Have you ever wanted to link external city-level data to CPS respondents but were stymied by the city coding system used by the CPS? With the release of two new variables (PLACECENSUS and PLACEFIPS), IPUMS CPS has simplified the task of making such linkages.

The CPS identifies a limited number of sub-state geographic units (e.g., cities, counties) because of the complex assignment of CPS geographic identifiers (see working paper) and required minimum population thresholds. An additional layer of complexity is a custom coding scheme for central/principal cities (INDIVIDCC) that is unique to the CPS and, therefore, unfamiliar to most data users. IPUMS CPS has addressed this issue through the creation of two new variables – PLACECENSUS and PLACEFIPS – which provide standard codes for identifying central cities. These new variables will dramatically simplify the process of using IPUMS CPS to study specific cities, and will be particularly beneficial to those who want to augment the CPS data with city-level characteristics.