Overview
The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly household survey conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to provide information about employment, unemployment, and other characteristics of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.
Since the late 1960s, NCES has funded a supplement for the Current Population Survey. The October Supplement routinely gathers data on school enrollment and educational attainment for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education. Related data are also collected about preschooling and the general adult population. In addition, NCES funds additional items on education-related topics such as language proficiency, disabilities, computer use and access, student mobility, and private school tuition.
Design
The CPS is a nationally representative probability sample survey of households. A multistage stratified sampling scheme is used to select sample households. The survey is conducted in approximately 50,000–60,000 dwelling units monthly. Dwelling units are in-sample for 4 successive months, out-of-sample for the next 8 months, and then returned to the sample for the following 4 months. An adult member of each household provides information for all members of the household.
Components
Basic CPS:
Household membership and characteristics; demographic characteristics; and labor force participation.
October Supplement:
Basic annual school enrollment for preschool, elementary, secondary, and postsecondary students; and educational background information needed to produce dropout estimates on an annual basis.
Computer Use (1984, 1989, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2003):
Availability of computer at school, home, and work; reasons for and frequency of computer use at school, home, and work; availability and use of Internet at school, home, and work.
Private School Tuition (1979, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, and 1997):
Type of private school and amount of private school tuition.
Selected Education Characteristics (1992, 1995, 1999, and 2003):
Grade retention; language spoken at home; English proficiency; disability status; and whether ever attended school in the United States (1995 only). In 1999, information was collected on grade retention for persons ages 15–18; language spoken at home, and disability status for persons who have repeated grades.
Data Access
The Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains a CPS Home Page that contains detailed information on the availability of recent CPS data.
There are two additional websites that contain CPS data files available to view and download for analyses:
- CPS Data Overview: contains CPS data files available for downloading.
- National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): maintains an extensive collection of historical CPS public use tapes for its research staff. All of the data are available for free downloading.
Related Resources
The following links are resources containing information relevant to the Current Population Survey: