Description

IND1990 classifies industries from all years since 1950 into the 1990 Census Bureau industrial classification scheme. Like IND1950, IND1990 offers researchers a consistent long-term classification of industries.

The Census Bureau has reorganized its industrial classification system in almost every census administered since 1940. All original industry information is stored in the IND variable. The meaning of codes in the IND variable changes with each census year. We chose the 1990 scheme as the standard for IND1990 so that no year's industry data would be forced to bridge both of the two most significant changes in twentieth-century coding schemes: from 1970 to 1980 and from 1990 to 2000. In IND1990, all samples from 1950 onward bridge no more than one major change in twentieth-century industrial coding schemes. For this reason, the variable may be preferable to IND1950 for the samples from 1980 onward. Sensitivity testing suggests that IND1990 performs very similarly to IND1950 for most purposes.

IND1990 was created using a series of technical papers published by the Census Bureau shortly after each census was administered. These papers provide detailed analyses of how the industrial coding scheme for each census year differed from the scheme used during the previous census year. These industrial "crosswalks" are based on samples of cases that are "double coded" into the industrial schemes of the current and previous census year. The original Census Bureau crosswalks are available via links in "Occupation and Industry Variables" of the IPUMS documentation.

Using the information from the industrial crosswalks, we traced the proportion of each industry as it broke out into more specific industries or as it was combined with others into a more general industry. To take one example from the technical paper produced after the 2000 census: of persons coded in "Footwear" in 2000 (2000 code 177), the Census Bureau determined that 11% would have been coded as " Other rubber products, and plastics footwear and belting" in 1990 (1990 code 211), while 89% would have been coded as " Footwear, except rubber and plastic" (1990 code 221). Thus, IND1990 assigns a code of 221 to the cases in the 2000 IPUMS sample having an original 2000 IND value of 177. We generated the same information for every industrial code in every census year from 1950-2000.

Pending 2023 Data: We expect additional documentation to be released with the 2023 ACS/PRCS 5-year data that are necessary for us to update this variable for the 2023 ACS/PRCS 1-year data.

Comparability

This variable is comparable over time. Users should take note of the changing universe of persons subject to the occupation question (e.g., the rising minimum ages).

Universe

Availability

• 2023: --
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: All samples
• 2017: All samples
• 2016: All samples
• 2015: All samples
• 2014: All samples
• 2013: All samples
• 2012: All samples
• 2011: All samples
• 2010: ACS; ACS 3yr; ACS 5yr
• 2009: All samples
• 2008: All samples
• 2007: All samples
• 2006: All samples
• 2005: All samples
• 2004: All samples
• 2003: All samples
• 2002: All samples
• 2001: All samples
• 2000: All samples
• 1990: All samples
• 1980: All samples
• 1970: All samples
• 1960: All samples
• 1950: All samples
• 1940: --
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --
• 1900: --
• 1880: --
• 1870: --
• 1860: --
• 1850: --

• 2023: --
• 2022: All samples
• 2021: All samples
• 2020: All samples
• 2019: All samples
• 2018: All samples
• 2017: All samples
• 2016: All samples
• 2015: All samples
• 2014: All samples
• 2013: All samples
• 2012: All samples
• 2011: All samples
• 2010: PRCS; PRCS 3yr; PRCS 5yr
• 2009: All samples
• 2008: All samples
• 2007: All samples
• 2006: All samples
• 2005: All samples
• 2000: All samples
• 1990: --
• 1980: All samples
• 1970: All samples
• 1930: --
• 1920: --
• 1910: --

Flags

Editing Procedure

There is no editing procedure available for this variable.