Description

PERWEIGHT is an IPUMS MEPS-constructed variable based on the Final Person Weight in the original MEPS annual full-year consolidated files. This weight should be used for many cross-sectional analyses at the person level, particularly with variables for which information was collected about all family members. PERWEIGHT represents the inverse probability of selection into the sample, adjusted for non-response with post-stratification adjustments for age, race/ethnicity, and sex using the Census Bureau's population control totals. For each year, the sum of these weights is equal to that year's civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. population.

There are instances, however, when the researcher should use a different person-level weight, particularly when analyzing variables from the Self-Administered Questionnaire or the Diabetes Care Survey, or when conducting longitudinal analyses with the MEPS data. For example, researchers analyzing variables from the Self-Administered Questionnaire from 2000 forward should use SAQWEIGHT rather than PERWEIGHT.

Users should review the documentation for extracted variables--most notably the "Weights" section toward the top of each variable description--to ascertain which weight is the appropriate choice for a given survey year.

PERWEIGHT is a 12-digit numeric variable with 6 implied decimals.

Comparability

This variable is comparable for all years, with the stipulation that each year's PERWEIGHT values are adjusted for contemporaneous Current Population Survey population estimates.

Universe

Availability

• 1996-2021

Weights

• 1996-2021 : PERWEIGHT

Flags