• Statistical Product First. As you’ll also read in Director Santos’ blog, to better meet the nation’s complex and diverse informational needs in today’s world, the Census Bureau is changing how it designs and provides statistical data products. By moving to a “Statistical Product First” approach, we can better provide information the public wants and needs to meet its objectives.
  
  Because this approach depends on in-depth, ongoing dialogue with our data users and the public, it is also a step toward increased data equity and access. Instead of limiting ourselves to the statistics our censuses and surveys produce, we’re widening our lens and working across programs to develop statistical products informed by what stakeholders need our statistics to support.
  
  The Statistical Product First approach means a total change in workflow. The Census Bureau is re-envisioning its data enterprise to support a workflow model for this new approach. A key part of that is finding out what purposes and uses people need Census Bureau statistics to support. This then drives the development of the statistical products through an iterative process – a continuous journey.

• CPS Modernization. Another example of our transformation efforts is the Current Population Survey (CPS). Along with our partner, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we are launching a multiyear effort to modernize the CPS to ensure long-term sustainability.
  
  Since coming out of the Great Depression, data collected from CPS households have been used to derive the nation’s unemployment rate, among other critical measures that help us gauge how American households are doing economically. Over the years, the CPS has made modifications to measure the ever-changing population and labor force characteristics of the United States and has implemented the latest in survey methodology practices. The last major change to the CPS was in the early 1990s when it went from paper data collection to computer-assisted interviewing. Today, the CPS, like many surveys, is experiencing declining response rates. By adding a new internet self-response mode, we hope to increase or, at the very least, stabilize response rates. A longer-run strategy is to explore other possible data sources to support estimates from the CPS.

• AIES. Another example of our transformation is the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES), the Census Bureau’s newest innovative annual survey. The AIES is one way we’re improving our data collection to produce higher-quality, timelier results; reduce respondent burden; and allow the Census Bureau to operate more efficiently.
  
  The AIES will replace seven surveys:
      - Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS).
      - Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS).
      - Service Annual Survey (SAS).
      - Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM).
      - Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES).
      - Manufacturers’ Unfilled Orders Survey (M3UFO).
      - Report of Organization (COS).
  
  This means a more streamlined process that cuts back on the number of requests businesses may receive to participate in surveys. We’ll now collect all the information at one time, eliminating duplicate requests and harmonizing content and reporting units. In addition, the AIES is the first production survey to implement key elements of our modernized Business Ecosystem. This is a key milestone in our broader transformation efforts, and as we look forward to the 2030 Census.
  
  In March, the 2023 AIES will launch to more than 370,000 businesses across the country and data will be released beginning July 2025.
  

• 2022 Economic Census. The 2022 Economic Census began data collection at the end of January 2023 and wrapped up in November. This economic census gathered figures on over 8 million business establishments with paid employees, with approximately 4 million responses coming from direct data collection and the rest of the data – mostly on small businesses – from high-quality administrative records.
  
  The First Look data were  published ahead of schedule January 25, providing a macro view of the U.S. economy. High-level numbers show there were just over 8 million establishments with paid employees in 2022, up from 7.6 million establishments in 2017 and 7.1 million establishments in 2012. These establishments had 140 million employees with an annual payroll of $8.6 trillion.
  
  Future economic census data are set to be released on a flow basis through early 2026. The next release will include data based on geographic areas with subsequent releases covering products and services provided by industry and industry-specific topics. In addition, we have accelerated the release of the Island Areas’ data, which include Puerto Rico. These data are set to be released in mid-2024. A copy of the full release schedule is available online.
  

Now, having rung in the new year, there’s much to look forward to in 2024. In January, I participated in the annual GeoBuiz Summit in Monterey, California – an international conference focused on the geospatial industry. It was wonderful meeting technology leaders and learning from industry experts.  We have lots of transformational work that leverages modernized geospatial data and tools that I hope to blog about in the future.

Also in January, we kicked off our annual Census Open Innovation Summit. This annual innovation conference showcases technology built with open data and highlights government innovations, cross-sector collaboration and federal-community partnerships.

These are only a few of the events taking place early this year, and I cannot wait to see what 2024 holds. I know that with our long-running focus on research and innovation, we will all continue to provide quality data about America’s people, places and economy. Our extraordinary accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding and ongoing determination of all the Census Bureau employees working across the country. I am in awe of their service and contributions to the Census Bureau, to our country and to one another. I thank them for all their hard work this and every year. These important goals and challenges require a team effort – and we have a winning team at the Census Bureau. I am excited to see where the new year takes us!