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ERSCOR90
Occupational earnings score, 1990 basis
Return to Occupational Standing - SES variables list

Description

ERSCOR90 is a constructed variable that assigns a measure of the median earned income for each occupation using the modified version of the 1990 occupational classification scheme available in the OCC1990 variable.

In order to maximize comparability over time, the median earned income reported in ERSCOR90 is standardized as a "z-score" and then converted to a percentile rank. ERSCOR90 reports the percentage of persons in occupations having lower standardized median earnings than the respondent's occupation. The scores were based on the earnings levels of the employed civilian labor force aged 16 and above, excluding persons who did not work in the past one year.

ERSCOR90 values were created in two steps. The first step was to derive a standardized z-score for earnings in each occupational category. These scores indicated the number of standard deviations by which each occupational category differed from the mean earnings of all occupations. The second step in creating ERSCOR90 was to convert these standardized z-scores to a percentile rank. For example, the median earned income for occupation category 808 (Bus drivers) was $11,748 in 1990. This occupational category's ERSCOR90 value of 17 indicates that 17% of workers are in occupations having lower standardized median earned incomes than that of bus drivers.

From 1990 onward, these calculations rely in the INCEARN variable. From 1950-1980, these calculations rely on the sum of the variables specified below:

1950
1960
1970
1980
INCWAGE
INCWAGE
INCWAGE
INCWAGE
INCBUSFM
INCBUSFM
INCBUS
INCBUS
 
 
INCFARM
INCFARM

Alternative measures of occupational standing that are based on OCC1990 are available in EDSCOR90, HWSEI, NPBOSS90, and PRENT. For information on occupational standing measures, see see "Integrated Occupation and Industry Codes and Occupational Standing Variables in the IPUMS."

User caution: There is significant debate about the usefulness of composite measures of occupational standing (in the IPUMS, these variables include SEI, HWSEI, NPBOSS50, and NPBOSS90). We strongly urge researchers to read our user note on this issue and to familiarize themselves with the debates surrounding the use of these variables.