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Monthly household income volatility in the U.S., 1991/92 vs. 2002/03

Author

Listed:
  • Neil Bania

    (University of Oregon)

  • Laura Leete

    (University of Oregon)

Abstract

We investigate changes in monthly income volatility in non-elderly households in the U.S. since the early 1990s. Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we find that monthly income volatility is highest for lower income households, and that it increased substantially for these households between 1992 and 2003. The increase appears to have its roots in the shift of household income away from relatively stable public assistance (AFDC/TANF) benefits and towards earnings. We subject these findings to sensitivity analyses and find similar results. We also find increases in volatility among households with incomes above the poverty line, but these findings are less robust in the face of some sensitivity analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Neil Bania & Laura Leete, 2009. "Monthly household income volatility in the U.S., 1991/92 vs. 2002/03," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 29(3), pages 2100-2112.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-08i30028
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Beatty, Timothy K.M. & Tuttle, Charlotte, 2014. "The Effect of Energy Price Shocks on Household Food Security: Do Federal Assistance Programs Mitigate the Effects of Price Shocks," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170546, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Robert Moffitt & Sisi Zhang, 2018. "Income Volatility and the PSID: Past Research and New Results," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 108, pages 277-280, May.
    4. Thomas Blanchet & Juliette Fournier & Thomas Piketty, 2022. "Generalized Pareto Curves: Theory and Applications," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(1), pages 263-288, March.
    5. Jennifer Romich Heather D. Hill & University of Washington, "undated". "Income Instability and Income Support Programs: Recommendations for Policy and Practice," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 8f4712fa91fe423dbbc65d943, Mathematica Policy Research.
    6. Beatty, Timothy K.M. & Tuttle, Charlotte, 2012. "The Effect of Energy Price Shocks on Household Food Security," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 124791, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    7. Zachary Parolin & Megan Curran & Jordan Matsudaira & Jane Waldfogel & Christoper Wimer, 2021. "Estimating Monthly Poverty Rates in the United States," Poverty and Social Policy Brief 20415, Center on Poverty and Social Policy, Columbia University.
    8. Kyle F. Herkenhoff & Lee E. Ohanian, 2011. "Labor Market Dysfunction During the Great Recession," NBER Working Papers 17313, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Gassman-Pines, Anna & Bellows, Laura & Copeland, William E. & Hoyle, Rick H. & Odgers, Candice L., 2023. "Day-to-day variation in adolescent food insecurity," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    10. Chauvel Louis & Hartung Anne & Palmisano Flaviana, 2019. "Dynamics of Individual Income Rank Volatility: Evidence from West Germany and the US," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 19(2), pages 1-22, April.
    11. Robert Moffitt & Sisi Zhang, 2018. "The PSID and Income Volatility: Its Record of Seminal Research and Some New Findings," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 680(1), pages 48-81, November.
    12. Neil Bania & Laura Leete, 2022. "Monthly income volatility and health outcomes," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 40(4), pages 636-658, October.
    13. Louis Chauvel & Anne Hartung & Flaviana Palmisano, 2017. "Dynamics of Income Rank Volatility: Evidence from Germany and the US," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 926, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    14. Zachary Parolin & Megan Curran & Jordan Matsudaira & Jane Waldfogel & Christopher Wimer, 2022. "Estimating Monthly Poverty Rates in the United States," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 1177-1203, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    poverty; income volatility; income assistance; welfare reform;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • D3 - Microeconomics - - Distribution

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