National Data Sets Useful in Food and Nutrition Assistance Research
ERS encourages research that makes appropriate use of existing, nationally
representative data. Examples of relevant surveys include:
The following provides brief descriptions of the data.
Several of these data sets contain items related to food
security, which has a distinct section on this page. For
more information, see the associated web links.
Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE)
The CE is an annual survey of household expenditures conducted by
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. The survey
has three major objectives: (1) to provide information on consumer expenditures
to support revisions to the Consumer Price Index market basket; (2) to
provide a flexible set of data serving a wide variety of social and economic
analyses; and (3) to provide a continuous body of detailed expenditure
and income data for research purposes. The survey is comprised of two
independent household components: a quarterly interview survey for broad
expenditure categories and a weekly diary survey for small frequently
purchased items, such as individual food items, gasoline, stamps, and
other miscellaneous items. The data set includes information on age, race,
sex, household size, income, geographic region, and Food Stamp Program
participation. For more information, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics'
CE website.
 List of National Data Sets
Current Population Survey (CPS)
The CPS is a large, nationally representative monthly survey that obtains
information from approximately 50,000 households. The U.S. Census Bureau
conducts the survey on behalf of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and
other Federal agencies that support the survey. The main purpose of the
CPS is to provide estimates of employment, unemployment, and other characteristics
of the general labor force. In addition to the labor force data, the March
CPS Supplement provides detailed data on annual income and food assistance
program participation; the income data are used to calculate State and
national poverty estimates. Estimates of food security at the household
level are developed using items on a CPS supplement that is sponsored
by USDA. The food security supplement was introduced in April 1995. The
supplement is fielded annually, although the month of administration varies
from year to year. Information on the CPS and its supplements can be found
on the Census Bureau's CPS website.
Information on the CPS food security supplements can be found in the Economic
Research Service's Food
Security in the United States briefing room.
List of National Data Sets
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Birth Cohort (ECLS-B)
The ECLS-B is an ongoing nationally representative sample of about 12,000 children born during the year 2001 who will be followed through the first grade. The study focuses on factors affecting readiness for school, and information will be collected each year from parents, teachers, birth records, and the children themselves. Study participants come from diverse socioeconomic and racial/ethnic backgrounds, with oversamples of children who are Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian, or Chinese; twins; and children with low and very low birthweights. Information about these children is collected when the they are about 9 months old, 2 years old, 4 years old, and in kindergarten and first grade. Data items funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture relate to participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), as well as other USDA food assistance programs; infant feeding practices; children's household food security; and children's height and weight. The ECLS-B offers the opportunity to examine the relationship between children's participation in WIC and their cognitive performance and school progress and many other issues. For example, data from the ECLS-B may shed light on the relationship between infant feeding practices and childhood obesity. For more information, see the National Center for Educational Statistics' ECLS website.
List of National Data Sets
Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten
Cohort (ECLS-K)
The ECLS-K is an ongoing longitudinal study conducted by the U.S. Department
of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. The study follows
a nationally representative sample of approximately 22,000 children from
kindergarten through eighth grade. The children's parents, teachers, and
schools are also participants in the study. The ECLS-K collects information
on the children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development
(i.e., height and weight); home environment and home educational practices;
school environment, classroom environment, and classroom curriculum; participation
in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Food
Stamp Program; and household food security status. Information is collected
in the fall and the spring of kindergarten (1998-99), the fall and spring
of first grade (1999-2000), the spring of third grade (2002), fifth grade (2004), and eighth grade (2007). For more information, see the National Center
for Educational Statistics' ECLS website.
List of National Data Sets
Food and Nutrition Service Program Operations
Data
The Food and Nutrition Service Program Operations Data provide statistical
information on aspects of all major Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) food
and nutrition assistance programs. These programs include the Food Stamp
Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants,
and Children (WIC); Child Nutrition Programs (National School Lunch, School
Breakfast, Child and Adult Care, Summer Food Service, and Special Milk);
and Food Distribution Programs (Schools, Emergency Food Assistance, Indian
Reservations, Commodity Supplemental, Nutrition for the Elderly, and Charitable
Institutions). Four types of tables are provided: historical summaries,
annual State-level data for selected elements, monthly national-level
data for major programs, and State-level participation in major programs
for the latest available month. The summaries begin with 1969, the year
that FNS was established to administer USDA's food and nutrition assistance
programs. FNS Program Operations Data are available on the Food
and Nutrition Service website.
List of National Data Sets
Food Security Data Information
ERS plays a leading role in Federal research on food security and hunger in U.S. households and communities. Food security for a household means access by all members at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies). USDA has developed a standardized survey module for assessing food security status. This module is included on a number of national surveys, the most prominent of which is the Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau. For more information on national surveys that include the USDA food security module, see the Economic Research Service's briefing room Food Security in the United States.
List of National Data Sets
Food Stamp EBT Redemption Patterns National Database
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) contracted with Abt Associates to assemble a national sample of approximately 10,000 food stamp households per State. The sample was drawn from FNS’s nationwide Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) database, providing a record of the time, place, and amount of every purchase. Subsets of the data were linked with the Food Stamp Program’s authorized retailer database to identify store characteristics and with the program’s quality control database to identify household characteristics. Methods used to construct the database and detailed tables can be found on the FNS website.
List of National Data Sets
Food Stamp Program Access Study Surveys (FSPAS)
The Food Stamp Program Access Study Surveys (FSPAS) were conducted in 2000 to provide a systematic and comprehensive look at how local program policies and procedures influenced potentially eligible households’ participation in the Food Stamp Program. FSPAS is centered around a nationally representative sample of local food stamp offices. Samples of food stamp caseworkers and their supervisors were selected within the sampled offices and interviewed concerning local office policies and practices that might affect access to the FSP. For the geographic area served by each office, samples were drawn of food stamp eligible nonparticipants, food stamp applicants, households recertifying for food stamp benefits, and households leaving the FSP. Information was obtained about their socioeconomic characteristics, their relationship to the FSP, and their participation decisions. Details of the data collection methodology can be found in Chapter 2 of the FSPAS final report and the public use dataset and documentation can be obtained from the FANRP office.
List of National Data Sets
Food Stamp Program Quality Control Data File
(FSPQC)
The FSPQC database contains detailed demographic, economic, and Food Stamp
Program (FSP) eligibility information for a nationally representative
sample of approximately 50,000 FSP units (an FSP "household"
is known technically as a food stamp "unit"). The FSPQC data
are generated from monthly quality control (QC) reviews of FSP cases that
are conducted by State FSP agencies to assess the accuracy of eligibility
determinations and benefit calculations for the State's FSP caseload.
These data, which are produced annually, are ideal for tabulations of
certain characteristics of food stamp units and for simulating the impact
of various FSP policy changes on current FSP units. For more information,
see the link to Food Stamp Quality Control Data under Other Resources on the Food and Nutrition Service website.
List of National Data Sets
Food Stamp Program State Rules Database
The Food Stamp Program State Rules Database and associated documentation were prepared by the Urban Institute with funding from the FANRP program to provide a central data source for State policy options in the Food Stamp Program. The database includes 59 program rules and/or policies that fall into 10 categories: Asset Limits; Immigrant Eligibility; Standard Utility Allowance; Recertification Periods; Reporting Requirements; ABAWD Eligibility; Cash Assistance; Issuance Method; Outreach; and Biometric Technology. Data are provided for all 50 States and the District of Columbia, and, where possible, for each month from January 1996 through December 2004. Individual data records are provided for State, month, and year (e.g., Alabama in January 1996). For details, email the FANRP office.
List of National Data Sets
National Food Stamp Program Survey (NFSPS)
The NFSPS was conducted in 1996 by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture. The survey collected information on client
satisfaction with services provided by food stamp offices and agencies,
the monetary and nonmonetary costs of participating in the Food Stamp
Program (FSP), food shopping behaviors, items related to food security,
and nutrient availability for a nationally representative sample of Food
Stamp Program participants and potential participants. In addition, information
on dietary knowledge and attitudes and a 7-day household food use record
was collected from a subsample of 1,000 of these households. Approximately
1,000 nonparticipants were contacted through random digit dial sampling
to gather information on their experiences with the FSP and their reasons
for nonparticipation. For more information, see one or more of the NFSPS
reports (available in PDF format), including "Food
Stamp Participants' Access to Food Retailers," "Customer
Service in the Food Stamp Program," and "Food
Stamp Participants' Food Security and Nutrient Availability."
These reports and others are available on the Food
and Nutrition Service website.
List of National Data Sets
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
NHANES is an ongoing survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The survey assesses the health and nutritional status of the population and monitors changes over time, especially in comparison with information from NHANES I, II, and III, which were conducted in earlier periods. A major objective of the survey's nutrition component is to provide data for nutrition monitoring purposes, including tracking nutrition, identifying risk factors related to food insecurity, and estimating the prevalence of compromised nutritional status. A second major objective is to provide information for studying the relationships among diet, nutritional status, and health. A dietary 24-hour recall is used to obtain dietary data. The data set variables include gender, age, race, ethnicity, income, education, employment, health insurance coverage, marital status, and food assistance program participation. Outcome variables of interest include numerous nutritional and health indicators, such as food and nutrient intake, dietary practices, body measurements, hematological tests, including iron status, biochemical analyses of whole blood and serum (including lipid, lipoproteins, lead, and glucose tolerance), blood pressure, electrocardiograms, urine tests, bone densitometry, dental examinations, gallbladder ultrasonography, and cognitive and physical functioning. For more information, see the NHANES website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
List of National Data Sets
National Survey of America's Families (NSAF)
The NSAF, conducted by The Urban Institute, provides a comprehensive look
at the well-being of adults and children. The survey provides quantitative
quality-of-life measures and pays particular attention to low-income families.
The survey is representative of the noninstitutionalized, civilian population
under age 65 in the Nation as a whole and in 13 States: Alabama,
California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi,
New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Together, these
13 States are home to more than half the Nation's population and represent
a broad range of fiscal capacities, child well-being, and approaches to
government programs. For more information, see the Urban Institute's NSAF
website.
List of National Data Sets
Nielsen Homescan Survey
Nielsen Homescan is a consumer-based survey of food purchases collected from a large, national panel of households. Panel members report the details of each food shopping occasion at a wide variety of store types, including traditional food stores, nontraditional food retailers (such as supercenters, warehouse clubs, and dollar stores), and online merchants. Panelists use a customized electronic device in their homes to scan the barcodes of the products they purchase and to record the quantity, date, store, and if the item was purchased on promotion or sale. The amount paid for each item is either entered by the household or obtained by Nielsen directly from the store. ERS has acquired Homescan data covering 1998 through 2005. Because the data are proprietary (owned by Nielsen), use of the data is subject to the terms and the conditions of the purchasing contract. The contract limits the use of the data to issues of interest to USDA and allows sharing the data with external researchers when they conduct USDA work. USDA-funded research agreements can use these data subject to the terms of the contract. For more details, email the FANRP office.
List of National Data Sets
Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
The PSID, begun in 1968, is a longitudinal study of a representative sample
of U.S. individuals and their families, including an oversampling of the
low-income population. As families have grown and changed over time, the
sample size has grown from 4,800 families in 1968 to 6,434 in 1999. A
sample of 441 immigrant families was added in 1997. The PSID has collected
information about more than 60,000 individuals spanning as much as 30
years of their lives. The central focus of the data is economic and demographic
variables useful for research on dynamic processes. It contains substantial
detail on income sources and amounts, employment, family composition changes,
and residential location. Some waves of the study also included variables
oriented more toward sociological or psychological research. The study
is conducted at the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research,
University of Michigan and has been supported over the years by funding
from various government agencies, foundations, and other organizations.
For more information, see the University of Michigan's PSID
website.
List of National Data Sets
School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS)
The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS)
is a national survey conducted periodically to assess
school health policies and programs at the State, district,
school, and classroom levels in elementary, middle/junior,
and senior high schools. SHPPS is designed to answer
the following three questions: (1) what are the characteristics
of eight school health program components (health education,
physical education and activity, health services, mental
health and social services, food service, school policy
and environment, faculty and staff health promotion, and
family and community involvement) at the State, district,
school, and classroom levels nationwide? (2) who is responsible
for coordinating and delivering each component of the
school health program and what kind of education and training
have they received? and (3) what collaboration occurs
among staff from each school health program component
and with staff from State and local agencies and organizations?
State-, district-, and school-level questionnaires were
designed to collect information on State, district, and
school policies and programs specific to each school health
program component, with an emphasis on policy. Classroom-level
questionnaires were designed to describe required instruction
and techniques used in teaching health topics and physical
education. The public-use data set for SHPPS 2006 is available
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For
more information, see School
Health Policies and Programs Study.
List of National Data Sets
Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
The main objectives of the SIPP are to collect information on income by
source, employment, program participation and eligibility, and general
demographic characteristics. This information is used to measure the effectiveness
of existing Federal and State programs; to estimate future costs and coverage
for government programs, such as food stamps; and to improve statistics
on the U.S. distribution of income in the country. The U.S. Census Bureau,
which conducts the SIPP, uses a longitudinal, multistage-stratified design
to survey the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United
States. The sample size ranges from approximately 14,000 to 36,700 interviewed
households, with the duration of each panel ranging from 2½ to
4 years. Variables include labor force behavior; income; participation
in public programs; basic demographic characteristics; living arrangements;
food adequacy or abbreviated food security module; participation at the
individual level in the Food Stamp Program and the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and participation
at the household level in the free, reduced-price, and full-price categories
of the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. For
more information, see the Census Bureau's SIPP
website.
List of National Data Sets
Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD)
The SPD is a special extension of the Survey of Income and Program Participation
(SIPP) designed to look specifically at the effects of welfare reform.
Congress mandated that the U.S. Census Bureau continue to collect data
on the 1992 and 1993 panels of SIPP, as necessary, to obtain information
on changes in participation in public assistance programs, employment,
earnings, and measures of adult and child well-being. The data collected
from the 1992 and 1993 SIPP panels provide 3 years of longitudinal baseline
data prior to major welfare reform. The SPD's data include information
on program eligibility, access, and participation; transfer income and
in-kind benefits; food security; and detailed economic and demographic
data on employment and job transitions, income, and family composition.
The 3 years of SIPP data combined with the 7 years of SPD data will provide
panel data for 10 years. For more information, see the Census Bureau's
SPD website.
List of National Data Sets
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