 755,000 761,000 790,000 880,000 840,000.00 900,000.00 800,100 820,200 794,900 1,004,672 990,500

95th 1,468,000 1,308,000 1,331,000 1,360,000 1,590,800 1,465,000.00 1,660,000.00 1,608,900 1,684,400 1,676,300 2,138,348 2,203,600

Percentile Ratios

50/25 25.9 22.7 19.3 20.2 13.0 13.5 9.47 10.37 10.19 11.41 11.00

90/50 8.9 11.6 14.0 14.6 14.5 12.9 11.8 7.90 13.19 12.38 13.10 10.23

90/25 301.0 317.1 282.1 293.3 168.0 159.3 74.78 136.70 126.17 149.51 112.56

SCF percentiles calculated using SCF public data and weights. PSID percentiles calculated using PSID and weights. For more information see Pfeffer et al 

(https://psidonline.isr.umich.edu/Publications/Papers/tsp/2014-03_%20Measuring_Wealth_and_Wealth_Inequality.pdf)
20

Figure 3. Weekly Housework Time by Sex, PSID and ATUS

0

4

8

12

16

20

2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

Weekly Hours

Year

All PSID Women PSID Men PSID All ATUS Women ATUS Men ATUS
21

Table 5a. Weekly time spent in various activities by age and sex: 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (weekly time in hours)

All Men Women

18+ 18-24 25-54 55-64 65+ 18+ 18-24 25-54 55-64 65+ 18+ 18-24 25-54 55-64 65+

Household activities1 11.7 10.9 11.4 12.1 12.2 8.3 8.3 7.9 8.7 8.9 15.0 13.5 15.1 15.1 14.9

Self care2 8.0 9.0 7.6 8.2 8.5 6.8 7.8 6.3 6.9 7.7 9.1 10.2 8.9 9.3 9.3

Purchasing goods and services3 3.8 3.6 3.5 4.0 4.2 2.8 3.4 2.6 2.9 3.2 4.7 3.7 4.4 5.0 5.1

Child care4 13.5 17.4 21.9 4.3 3.0 9.3 8.5 14.6 3.1 2.0 17.5 26.6 29.5 5.4 3.8

Adult care5 2.1 1.5 1.1 3.3 3.2 1.3 2.4 0.6 1.7 2.6 2.8 0.5 1.7 4.7 3.8

Volunteer 1.1 0.5 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.0 0.5 0.9 0.8 1.2 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.3 1.5

Educational activities7 1.2 4.5 1.5 0.6 0.5 1.1 4.5 1.4 0.5 0.5 1.2 4.5 1.7 0.6 0.6

Leisure and sports8 17.4 15.4 13.6 18.5 24.6 17.9 16.1 14.2 19.2 25.5 16.9 14.8 12.9 17.8 23.9

Working and work related activities9 25.5 30.8 34.4 25.8 6.5 30.4 34.5 39.6 30.3 8.8 20.8 27.1 29.0 21.9 4.7

Total Time 84.25 93.59 96.10 77.79 64.20 78.91 85.97 88.27 74.07 60.44 89.40 101.41 104.35 81.11 67.36

Table 5b. Time spent in various activities by age and sex: 2019 American Time Use Survey (weekly time in hours)

All Men Women

18+ 25-54 55-64 65+ 18+ 25-54 55-64 65+ 18+ 25-54 55-64 65+

Household activities1 12.6 11.83 14.84 16.8 9.94 8.75 12.74 13.3 15.61 14.84 16.94 19.39

Self care2 5.46 5.39 5.46 5.67 4.48 4.62 4.55 4.34 6.37 6.09 6.44 6.86

Purchasing goods and services3 5.39 4.97 5.25 6.51 4.41 3.99 4.76 5.88 6.3 5.95 5.67 7

Child care4 3.15 5.04 1.54 1.19 2.03 3.22 0.91 0.98 4.27 6.86 2.03 1.4

Adult care5 0.77 0.56 1.26 1.05 0.63 0.49 1.19 0.91 0.84 0.63 1.33 1.26

Household adults 0.28 0.21 0.56 0.49 0.21 0.14 0.49 0.42 0.35 0.28 0.56 0.63

Non-household adults 0.49 0.35 0.70 0.56 0.42 0.35 0.70 0.49 0.49 0.35 0.77 0.63

Volunteer 0.91 0.63 0.91 1.68 0.77 0.63 0.7 1.68 0.98 0.7 1.12 1.68

Educational activities7 1.75 1.19 0.07 0.07 1.68 1.19 0 0 1.89 1.19 0 0.14

Leisure and sports8 36.26 29.54 38.15 51.31 38.64 31.64 39.34 55.23 34.09 27.51 37.03 48.16

Working and work related activities9 26.39 35.21 26.6 5.6 31.85 41.93 31.64 7.98 21.28 28.63 21.98 3.64

Total 93.45 94.92 95.34 90.93 95.06 96.95 97.02 91.21 92.47 93.03 93.87 90.79

Note: data were pulled using the ATUS on screen data search: https://data.bls.gov/PDQWeb/tu
22

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