I am looking to attach the PWCMPWGT to a pooled CPS Basic Monthly IPUMS dataset from 1990-2016 in order to replicate some BLS estimates. A step-by-step guide on how to merge this weight variable from NBER extracts with IPUMS CPS data would be helpful.
Here are a few helpful notes regarding merging IPUMS CPS data with NBER CPS data. (1) NBER data includes non-response households. So, if you drop the non-interviewed households from the NBER file, the record counts should align with the record counts in IPUMS CPS files. (2) If you are merging basic monthly samples a 1:1 merge is possible using HRHHID, HRHHID2, and LINENO as linking keys. Also note that in the NBER file, you’ll need to rename the PULINENO to LINENO to allow the merge to work properly. (3) Finally, although it may be a bit tedious, I’d recommend performing this merge one sample at a time. This way you won’t mistakenly link different households.