The U.S. Census Bureau Public Sector Statistics provides annual and Census of Governments (for years ending in 2 and 7) statistics about state and local governments that are essential to understanding the American economy. These statistics provide the most comprehensive and precise measure of U.S. state and local governments’ economic activity, which comprise nearly 90 thousand governments. It also serves as a statistical benchmark for current economic activity, such as, the National Income and Product Accounts and the Gross Domestic Product. This API is presented as a time-series for data from 2012 forward for all public sector surveys, except Government Organization, which is available for 1942 forward.

Data are available for all state and local governments in the United States. Local governments include:

• counties
• cities
• townships
• special districts (such as water districts, fire districts, library districts, mosquito abatement districts, and so on)
• school districts

These data provide policy analysts, researchers, and the general public with a more complete and clear picture of the public sector and  provide information to assist in addressing the issues that concern state and local governments and serve as the foundation for developing national economic and public policy.

• Annual Survey of Public Pensions – www.census.gov/topics/public-sector/public-pensions.html
• Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll – www.census.gov/programs-surveys/apes.html
• Annual Survey of School System Finances – www.census.gov/programs-surveys/school-finances.html
• Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances – www.census.gov/programs-surveys/gov-finances.html
• Annual Survey of State Government Finances – www.census.gov/programs-surveys/state.html
• Annual Survey of State Tax collections – www.census.gov/programs-surveys/stc.html
• Census of Governments – www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cog.html
• Census of Governments Organization & Structure – www.census.gov/topics/public-sector/government-organization.html

SVY_COMP: Survey component field identifies which survey component the data are for (for example, for government organization, the SVY_COMP value is "07"; required for data call

SVY_COMP_LABEL: Survey component label provides the name to the survey component field (for example, 07 is government organization)

AGG_DESC: Aggregate description field identifies aggregate value and survey component (for example, PP0001 is Total Contributions for the Annual Survey of Public Pensions (PP))

AGG_DESC_LABEL: Aggregate description label provides the name for the aggregate description field (for example, for PP0001, 001 identifies Total Contributions for the Annual Survey of Public Pensions (PP))

GOVTYPE: Government Type identifies level of government (for example, 001 is State and Local governments); required for data call

GOVTYPE_LABEL: Government Type label corresponds with the Government Type (for example, 001 is State and Local governments)

GEOTYPE: Geography Type (01 is used for the US total and 02 is used for individual state totals)

STATE: FIPS state code.

GEO_ID: Geographic identifier code (for example, 0400000US24 –first three characters (040) is State; last two characters (24) is the FIPS State code)

NAME:  Geographic identifier name corresponds to the Geographic identifier code (for example, 0400000US24 is Maryland)

GEO_ID_F: Geographic identifier code optional flag field

YEAR: Year of data collected.

AMOUNT: The value that corresponds to the aggregate description.

AMOUNT_F: An optional flag for the amount

AMOUNT_CV: The coefficient of variation for the amount

AMOUNT_CV_F: A flag for the coefficient of variation for the amount

AMOUNT_CHANGE: 1-Year Percentage Changes for PPCS of Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems

AMOUNT_DISTRIBUTION: Amount Distribution

AMOUNT_PER: Percentage Distribution of Public Elementary-Secondary School System Revenue

AMOUNT_PI: Total Per $1000 Personal Income States Ranked According to Relation of Public Elementary-Secondary School System Finance Amounts to $1,000 Personal Income

AMOUNT_PUPIL:  Pupil Amounts of Public Elementary-Secondary Education School System Finances by Enrollment-Size Groups

ENROLLSZE: Enrollment Size Per Pupil Amounts of Public Elementary-Secondary Education School System Finances by Enrollment-Size Groups (for example, 002 is under 3,000)

EXPENDTYPE: Current Spending of Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems Expenditures (for example, 002 is Salary and Wages)

FINSRC: Public Elementary-Secondary School Systems by Revenue Source (for example, 003 is Local)

FT_EMP: Full-Time Employment for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data 

FT_EMP_CV: Full-Time Employment Coefficient of Variation

FT_PAY: Full-Time Payroll for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data

FT_PAY_CV: Full-Time Payroll Coefficient of Variation

FTE: Full-Time Equivalent Employment for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data   

FTE_CV: Full-Time Equivalent Employment Coefficient of Variation

PT_EMP: Part-Time Employment for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data

PT_EMP_CV: Part-Time Employment Coefficient of Variation

PT_HRS: Part-Time Hours for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data

PT_HRS_CV: Part-Time Hours Coefficient of Variation

PT_PAY: Part-Time Payroll for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data

PT_PAY_CV: Part-Time Payroll Coefficient of Variation

RANK: State Rank for Per Pupil Public Elementary-Secondary School System Finance Amounts or State Rank for Relation of Public Elementary-Secondary School System Finance Amounts to $1,000 Personal Income

TOT_EMP: Total Full-Time and Part-Time Employment for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data

TOT_EMP_CV: Total Full-Time and Part-Time Employment Coefficient of Variation

TOT_PAY: Total Full-Time and Part-Time Payroll for State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data

TOT_PAY_CV: Total Full-Time and Part-Time Payroll Coefficient of Variation

*** Detailed description information for variables on the API can be found at Public Sector: Annual and CoG API Documentation.

• API Call:  api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs.html
• Examples and Geographies: api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs/examples.html
• Variables: api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs/variables.html

• 2018 Total US State Tax collections

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,SVY_COMP_LABEL,GEO_ID,YEAR,AGG_DESC,AMOUNT_FORMATTED,GOVTYPE&for=us&SVY_COMP=03&YEAR=2018

• 2015 and 2016 Total and Employee Contributions for Public Pensions
  

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,AGG_DESC,AGG_DESC_LABEL,GOVTYPE,YEAR,AMOUNT_FORMATTED&for=us&AGG_DESC=PP0001&AGG_DESC=PP0002&YEAR=2016&YEAR=2015

• 2012 to present Lottery Information for the State of Maryland

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,SVY_COMP_LABEL,GEO_ID,YEAR,AGG_DESC,AGG_DESC_LABEL,GOVTYPE,AMOUNT_FORMATTED&for=state:24&SVY_COMP=02&GOVTYPE=*&AGG_DESC=SF0058&AGG_DESC=SF0059&AGG_DESC=SF0060&AGG_DESC=SF0061

• 2018 Tax information for the state of Delaware

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,SVY_COMP_LABEL,GEO_ID,NAME,AGG_DESC,AGG_DESC_LABEL,GOVTYPE,GOVTYPE_LABEL,AMOUNT_FORMATTED&for=state:10&SVY_COMP=03&YEAR=2018

• 2018 Local Full-Time Employment for Georgia in 2018

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,SVY_COMP_LABEL,GEO_ID,NAME,AGG_DESC,AGG_DESC_LABEL,GOVTYPE_LABEL,AMOUNT_FORMATTED,FT_EMP,FT_EMP_CV&for=state:13&SVY_COMP=01&YEAR=2018&GOVTYPE=003

• 2018 Summary of all Expenditures for Public Elementary-Secondary School System Finances

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,SVY_COMP_LABEL,GEO_ID,YEAR,AGG_DESC,AGG_DESC_LABEL,GOVTYPE,GOVTYPE_LABEL,AMOUNT_FORMATTED&for=us:*&SVY_COMP=06&YEAR=2018&EXPENDTYPE=001

• 2002 - 2017 Government Units

api.census.gov/data/timeseries/govs?get=SVY_COMP,SVY_COMP_LABEL,GEO_ID,YEAR,AGG_DESC,AGG_DESC_LABEL,GOVTYPE,GOVTYPE_LABEL,AMOUNT_FORMATTED&for=us:*&SVY_COMP=07&YEAR=2017&YEAR=2012&YEAR=2007&YEAR=2002&AGG_DESC=GO0001