Field representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau will visit 45,000 households nationwide beginning in October to conduct the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). One question they hope to answer: Is the median net worth of U.S. households climbing as fast today as it was four years ago?

     The last time this information was published in 2003 the results showed that the nation’s households had a median net worth of $55,000 in 2000, up from $49,932 in 1998, after adjusting for inflation.

     “The SIPP provides not only current and accurate national income statistics, but also data on household net worth, which is the value of assets, minus debts,” said James Holmes, director of the Census Bureau’s Atlanta Regional Office. “The data on household wealth paint a detailed statistical portrait for analysts and policy-makers of the economic resources available to households at a given point in time.”

     The survey will also track changes in the type of work people perform, their educational level and whether they are actively looking for work. Respondents also may be asked about other topics such as the field of study of their post-secondary degree, marital history, retirement and pension-plan coverage, child-care arrangements, payments made for adults living in another household or institution (such as an elderly parent in a nursing home), doctor’s visits, fertility history and the cost of work-related expenses. Since the survey is designed to measure change over time, the households selected will remain in the survey through 2008.

     By law, the Census Bureau keeps all information provided by survey respondents and their households confidential. Households selected for the survey will receive a letter from Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon. The field representatives who conduct the interviews carry official photo identification cards. Most of the follow-up interviews are conducted by telephone.

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