Primary Sampling Unit Stratification for the Current Population Survey 2020 Sample Redesign

Oregon Convention Center 

The Current Population Survey (CPS) uses a two-stage sample design, in which a group of counties called primary sampling units (PSUs) are selected in the first stage and housing units from those selected counties are selected in the second stage. After every decennial census, the CPS redesigns its sample to make it more relevant to the current decade. PSUs are classified as either self-representing (SR) or non-self-representing (NSR). SR PSUs are included in sample with certainty while NSR PSUs are clustered into strata with one PSU sampled per stratum. In this redesign, we sought a NSR PSU stratification to improve variance of auxiliary measures of childhood poverty and American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) people with minimal impact to PSU workload variance and unemployment variance. This talk describes the process and some summary results.

Sample Design

Stratification 

Survey Research Methods Section