DOI: 10.3886/icpsr09820.v1
title: Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1990: Interview Survey
title: Version 1

description: The ongoing Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) provides a continuous flow of information on the buying habits of American consumers and also furnishes data to support periodic revisions of the Consumer Price Index. The survey consists of two separate components: (1) a quarterly Interview Survey in which each consumer unit in the sample is interviewed every three months over a 15-month period, and (2) a Diary Survey completed by the sample consumer units for two consecutive one-week periods. The Interview Survey was designed to collect data on major items of expense, household characteristics, and income. The expenditures covered by the survey are those that respondents can recall fairly accurately for three months or longer. In general, these expenditures include relatively large purchases, such as those for property, automobiles, and major appliances, or expenditures that occur on a fairly regular basis, such as rent, utilities, or insurance premiums. Expenditures incurred while on trips are also covered by the survey. Excluded are nonprescription drugs, household supplies, and personal care items. Including global estimates on spending for food, it is estimated that about 90 to 95 percent of expenditures are covered in the Interview Survey. The Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income (FMLY) files in this collection contain consumer unit characteristics, consumer unit income, and characteristics and earnings of both the reference person and the spouse. Summary expenditure data are also provided. The Member Characteristics and Income (MEMB) files present selected characteristics for each consumer unit member, including reference person and spouse. Each record in the FMLY and MEMB files consists of three months of data. Detailed Expenditures (MTAB) files provide monthly data at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level. In these files expenditures for each consumer unit are classified according to UCC categories and are specified as gifts or non-gifts. There may be more than one record for a UCC in a single month if that is what was reported to the interviewer. The Income (ITAB) files supply monthly data at the UCC level for consumer unit characteristics and income.
description: Datasets: 
 
 DS0: Study-Level Files 
 DS1: 1990 First Quarter: Family Characteristics and Income 
 DS2: 1990 First Quarter: Member Characteristics and Income 
 DS3: 1990 First Quarter: Monthly Expenditures 
 DS4: 1990 First Quarter: Monthly Income 
 DS5: 1990 Second Quarter: Family Characteristics and Income 
 DS6: 1990 Second Quarter: Member Characteristics and Income 
 DS7: 1990 Second Quarter: Monthly Expenditures 
 DS8: 1990 Second Quarter: Monthly Income 
 DS9: 1990 Third Quarter: Family Characteristics and Income 
 DS10: 1990 Third Quarter: Member Characteristics and Income 
 DS11: 1990 Third Quarter: Monthly Expenditures 
 DS12: 1990 Third Quarter: Monthly Income 
 DS13: 1990 Fourth Quarter: Family Characteristics and Income 
 DS14: 1990 Fourth Quarter: Member Characteristics and Income 
 DS15: 1990 Fourth Quarter: Monthly Expenditures 
 DS16: 1990 Fourth Quarter: Monthly Income 
 DS17: 1991 First Quarter: Family Characteristics and Income 
 DS18: 1991 First Quarter: Member Characteristics and Income 
 DS19: 1991 First Quarter: Monthly Expenditures 
 DS20: 1991 First Quarter: Monthly Income 
 DS21: 1990-1991: Purchases of Household Appliances 
 DS22: 1990-1991: Inventory of Household Appliances 
 DS23: 1990-1991: Inventory and Purchases of Owned Vehicles 
 DS24: 1990-1991: Disposal of Owned Vehicles 
 DS25: 1990-1991: Trips and Vacations 
 DS26: 1990-1991: Publication Aggregation 
 DS27: 1990-1991: Publication Labels 
 DS28: 1990-1991: Universal Classification Codes and Titles 
 DS29: 1990-1991: Vehicle Make/Model Codes and Titles 
 DS30: 1990-1991: Codebook Text for All Parts
description: Consumer Expenditure Survey Series
description: Total civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States.
description: The Consumer Expenditure Survey is based on a national probability sample of households. Households are selected from primary sampling units (PSUs), which consist of counties (or parts thereof), groups of counties, or independent cities. The set of sample PSUs used for the survey is composed of 101 areas, of which 85 urban areas have also been selected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Consumer Price Index program. The sampling frame from which housing units were selected was generated from the 1980 Census 100-percent detail file, augmented by new construction permits and coverage improvement techniques used to eliminate recognized deficiencies in that census. The sample design is a rotating panel survey in which one-fifth of the sample is dropped and a new group added each quarter. Each panel is interviewed for five consecutive quarters and then dropped from the survey.