Work & commute · 2024 ACS PUMS variable
COW
Class of worker
- Type
- Categorical
- Length
- 1
- Value codes
- 10
- Survey
- 2024 ACS 1-Year
COWis the U.S. Census Bureau's ACS PUMS variable for class of worker. It is a categorical field with 10 possible category codes, released in the 2024 Public Use Microdata Sample. The full list of value codes and their labels is below.
COW value codes
| Code | Label |
|---|---|
| b | N/A (less than 16 years old/NILF who last worked more than 5 years ago or never worked) |
| 1 | Employee of a private for-profit company or business, or of an individual, for wages, salary, or commissions |
| 2 | Employee of a private not-for-profit, tax-exempt, or charitable organization |
| 3 | Local government employee (city, county, etc.) |
| 4 | State government employee |
| 5 | Federal government employee |
| 6 | Self-employed in own not incorporated business, professional practice, or farm |
| 7 | Self-employed in own incorporated business, professional practice or farm |
| 8 | Working without pay in family business or farm |
| 9 | Unemployed and last worked 5 years ago or earlier or never worked |
Work with COW in PUMSdata
Instead of decoding COWby hand, map and cross-tabulate it across every state and PUMA — correctly weighted, no setup. Free while we're in beta.
COW — FAQ
What is the COW variable in PUMS?+
COW is the 2024 ACS Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) variable for "Class of worker". It is a categorical field 1 character long.
What are the COW codes?+
COW has 10 value codes in the 2024 dictionary, each mapping a numeric code to a category label — all of them are listed on this page.
Where does the COW variable come from?+
COW is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2024 ACS PUMS data dictionary. PUMSdata is an independent product that makes this microdata easy to explore, and is not affiliated with the Census Bureau.