Researcher

Find research we’ve published and information we’ve collected about the consumer financial marketplace. Use these resources to improve your understanding of the marketplace.

Conducted biennially since 2009 partly in response to a statutory mandate, the survey is administered in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and collects information on bank account ownership, use of prepaid cards and nonbank financial transaction services, and use of bank and nonbank credit by U.S. households.

The Community Financial Access Pilot (CFAP) began in 2008 and was implemented through December 2009 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) to increase access to financial services and financial education among low- and moderate-income families and individuals, especially individuals who have no bank or credit union account.

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), which began in 1996, is a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers (doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.), and employers across the United States. MEPS collects data on the specific health services that Americans use, how frequently they use them, the cost of these services, and how they are paid for, as well as data on the cost, scope, and breadth of health insurance held by and available to U.S. workers. MEPS currently has two major components: the Household Component and the Insurance Component.

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of households conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It supports a set of widely reported monthly economic indicator statistics such as the national unemployment rate.

The Residential Finance Survey (RFS) was conducted in the year following the decennial census from 1951 – 2001. It is designed to provide data about the financing of nonfarm, privately owned, residential properties. The 2001 RFS was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A representative national sample of about 68,000 residential addresses was drawn from the address file for Census 2000.

The American Housing Survey (AHS) is the largest, regular national housing sample survey in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the AHS to obtain up-to-date housing statistics for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Although the focus of the AHS is on the housing unit (physical space), the survey captures a rich array of information about the individuals and households who occupy those units, including the financial implications of their housing choices.

SIPP provides comprehensive information about income and labor force participation for individuals and households in the United States, and the extent and principal determinants of their participation in government transfer payment and supplemental income programs. SIPP offers detailed information on cash and noncash income on a subannual basis. The survey also collects data on taxes, assets, liabilities, and participation in government transfer programs.

The SCPC is a nationally representative survey of consumers’ adoption and use of nine different payment instruments, including cash. The survey was developed by the Consumer Payments Research Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and is implemented by the RAND Corporation through its American Life Panel. It was designed to provide insights about the role of consumers in the transformation of payments from paper to electronic.

The SCF is conducted every three years to provide detailed information on the finances of U.S. families (households). The study is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Board in cooperation with the Department of the Treasury and is widely used by the Federal Reserve, other branches of the U.S. government and researchers worldwide for insights and analysis regarding U.S. household finances. Respondents are selected through a geographically based random sample and a special oversample of relatively wealthy families.