Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement

The Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS-FSS) is a nationally representative dataset created by the U.S. Census Bureau under sponsorship by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS). It has been collected annually since 1995 as a supplement to the monthly CPS, which surveys approximately 50,000 households on labor force and socioeconomic topics. The dataset measures food security, including indicators like food expenditure, access to food, quality, safety, and participation in federal food assistance programs. It uses a standardized 18-item module to assess household-level food insecurity severity. Key features include state-level estimates (since 1998) and alignment with USDA’s annual reports on food security. Its primary purpose is to monitor hunger and food insecurity trends in the U.S., informing policy decisions and programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). Researchers and policymakers use it to analyze disparities by demographic factors (e.g., income, race, geography) and evaluate the impact of economic or public health crises (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Unique aspects include its longitudinal consistency, integration with labor force data, and public accessibility via platforms like the USDA ERS and Census Bureau, enabling robust analyses of food insecurity’s social and economic determinants. (Source: USDA ERS, Census Bureau, and academic analyses cited in search results.)