Dear IPUMS,
I am looking at any variable that can give me consumption/expenditure data at CPS, ACS, Time use, yet all I can find is “cost” variables which are different things. Does IPUMS have any consumption/expenditure variable at households level?
My regards,
I am not sure that I understand the specific discrepancy between the two concepts you are interested in highlighting (e.g., the bill a household receives versus what the household paid, or the kWh of energy consumed versus the associated dollar amount). I encourage you to read the questionnaire text (I am linking the text for COSTELEC in IPUMS USA for reference) and determine if the phrasing is appropriate for your specific research application. You may also be interested in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Survey if you are interested in data explicitly focused on consumer expenditures alongside income data.