The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly household survey that gathers detailed information on the labor market and demographic characteristics of the U.S. civilian non institutional population. Each month the survey interviews about 60,000 households ( 115,000 individuals), producing cross sectional estimates of employment status, hours worked, earnings, occupation, industry, school enrollment, and a wide range of demographic variables (age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, nativity, etc.). In addition to the core labor force module, several quarterly supplements capture data on poverty status, health insurance coverage, disability, and family composition. The CPS is a joint effort of the U.S. Census Bureau (which designs and conducts the survey) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which processes the data for official labor market statistics. Its primary purpose is to provide the nation s benchmark measures of employment, unemployment, labor force participation, and related characteristics; these figures are the basis for the monthly U.S. unemployment rate released by the BLS. Researchers, policymakers, and businesses use CPS data for economic forecasting, program evaluation, poverty and welfare research, demographic analysis, and educational outcome studies. Unique features include its large, nationally representative sample, a rotating panel design that allows short term longitudinal analysis, and quarterly supplements (e.g., the ASEC supplement) that furnish detailed income and poverty information unavailable in many other surveys.