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AHS 2004 Topcodes File Available

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An MS-Excel spreadsheet summarizing the top- and
bottomcodes in the 2004 American Housing Survey
dataset is now available for download from the
HUD USER web site:

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs.html

Topcodes are maximum values that certain variables
are allowed to take. These maxima are imposed to
protect the confidentiality of the respondents.
For example, households with very high incomes or
units with very large numbers of rooms could be
identified if this information were revealed. In a
few cases minimum values, or bottomcodes, are also
imposed.

The new spreadsheet lists the names of all
variables that are coded in this way. It
summarizes the rule used to determine the topcode,
the minimum and maximum values found in the file,
the second to minimum and maximum values, and the
frequencies of top-and bottomcoded values.

Dav Vandenbroucke
Senior Economist
U.S. Dept. HUD
david_a._vandenbroucke@hud.gov
202-708-1060 ext. 5890