Description
IMPEARNTOPFLAG1 is a generated variable that indicates whether the value in the variable EARNIMPOINT1, a point estimate for earnings income, was top-coded (IPUMS NHIS code 2) or not (IPUMS NHIS code 1).
The complementary variable EARNIMPOINT1 was created as part of a set of variables that provide complete (i.e., without missing values) data on family income; the accompanying flag variables allow researchers to identify in which cases imputation was used. For more details on the purpose and methodology of imputation used in the NHIS, see EMPSTATIMP1.
Before using the imputed income and earnings variables, researchers are strongly advised to read the National Center for Health Statistics documentation on imputed income, such as 2018 Imputed Family/Personal Earnings Files and "Multiple Imputation of Family Income and Personal Earnings in the National Health Interview Survey: Methods and Examples".
