Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Topics
Data & Maps
Surveys & Programs
Resource Library
Evidence-Based Decision-Making at the Census Bureau
Evidence-Based Decision-Making at the Census Bureau
It’s the U.S. Census Bureau’s mission to measure America – our people, places, and economy.
The essential information we collect makes it possible for decision makers to understand how our country is changing. It helps the public analyze whether the nation is dedicating the right resources to the right places. And, in a critical way, it gives researchers the tools to determine what works and what needs improvement in our democracy.
The 2018 “Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act” (Public Law 115-435, “Evidence Act”) recognizes the value of evidence for government to run effectively and efficiently.
Learn more about how the Census Bureau supports evidence-building across government through our core mission, and how we measure the effectiveness of our own work.
Implementing the Evidence Act
See how the Census Bureau is implementing the individual components and requirements of the Foundations for Evidence Based Policymaking Act (Evidence Act) within the Census Bureau.
Latest Updates
How Evaluation Drives In-House Program Improvement
Our evidence-building program is grounded in strong commitments from leadership and a team of evidence-focused professionals from across the agency. These include program administrators, performance managers, strategic planners, policy and budget staff, evaluators, analysts, and statisticians. They work together to ensure that we are meeting our goals and working effectively.
An Office Dedicated to Improving Census Bureau Processes and Products
A special office we stood up in 1933 has been a global catalyst for advances in census taking and survey methodology ever since.
Evidence-Based Improvements to America’s Largest Household Survey
We constantly research ways to make the American Community Survey—the nation’s largest household survey—easier for respondents.
Listening to the Public: Making it Easier to Find and Use Data
We analyzed site visitor feedback and overhauled our main data search engine so that you don’t have to be an expert to find the data you need.
2020 Census: Real-Time Research Experiments for 2030 and Beyond
During every decennial census we conduct a robust testing, evaluation, and experimentation program to help plan for the next census.
Breaking Down Silos for Better Efficiency
Consolidating common operations behind the Business Dynamics Statistics and Statistics of U.S. Businesses programs has made them more accurate and efficient.
Combining Surveys Cuts Redundancy, Shares Resources
The new Annual Business Survey combines three surveys into one. It’s more precise, saves money, and is easier for respondents.
Accelerating Research with Access to Interim Results: RODAS
By giving approved researchers fast access to interim findings, the RODAS pilot is streamlining the time between research concept and published results.
How Our Work Fuels Evidence-Building across Government
The Census Bureau shares its expertise so Federal, state, and local governments can better understand the populations they serve. Advances in data science allow us to safely and securely combine data sets from multiple sources. This allows us to advance the Census Bureau's mission of providing timely and unbiased data to support evidence-based decision making.
Census Bureau Data Equity Resources
Our publicly available data sets and tools help federal agencies and other entities equitably distribute resources and identify underserved communities.
Giving States Better Insight into the Children Served by WIC
A joint data linkage project with the USDA gives states a clearer picture of WIC usage and the types of kids and families who are in or could be in the program.
Helping States Better Understand and Serve Their SNAP Population
States that opt-in to this joint USDA data linkage project learn more about the characteristics of their SNAP-eligible and participating population.
The Pulse Surveys: Measuring COVID-19 Impact in Near-Real Time
These experimental data products demonstrate our ability to quickly produce data critical to federal and state response and recovery planning.
Helping Communities Map Social Mobility
The Opportunity Atlas gives communities a powerful tool to understand the forces behind local, long-term social mobility, in an easy-to-use mapping interface.
The Opportunity Project: Sparking Private Sector Data Solutions
We help teams use federal open data to build solutions to our nation’s toughest challenges.
A Cross-Government, One-Stop Application to Streamline Data Access
Per the Federal Data Strategy, we’re working to cut the red tape that frustrates qualified researchers from accessing multiple restricted data sets.
Shedding Light on Your College Investment
The Census Bureau combines LEHD data with new data from state and university system partners to produce information about earnings and higher education.
Page Last Revised - February 26, 2024
✕
Is this page helpful?
Yes
No
Yes
No✕
NO THANKS
255 characters maximum
255 characters maximum reached
255 characters maximum reached
✕
Thank you for your feedback.
Comments or suggestions?
Comments or suggestions?
