ACS Data Users Group

Hi All,

I’m looking to merge the ACS SPM yearly research files to the 1-year ACS data accessed through IPUMS USA. According to the ACS SPM documentation, it instructs users to merge them to the ACS public use files using the SERIALNO and SPORDER variables. In the ACS IPUMS data, the variables I was able to find were SERIAL (the equivalent to SERALNO, as it uniquely identifies households) and PERSONNO (the equivalent to SPORDER, I believe, as it should uniquely identify the person in each household).

After doing a 1:1 merge on these variables for one wave (year 2022), only half of the total observations were matched. Of those that were matched, it appears the demographic indicators included in both datasets, such as age and race, vary between the ACS main file and ACS SPM file.

Has anyone else has used the ACS SPM files? Any insight and suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I have merged IPUMS, SPM, and PUMS using SAS outside of IPUMS.  I download them all and then merge them.   IPUMS data is terrific, but I do remember there are some differences with how they have identified HH and families.  SPM only contains HH and not any GQ but that is not 1/2 (that you say are not matched).  I've had to modify the serialno in order to match them all up.  If this is along the lines of what you're trying to do, let me know and I can help further.  

Hi All,

I’m looking to merge the ACS SPM yearly research files to the 1-year ACS data accessed through IPUMS USA. According to the ACS SPM documentation, it instructs users to merge them to the ACS public use files using the SERIALNO and SPORDER variables. In the ACS IPUMS data, the variables I was able to find were SERIAL (the equivalent to SERALNO, as it uniquely identifies households) and PERSONNO (the equivalent to SPORDER, I believe, as it should uniquely identify the person in each household).

After doing a 1:1 merge on these variables for one wave (year 2022), only half of the total observations were matched. Of those that were matched, it appears the demographic indicators included in both datasets, such as age and race, vary between the ACS main file and ACS SPM file.

Has anyone else has used the ACS SPM files? Any insight and suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Hi All,

I’m looking to merge the ACS SPM yearly research files to the 1-year ACS data accessed through IPUMS USA. According to the ACS SPM documentation, it instructs users to merge them to the ACS public use files using the SERIALNO and SPORDER variables. In the ACS IPUMS data, the variables I was able to find were SERIAL (the equivalent to SERALNO, as it uniquely identifies households) and PERSONNO (the equivalent to SPORDER, I believe, as it should uniquely identify the person in each household).

After doing a 1:1 merge on these variables for one wave (year 2022), only half of the total observations were matched. Of those that were matched, it appears the demographic indicators included in both datasets, such as age and race, vary between the ACS main file and ACS SPM file.

Has anyone else has used the ACS SPM files? Any insight and suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!