Census Bureau Virtual Tribal Consultation on Race/Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project

The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to host a virtual webinar with federally recognized tribes and state-recognized tribes on the Race/Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project. Tribes will be given an opportunity to provide feedback on how detailed race/ethnicity populations and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages will be coded in the American Community Survey (ACS) and 2030 Census. More information on the upcoming consultation is available on the Tribal Consultation webpage. (The consultation is scheduled for Jan. 15.)

Household Pulse Survey

The experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS) is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to measure how emergent issues are impacting U.S. households from a social and economic perspective.

The Census Bureau has made changes to the HPS to enhance efficiency and representativeness of the data. Since early October 2024, HPS content has been incorporated into a longitudinal design, with data collection occurring bi-monthly. The longitudinal design will benefit HPS data by allowing direct measurement of change over a longer period of time in critical elements like spending, inflation, and other social and economic indicators of well-being. The October public use file was released on December 18, 2024; the December public use file will be released February 5, 2025. With the change to a longitudinal design, the sample size is smaller, and data will be released at a national level.

To acknowledge these design changes, the Census Bureau has rebranded the HPS as the Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS) starting January 2025. For more information on these changes, visit Evolving the Household Pulse Survey.

Veteran Employment Outcomes Update

The U.S. Census Bureau is set to release an expanded version of Veteran Employment Outcomes (VEO). The updated experimental data product will now include earnings and employment outcomes for veterans honorably discharged between 2002 and 2021 as well as from additional branches of the Armed Services. These data show important differences across military rank and occupation, regardless of the branch of service. The Census Bureau partnered with the Department of Defense to update and expand VEO. Earnings and employment outcomes of more than 2.8 million enlisted service members will be available. (Scheduled for release Jan. 14.)

2022 Nonemployer Statistics of the U.S. Marine Economy

The U. S. Census Bureau is set to release the 2022 Nonemployer Statistics (NES) estimates of the U.S. Marine Economy. Nonemployer Statistics provide subnational economic data for businesses that have no paid employees, are subject to federal income tax, and have receipts of $1,000 or more ($1 or more for the Construction sector). Nonemployer establishment counts and receipts estimates will be provided by nonstandard state- and county-equivalent geographies comprised of selected coastal regions across each state, and by the Economics: National Oceanic Watch (ENOW) sectors, defined by the Office for Coastal Management at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The ENOW sectors include Tourism and Recreation, Ship and Boat Building, Marine Construction and Transportation, Offshore Minerals, and Living Resources such as fishing. (Scheduled for release Jan. 21.)

2025 Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership Workshop (Save the Date: April 8-10)

Join us for our 2025 Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership Workshop, featuring keynote speaker Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist and global head of Thematic and Macro Investing at Morgan Stanley. We are expanding our topics to include discussions on our newer products. Mark your calendar for an exciting event! Further details and an agenda, when available, will be posted on the LEHD website. Information on previous workshops can also be found at Workshops and Webinars - Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics. If you have any questions about the workshop, please email CES.Local.Employment.Dynamics@census.gov.

Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS)

The BTOS measures business conditions on an ongoing basis. The BTOS experimental data products are representative of all employer businesses in the U.S. economy, excluding farms. The data allow greater insight into the state of the economy by providing continuous, timely information for key economic measures. Data are released biweekly and are available by sector, state, employment size, and the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. Work from home (WFH) became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains a key feature in many workplaces yet existing measures reveal significant data gaps in understanding its scope, particularly from a business perspective. To address this, we developed 11 WFH questions for the Business Trends and Outlook Survey covering the share and frequency of WFH, challenges, management policies, and business impact. The WFH questions were added to the BTOS Nov. 4.

Monthly Business Formation Statistics

Business Formation Statistics (BFS) provide timely, high-frequency data on business applications and employer business formations monthly. The data are available at the state, regional and national levels and by industry sector at the national level. The next monthly BFS will be released Feb. 12 and will include January 2025 data. Business Formation Statistics - Release Schedule (census.gov).

New American Community Survey Data Products Available for the 119th Congress — Jan. 7

The U.S. Census Bureau will release new social, economic, housing and demographic statistics for the 119th Congress. The four data profiles will be available for all 435 congressional districts in the Census Bureau’s main data dissemination tool (data.census.gov) and the Application Programming Interface. The My Congressional District data tool will also be updated for the 119th Congress. These data products will be produced from the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates. The full suite of tables using the 119th congressional districts will be available in the 2024 ACS 1-year release, scheduled for fall 2025. More information about the ACS is available on the ACS website.

Census Bureau Projects U.S. and World Populations on New Year’s Day — Dec. 30

The U.S. Census Bureau will release population projections for the United States and the world as of Jan. 1, 2025. 

Census Business Builder Version 5.8 — Jan. 7

The U.S. Census Bureau released version 5.8 of the Census Business Builder (CBB) tool. This update included new data from the 2022 Economic Census Geographic Area Statistics and Economic Census of Island Areas. Enhancements include data traceability in the app and Business Profile, sorting capability for the Business Comparison tables, time series for American Community Survey variables, NAICS codes added to the Top Impacted Industries, enhancements to UI elements, as well as fixes for previously known issues. More information on CBB is available online.

National Black (or African American) History Month: February 2025 — Dec. 11

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, the U.S. Census Bureau presents a collection of demographic and economic statistics about the 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:

• Data Centers Growing Fast and Reshaping Local Economies (Jan. 6)
• Happy New Year 2025! (Dec. 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.

• New Year's Day 2025: January 1, 2025

Wrapping Up an Outstanding Year at the U.S. Census Bureau — Dec. 31

Written by: Robert L. Santos, Director — At the end of my third year as director of the U.S. Census Bureau, I’ve been thinking a lot about our work and how our success lies in the ability to put relevant and useful data into the hands of the public.

Census Bureau Economists to Present at AEA and ASSA Annual Meetings — Dec. 30

Written by: Center for Economic Studies Staff, U.S. Census Bureau — U.S. Census Bureau economists and social scientists are set to present their research findings at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association (AEA) and Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA) in San Francisco Jan. 3-5. This conference typically hosts thousands of attendees from around the world and showcases the latest economic research.

Seeking Different Perspectives to Better Serve Our Nation’s Data Needs — Dec. 30

Written by: Robert L. Santos, Director — We are all connected. We are one nation. And as public servants, we need to understand and live our mission to provide quality statistical data on our nation’s people and economy. Those data connect us; they connect one person to another. They offer the clues to how we can improve our society and how we can help each other by understanding who we are as a nation. It is our connections as the people of this nation that compel us to engage with each other.

Emergency Management/Disaster Resources 

When major disasters strike, visit our Emergency Management webpage 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

Discover 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

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.

Data Equity Tools

The U.S Census Bureau’s publicly available data sets and tools to assist in the equitable distribution of resources, and identifying underserved communities.

Job-to-Job Flows Explorer

Analyze the Job-to-Job Flows (J2J) data through interactive charts, maps and tables.

PSEO Explorer

Visualize the experimental Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) data through interactive bar charts and Sankey diagrams.

Census Bureau Training Opportunities

Webinars are available on a regular basis to help the public access and use 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 webpage. Login details are provided at least one week before a webinar.

• Census API Basics: Simple Steps to Better Data Access (Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2-3 p.m. ET)

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.