SPMFTOTVAL_19RYALT is a 7-digit numeric variable.

Description

SPMFTOTVAL_19RYALT reports total cash income for the family and is used in the construction of the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). This variable is measured at the level of the SPM family unit.

This variable is an alternative version of SPMFTOTVAL that was re-released for the 2020 ASEC which reflects methodological changes first introduced with the 2021 CPS ASEC sample. For more information, see our documentation on the re-release of the 2019 SPM research file in the 2020 ASEC that describes methodological improvements that impact SPM resource and threshold variables. The SPM reference year is the calendar year to which the income, taxes, transfers, expenses, and poverty thresholds apply.

Amounts for SPMFTOTVAL_19RYALT are expressed in dollars of the given year, rather than in constant dollars adjusted for inflation. Users can adjust for inflation using Consumer Price Index adjustment factors.

For more information on calculation of the SPM, see the Census Bureau's "The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure" report.

Comparability

This variable is comparable over time.

Universe

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Unharmonized Variables