This report initiates a new series of quarterly reports covering the economic status of households in the United States based on data obtained from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The Bureau of the Census undertook this new survey to obtain information on the distribution of income and wealth and participation in government programs by the U.S. population. The content and design of the new survey are based on the results of an extensive development phase called the Income Survey Development Program (ISDP). The Department of Health and Human Services and the Bureau of the Census co-sponsored the ISDP, which was conducted during the period between 1975 and 1980.

The Bureau of the Census collected the data in this report in interviews conducted in October, November, and December 1983 and January 1984. The SIPP is a panel survey in which one-fourth of the sample households are interviewed each month. The survey is designed to be continuous with new panels introduced each year. The total number of sample households interviewed during the first months of the survey was approximately 20,000. Households in a given period will be interviewed every 4 months over a period of about 2-1 /2 years resulting in a total of eight or nine interviews for each household.

This report presents data on average monthly income and program participation for the third quarter of 1983 and relates these data to the labor force activity of the household members. The nature of the SIPP questionnaire makes possible the presentation of data in the form of monthly averages. In any given interview, information on household composition, income, program participation, and labor force activity is collected for each of the preceding four months.