The Census Bureau tested changes to the Retirement, Survivor and Disability Income question in the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) Content Test.  The goal was to improve reporting of retirement income amounts, reduce item missing data rates, and reduce reporting errors.  The Census Bureau tested expanding the question to reference retirement income from specific types of common contribution retirement plans.  The new wording produced several positive changes.  As a result, the Bureau implemented the new retirement income question in the 2019 American Community Survey.

The 2018 version of the question asked about, “Retirement, survivor, or disability pensions” and added the instruction, “Do not include Social Security.”  The 2019 version of the question asked about "Retirement income, pensions, survivor or disability income” and added the more detailed instructions; “Include income from a previous employer or union, or any regular withdrawals or distributions from IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b), or other accounts specifically designed for retirement.  Do not include Social Security."

Further, in interviewer-administered questionnaires and the Internet questionnaire, the Bureau split the question into two parts, survivor and disability income and retirement and pension income.  Content Test results showed that this split allows for better comprehension when an interviewer verbally asks the question to a respondent.

These changes resulted in an increase in both the number of households reporting retirement income and higher aggregate retirement income at the national level for 2019.