The U.S. Census Bureau provides both short- and long-term technical assistance on a wide variety of topics related to censuses, surveys, and information systems. Over the past six decades, the Census Bureau has worked in over 100 countries. As such, it has unique global experience. More than 10,000 individuals from low- and middle-income countries have participated in these training programs.

The Census Bureau provides technical assistance to countries for census and survey activities. Technical assistance activities are based on an assessment of existing competencies and identification of the specific needs of a national statistical organization. In-country technical assistance programs range from short, one-time training activities to multi-year projects with multiple visits. Census Bureau staff partner with government officials, subject matter specialists, programmers, and others in national statistical offices to provide one-on-one training and technical support, as well as workshops for larger groups.

Assistance to any country generally begins with a request from a statistical office to a donor agency for assistance with particular statistical needs. Typically, this involves a three-way partnership among the donor agency, the national statistical organization, and the U.S. Census Bureau in setting learning objectives, designing a strategy and work plan for capacity strengthening, and monitoring progress toward objectives.

To strengthen statistical capacity and census and survey operations, the Census Bureau also develops a range of tools, software, data products, and learning resources. These resources, largely sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, are free to use and can be downloaded from our website.

• Assessment tools, such as the Tool for Assessing Statistical Capacity (TASC) and the Tool for Assessing Pilot Electronic Censuses (TAPEC), aid national statistical offices in identifying crucial areas where improvement is needed in their census operations and staff capacity.
• The Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro) is a software package developed by the Census Bureau and used globally for data entry, editing, tabulation, and dissemination.
• The Demographic Analysis & Population Projection System (DAPPS) is a software package that supports detailed demographic analysis and population projections.
• The Select Topics in International Censuses (STIC) technical notes series addresses a range of census subjects, methods, and operations to assist census planners in middle- to low-income countries.
• The Open Source Dissemination System (OSDS) is a set of applications designed to support national statistical offices in producing quality census dissemination products.

The Census Bureau also offers customized courses and workshops on a wide variety of topics. The training program emphasizes the practical skills necessary to improve the statistical capacity of individuals and institutions. The Census Bureau leverages the broad expertise of the agency to train national statistical organizations throughout the world.

The Census Bureau also offers study tours for officials of statistical or planning agencies, data processing centers, and similar organizations. These short-term programs are especially well suited for senior staff whose needs would not be met by regular Census Bureau training programs, as well as those who cannot afford to be away from their offices for an extended period for various reasons.

Participation in the training program is fee-based.