Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Topics
Data & Maps
Surveys & Programs
Resource Library
Income & Poverty Working Papers
Income & Poverty Working Papers
Working papers are intended to make results of Census Bureau research available to others and to encourage discussion on a variety of topics. They have not undergone a review and editorial process generally accorded official Census Bureau publications.
View the list of working paper topics.
View the list of working papers by year.
Working Paper
Poverty Dynamics in the 2014 SIPP
This paper examines trends in poverty using the redesigned Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) 2014 Panel
Working Paper
Anchored and Relative: Supplemental Thresholds for the SPM
This paper develops a series of anchored and relative thresholds and explores the impact of these alternatives on SPM poverty rates from 2009-2016.
Working Paper
Using SNAP Administrative Records to Evaluate Poverty Measurement
In this paper, we link state SNAP administrative records to the CPS ASEC to examine two main outcomes related to poverty measurement.
Working Paper
Capturing more than poverty: Free & reduced-price lunches and income
This paper investigates whether free and reduced-price lunch designations capture students’ household income and educational disadvantage.
Working Paper
A Multidimensional Poverty Measure using the American Community Survey
This paper uses the American Community Survey to create a multidimensional measure of poverty.
Working Paper
Item Response Rates for Composite Variables
This paper proposes three new methods for aggregating data on response rates across questions to create a measure of item response for composite variables.
Working Paper
Measuring the Cost of Employment: Work-Related Expenses in the SPM
Median weekly work-related expenses for 2015 increase from $40.22, using Wave 10 of the 2008 SIPP, to $47.17 using Wave 1 of the 2014 SIPP.
Working Paper
2016 American Community Survey Content Test: Retirement Income
Results from the 2016 ACS Content Test of the question about Retirement Income.
Working Paper
What are Housing Assistance Support Recipients Reporting as Rent?
This paper shows research on how best to incorporate the reporting of rent from the ACS as part of the Census Bureau’s Supplemental Poverty Measure research.
Working Paper
Revising Poverty Assignments of Unrelated Children in the SPM Report
This paper describes a proposed revision to the assignment of “official” poverty status of unrelated individuals under age 15 in the SPM report.
Working Paper
Geographic Adjustments with BEA RPPs vs. ACS Median Rents: An Update
This paper compares the results of two different adjustments to the Supplemental Poverty Measure thresholds.
Working Paper
Eliminating the Public Housing Adjustment
Working paper discussing the elimination of the public housing adjustment when estimating the value of housing subsidies for the Supplemental Poverty Measure.
Working Paper
Do Older Americans Have More Income Than We Think?
This paper reassesses income and poverty statistics for the population aged 65 and over using the CPS ASEC linked to IRS and SSA administrative records.
Working Paper
Income Inequality among Regions and MSAs
This paper examines income inequality, the effect of government programs, and how these have changed over time among regions and different sizes of MSAs.
Working Paper
Evaluating Wealth Data in the Redesigned 2014 SIPP
This paper is to support the careful use of SIPP data by examining how changes to the SIPP from the 2008 panel to the 2014 panel affected wealth data quality.
Working Paper
Using the ACS to Implement a SPM
The presentation explores implementing the SPM in the ACS.
Working Paper
Same-Sex Married Couple Poverty Rates in the CPS
Evaluate the impact of treating same-sex married couples as one family unit in the measurement of official poverty rates.
Working Paper
Measuring Poverty using Alternative Family Assignments: 2006 - 2015
Impact on official poverty rates of incorporating all parents and their children in the same family for the purposes of determining poverty status.
Working Paper
Using State-Level SNAP Records to Evaluate Supplemental Poverty
This poster examines the effect of using administrative records instead of self-reported data on estimating the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM).
Working Paper
Does Encouraging Record Use for Financial Assets Improve Data Accuracy
This paper compares interest, dividend, and rental income in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to administrative IRS 1040 tax data.
Working Paper
Examining the Black-White Earnings Differential with Admin. Records
In this paper, we compare estimates of the black-white male earnings gap using self-reported earnings.
Working Paper
The Geographic Distribution of Wealth in the United States
This paper presents preliminary estimates of wealth and wealth inequality at sub-national geographies.
Working Paper
Poverty and Income Inequality in Metropolitan Statistical Areas
This poster examines the relationship between poverty and income inequality in metropolitan statistical areas in 2005 and 2015 using ACS data.
Working Paper
Understanding the Supplemental Poverty Measure
A presentation describing the basic elements of the Supplemental Poverty Measure and summarizing results of the measure for 2015.
Working Paper
Measuring the Presence and Impact of Same-Sex Married Couples
Research on how estimates of poverty are impacted by treating same-sex married couples as separate or combined families.
Page Last Revised - June 13, 2023
✕
Is this page helpful?
Yes
No
Yes
No✕
NO THANKS
255 characters maximum
255 characters maximum reached
255 characters maximum reached
✕
Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?
Comments or suggestions?
