Census Scientific Advisory Committee 2023 Spring Virtual Meeting

The U.S. Census Bureau will host the Census Scientific Advisory Committee Virtual Meeting March 9-10, 2023. Experts and representatives of various organizations from across the nation will attend the virtual meeting to discuss census programs, operations and innovative processes. 

New ACS Data Products Available for the 2022 State Legislative Districts

The U.S. Census Bureau will release new social, economic, housing and demographic statistics for the 2022 state legislative districts. The four Data Profiles will be available for all 6,832 state legislative districts (1,958 upper chamber and 4,874 lower chamber) for the 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The Data Profiles will be available on the Census Bureau's FTP site and through a web-based lookup tool on the ACS website. These data products will be produced from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates. More information about the ACS is available on the ACS website. (Scheduled for release March 16.)

Census Bureau Releases New Educational Attainment Data

The U.S. Census Bureau will release findings from the Educational Attainment in the United States: 2022 table package, which uses statistics from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement to examine the educational attainment of adults 18 and older by demographic and social characteristics, such as age, sex, race and nativity. (Scheduled for release February 16.)

Household Pulse Survey

The experimental Household Pulse Survey is an effort by the U.S. Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to provide near real-time data on how the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in social and economic conditions are affecting people’s lives to inform federal and state response and recovery planning. Data collection for phase 3.7 began December 9, with data dissemination, including detailed data tables and public use data files, on a monthly basis. (Scheduled for release February 22.)

School Pulse Panel

The Census Bureau has begun collecting data from schools for the new School Pulse Panel (SPP) as part of efforts to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and staff in U.S. public schools. The SPP is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics and collects data on instructional mode offered, learning loss mitigation strategies, staffing levels, safe and healthy school mitigation strategies, use of technology and more. To learn more, visit the School Pulse Panel webpage.

“The Disproportionate Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women in the Workforce”

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership in collaboration with the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute, will present, “The Disproportionate Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women in the Workforce.”  Women in the workforce faced steeper job losses and slower job recovery than men across the nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research prepared using the LEHD program’s Quarterly Workforce Indicators data will show breakdowns of which industries were heavily impacted, how the impacts to women differed by state, and what recovery looks like in the latest available data. (Scheduled for February 14.)

New Total Business Ownership by Demographics Webpage

The U.S. Census Bureau will launch a new webpage that brings together several sources of business owner demographic data into one convenient location for data users. The Total Business Ownership by Demographics page will provide a comprehensive hub for data on selected economic and demographic characteristics for businesses and business owners by sex, ethnicity, race and veteran status. Webpages that previously hosted data from the Survey of Business Owners, Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, Annual Business Survey and the Nonemployer Statistics by Demographics will be redirected for 90 days once the Total Business Ownership Demographics site is up. (Tentatively scheduled to launch February 21.)

ACCESS BROADBAND Dashboard

The U.S. Census Bureau and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will unveil the first release of their joint interactive dashboard that allows users to compare U.S. state, county, and census tract-level maps displaying broadband availability and adoption statistics to maps of select social and economic indicators. (Scheduled for release late February/early March.)

Business Trends and Outlook Survey

The U.S. Census Bureau launched a new survey to measure business conditions on an ongoing basis. The Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) is the successor to the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS), a high-frequency survey that measured the effect of changing business conditions during the coronavirus pandemic and other major events like hurricanes on our nation’s small businesses.

BTOS experimental data products are representative of all single-location employer businesses in the U.S. economy, excluding farms. The data will allow greater insight into the state of the economy by providing continuous, timely data for key economic measures. The first data were released October 13 and will continue to be released biweekly and available by sector, state and the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas.

Monthly Business Formation Statistics

Business Formation Statistics (BFS) provide timely and high-frequency data on business applications and employer business formations on a monthly basis. The data are available at the state, regional and national level and by industry sector at the national level. The next monthly BFS release February 10, will include January 2023 data. Business Formation Statistics - Release Schedule (census.gov).

Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting U.S. Census Bureau statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their respective audiences.

• Super Bowl LVII (57): February 12, 2023
• Singles Awareness Day: February 15, 2023
• Presidents’ Day: February 20, 2023
• Women’s History Month: March 2023
• Red Cross Month: March 2023
• Ohio 220th Anniversary of Statehood (1803): March 1, 2023
• Employee Appreciation Day: March 3, 2023
• Frozen Food Month & Day: March & March 6, 2023
• International Women’s Day: March 8, 2023
• 95th Oscars®/Academy Awards: March 12, 2023
• Sunshine Week & Freedom of Information Day: March 12-18 & March 16, 2023
• Equal Pay Day: March 14, 2023
• Pi Day: March 14, 2023
• Potato Chip Day: March 14, 2023
• St. Patrick’s Day: March 17, 2023
• Certified Nurses Day: March 19, 2023
• National Poultry Day: March 19, 2023
• National Single Parent Day: March 21, 2023
• National Agriculture Week & Day: March 21-27 & March 21, 2023

Tribal Listening Session on Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A Proof of Concept

February 1 —The U.S. Census Bureau held a virtual listening session for tribal leaders, their designated tribal representatives and/or proxies to learn about the Proof of Concept for the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) for public review and feedback. The session included a walkthrough of the Proof of Concept and provide an opportunity to answer any questions in advance of the scheduled tribal consultation February 23, 2023. More information is available in the data products newsletter, Detailed DHC-A Proof of Concept Coming Later This Month.

Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A Proof of Concept

January 31 — The Census Bureau released a proof of concept for the 2020 Census Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A (Detailed DHC-A) for public review and feedback. This proof of concept is based on 2010 Census data. A webinar was planned for the same day at 3 p.m. EST. More information is available in the data products newsletter, Detailed Demographic and Housing Characteristics File A Proof of Concept Coming Later This Month.

2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Citizen Voting Age by Race and Ethnicity (CVAP) Special Tabulation

February 1 — The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Citizen Voting Age by Race and Ethnicity (CVAP) Special Tabulation. This special tabulation is created for use in voting rights analysis and is published for a series of geographies, down to the block-group level. Publication of this special tabulation is only be available for download from the Census Bureau Citizen Voting Age by Race and Ethnicity webpage.

Census Bureau Releases New Index of Economic Activity

February 9 — The U.S. Census Bureau premiered a new daily data product: the Index of Economic Activity (IDEA). The index effectively combines 15 of the primary economic data series produced by the Census Bureau to yield a single time series as a weighted combination. IDEA will live at the top of the Census Bureau Briefing Room webpage at <www.census.gov/economic-indicators/>.

2021 County Business Patterns ‘First Look’ Data

February 7 — The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2021 County Business Patterns (CBP) First Look data table. This preliminary tabulation includes the number of establishments; employment for the week of March 12, 2021; first quarter payroll; and annual payroll at the NAICS sector level (i.e., 2-digit NAICS) for the nation. The final CBP tables for 2021 reference year are scheduled for release in April.

Economic Census is Underway

January 31 — The U.S. Census Bureau began mailing out invitations to respond to the 2022 Economic Census on January 31. Businesses are asked to submit their responses by March 15. The economic census is the U.S. government’s official five-year measure of American businesses and the economy. To learn more about responding to the 2022 Economic Census, visit the Information for Respondents webpage. More information is available on the About the Economic Census webpage and in the press kit. 

Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

January 30 — You may not find a pot of gold at the end of this edition of Facts for Features, but you will find it useful and informative. It is filled with statistical information from the Census Bureau’s demographic and economic subject areas on the nation’s Irish-American population and other facets of this celebration of all things Irish.

National Black (or African American) History Month: February 2023

January 12 — To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation by people of African descent, the U.S. Census Bureau presents a collection of demographic and economic statistics about the U.S. Black community.

America Counts tells the stories behind the numbers in a new and inviting way. We feature stories on various topics such as families, housing, employment, business, education, the economy, emergency preparedness and the population. New stories include:

• Super Bowl LVII: Fun Facts About Players and Places (February 8)
• How Have State Official Poverty Rates Changed Over 10 Years? (February 7)
• In Time for the Grammy Awards, Statistics on the Recording Industry (February 2)
• Census Count of U.S. Businesses: Why Responses Matter (January 30)

Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting the Census Bureau’s newsworthy statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their respective audiences

• Valentine’s Day: February 14, 2023
• National Inventors’ Day: February 11, 2023
• Massachusetts 235th State Admission Anniversary (1788): February 6, 2023
• Grammy Awards: February 5, 2023
• National Weatherperson’s Day: February 5, 2023
• Mail Carrier Day: February 4, 2023
• National Women’s Physician Day: February 3, 2023
• Groundhog Day: February 2, 2023
• American Heart Month: February 2023

Changing Small Habits Can Lead to Transformation

Written by: Dr. Ron Jarmin, Deputy Director

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.” I’m no philosopher, but I can say I’ve seen a lot of change in the 30-plus years I’ve been at the U.S. Census Bureau. When I got to the agency in the fall of 1992, you could still hear the tapping of typewriters and smoking was allowed in designated places like private offices. How we work at the Census Bureau has also transformed dramatically. When I arrived, there was no internet data collection since there was barely an internet, and the agency was struggling with moving from FORTAN to the statistical software platform SAS. But we stopped smoking inside, tossed the typewriters, adopted SAS and now couldn’t imagine executing our mission without the internet to collect data, collaborate with colleagues or disseminate our data products to you – the public.

Recognizing 2023 Black History Month

Written by: Robert L. Santos, Director

February 6 — The news surrounding the tragic death of Tyre Nichols on the heels of mass murders in California cast a veil of solemnity on the advent of Black History Month. These events touch everyone in our nation and illustrate that our work to advance human dignity and realize the equality for which we all strive is still a glimmer on the horizon. But it is and always has been achievable.

Emergency Management/Disaster Resources

When major disasters strike, visit our Emergency Management page for demographic and economic data on impacted areas. Each disaster will include data from our key emergency management tools: OnTheMap for Emergency Management, Community Resilience Estimates, Census Business Builder: Regional Analyst Edition and other useful resources.

Learn What Surveys Are Being Conducted in Your Community

See which of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 130-plus annual surveys are being conducted in your community. In a variety of surveys and censuses, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America’s people, businesses, industries and institutions. Learn more about surveys currently being conducted in each Census Bureau region:

• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Denver
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Philadelphia
• All Surveys

Data Tools

Listed below are a few of the U.S. Census Bureau’s interactive applications used to access statistics from our 130-plus annual surveys. A complete list can be accessed on the Census Bureau’s Data Tools and Apps webpage.

• Census Geocoder — Provides interactive & programmatic (REST) access to users interested in matching addresses to geographic locations and entities containing those addresses.
• Migration Patterns: Young Adult Migration — Use this resource to discover where people in your hometown moved as young adults.
• Opportunity Atlas — Which neighborhoods in America offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty?

Census Bureau Training Opportunities

Webinars are available on a regular basis to help the public access and use U.S. Census Bureau statistics. These free sessions, which are 60 to 90 minutes each, show users how to navigate Census Bureau databases and mapping tools and find demographic and economic statistics at the local or national level. Descriptions of upcoming sessions are available on our Census Academy page. Login details are provided at least one week before a webinar.

• The Disproportionate Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women in the Workforce (Tuesday, February 14, 1:30-3:00 p.m. EST)
• Census Tools for the Grant Writing Trade (Thursday, February 16, 2-3:30 p.m. EST)
• Exploring Economic Data on data.census.gov (Wednesday, February 22, 2-3 p.m. EST)
• How to Make a Data-Driven Business Plan Using Census Bureau Data (Thursday, February 23, 2-3:30 p.m. EST)

Archived Training Resources

Visit the Census Bureau’s Educational Resource Library for previously recorded, free training available at your convenience. The library includes presentations, recorded webinars, tutorials and other helpful materials.

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