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Discussion Paper
Does it Matter who your Parents are? Findings on Economic Mobility from the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking
Coming out of the Great Recession, there are renewed concerns about the level of economic opportunity throughout the income distribution and the extent to which economic advancement is a realistic goal for all American families.
Working Paper
Earnings Business Cycles: The Covid Recession, Recovery, and Policy Response
Using a panel of tax data, we follow the earnings of individuals over business cycles. Compared to prior recessions, the Covid policy response and recovery were far more progressive. Among workers starting in the bottom quintile, median real earnings including fiscal relief increased 66 percent in 2020 and earnings increases offset relief decreases in the 2021 recovery. After the prior two recessions, this measure had decreased by 24 percent. Among those starting in the top quintile, median and average real earnings were approximately unchanged. This difference from prior recessions is ...
Report
Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019, Featuring Supplemental Data from April 2020
This report describes the responses to the 2019 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED) as well as responses to a follow-up survey conducted in April 2020. The Federal Reserve Board has fielded this survey each fall since 2013 to understand the wide range of financial challenges and opportunities facing families in the United States.
Report
Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2016
In order to monitor the economic status of American consumers, the Federal Reserve Board conducted the fourth annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking in October 2016. This survey provides insights into the well-being of U.S. households and consumers, and provides important information about how individuals and their families are faring in the economy. Topics examined in the survey include individuals’ overall financial well-being, employment experiences, income and savings behaviors, economic preparedness, access to banking and credit, housing and living arrangement ...
Discussion Paper
Unemployment Insurance in Survey and Administrative Data
Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits were a central part of the social safety net during the Covid-19 recession. UI benefits, however, are severely understated in surveys. Using administrative tax data, we find that over half of UI benefits were missed in major survey data, with a greater understatement among low-income workers. As a result, 2020 official poverty rates were overstated by about 2 percentage points, and corrected poverty reached a six-decade low. We provide data to correct underreporting in surveys and show that, compared to UI benefits, the UI exclusion tax expenditure was ...
Discussion Paper
Assessing the Severity of Rent Burden on Low-Income Families
To assess the rent burden on families, we analyze housing expenditures of renters using the American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS). In this note, we have shown that the lowest-income families face severe rent burdens.
Report
Update on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households: July 2020 Results
In March 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic altered the financial landscape for many American families. Recognizing the unprecedented financial disruptions caused by the pandemic, the Federal Reserve conducted a pair of supplemental surveys to monitor the financial well-being of U.S. households. The first was fielded in April 2020, and the results were described in the Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019, Featuring Supplemental Data from April 2020. This report describes the responses to the second supplemental survey, fielded in July 2020. The combined results ...