Abstract
This presentation will provide an overview of the WLS data. Survey years include 1957, 1964, 1975, 1993, 2004, and 2011. The content of the WLS has changed to reflect the life course of participants: education inspired the initial data collection, familial and career outcomes focused data collection in midlife, and later rounds have shifted attention to respondent’s health, cognitive status, psychological and other dimensions of wellbeing, non-work activities, and caregiving and social support. Some examples of non-survey derived measures include: parent earnings from state tax records (1957–60), high school IQ scores; characteristics of high schools and colleges, employers, industries, and communities of residence; archival data on high school and elementary school resources; information on social participation, facial obesity, and attractiveness from yearbooks; matches to the National Death Index; Medicare claims data; and Social Security Earnings and Benefits.