Codes

This variable is not available for any of the currently selected samples.

Description

FSSPDMKT indicates the total amount the household spent on food at grocery stores or supermarkets in the past week.

Food spending is calculated by subtracting non-food expenditures from total expenditures at these stores. Households that did not shop for food at supermarkets and grocery stores last week are assigned a value of zero.

FSSPDMKT is one of the variables used to calculate total spending on food in the last week (FSTOTXPN). Households also report their usual weekly expenditures on food (FSULXPNS).

This variable is part of the Food Security Supplement.

Comparability

In most years, the question is asked of all households. In 1997, this question was asked of 6 of the 8 rotation groups. Beginning in 2010, food expenditure questions are restricted to non-group quarter households.

Starting in 2011, the variables for total and non-food expenditures at these stores on which FSSPDMKT are based are top coded. Total expenditures is top coded in the data at $400 in 2011, $390 in 2012, $445 in 2013, and $460 in 2014. Non-food expenditures is top coded in the data at $150 in 2011, $125 in 2012, $170 in 2013, and $200 in 2014. Note that the top codes in the data are sometimes different from the top codes given in the CPS documentation. The flag QFSSPDMKT indicates whether a household's values for FSSPDMKT are affected by a top code in total expenditure at these stores, non-food expenditure at these stores, or both.

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables