The numbers I have computed do not exactly match the numbers reported in the various Federal Reserve Bulletin articles on the SCFs. Why?
Estimates made using the public versions of the SCF data may differ from those reported in the Bulletin for two main reasons. First, some of the articles used preliminary data, which have been superseded by the final data provided on this site. Second, to protect the privacy of respondents, the data made available to the public have been systematically altered using statistical procedures that should not significantly affect the estimates made with the final public data. Where the differences are substantial, it is likely that either the user has made an error or the differences are actually not statistically significant.
