Measuring Labor Earnings Inequality Using Public-Use March Current Population Survey Data: The Value of Including Variances and Cell Means When Imputing Topcoded Values

39 Pages Posted: 3 Nov 2008 Last revised: 2 Jan 2023

See all articles by Richard V. Burkhauser

Richard V. Burkhauser

Cornell University - Department of Policy Analysis & Management (PAM); University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute

Shuaizhang Feng

Shanghai University of Finance and Economics - Department of Economics; Princeton University; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Jeff Larrimore

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 2008

Abstract

Using the Census Bureau's internal March Current Population Surveys (CPS) file, we construct and make available variances and cell means for all topcoded income values in the public-use version of these data. We then provide a procedure that allows researchers with access only to the public-use March CPS data to take advantage of this added information when imputing its topcoded income values. As an example of its value we show how our new procedure improves on existing imputation methods in the labor earnings inequality literature.

Suggested Citation

Burkhauser, Richard V. and Feng, Shuaizhang and Larrimore, Jeff, Measuring Labor Earnings Inequality Using Public-Use March Current Population Survey Data: The Value of Including Variances and Cell Means When Imputing Topcoded Values (October 2008). NBER Working Paper No. w14458, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1294133

Richard V. Burkhauser (Contact Author)

Cornell University - Department of Policy Analysis & Management (PAM) ( email )

120 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
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University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute ( email )

Level 5, FBE Building, 111 Barry Street
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Carlton, VIC 3053
Australia

Shuaizhang Feng

Shanghai University of Finance and Economics - Department of Economics ( email )

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Shanghai, AK Shanghai 200433
China

Princeton University

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Princeton, NJ 08544-0708
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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Jeff Larrimore

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States

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