Hi all,
I am working on cross-state differences in property taxes in 2015.
If I understand the data dictionary correctly, the ACS variable TAXAMT (PROPTX99 in IPUMS) is topcoded in all states and years at 10,000 USD (category value 68).
For states with high property taxes, this topcode is rather low. For example, in New Jersey, about one third of owners are assigned this topcoded value.
In the file linked under "PUMS Top Coded and Bottom Coded Values" (here - download and open with Acrobat), I found a csv file called "topcode15" which has two variables called "taxtpct" and "taxp". They are larger than 10,000 USD and vary between states.
Can someone help me to understand what these variables refer to (there is some information on them in the included pdf but it doesn't answer my questions).
1) Why do they differ between states? (17k for most states, 15k and 16k for a few.)
2) How do they relate to TAXAMT's 69 categories and the corresponding dollar amounts published in the data dictionary?
I'll be happy to provide additional info/explanations if my question is not clear.
Many thanks,
Johannes
Two quick clarifications:
- the ACS property tax variable in the data dictionary (page 16 bottom) is called "TAXP" (not "TAXAMT").
- "17k for most states, 15k and 16k for a few." refers to the variable "taxtpct". (The cross-state variation for "taxp" is even more apparent.)