From the United Nations > Department of Economic and Social Affairs > Statistics Division: WORLD STATISTICS DAY 2020: “The third World Statistics Day will be celebrated around the globe on 20 October 2020 with the theme ‘Connecting the world with data we can trust.’ This theme reflects on the importance of trust, authoritative data, innovation and the public good in national statistical systems.

“On 3 June 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 69/282, in which it designated 20 October 2015 as the second World Statistics Day and decided to celebrate the Day every five years on 20 October. The second Day was celebrated on 20 October 2015 with the theme ‘Better data, better lives.’

“The first World Statistics Day was celebrated on 20 October 2010 with the theme ‘Service, professionalism, integrity: celebrating the many contributions and achievements of official statistics.’”

Collecting Data

The Census Bureau is the federal government’s largest statistical agency. We are dedicated to providing current facts and figures about America’s people, places, and economy. Federal law protects the confidentiality of all the information the Census Bureau collects. Learn more: About the Bureau > What We Do > U.S. Census Bureau at a Glance.

From Census.gov > SURVEYS/PROGRAMS:

Releasing Statistics

In the five years since the last World Statistics Day in 2015, the Census Bureau has found new ways to get its statistics into the hands of anyone who can use them. In addition to the new <data.census.gov> platform (see Data Profiles image below), there are 48 interactive applications on Census.gov to help you find the stats you need. We even teach data skills to students and professionals.

From Census.gov > EXPLORE DATA:

From data.census.gov — the new platform to access data from the U.S. Census Bureau: 

Source: The U.S. population in the data profile shown above is for July 1, 2019. The four stats shown are from the 2019 American Community Survey, 1-Year Estimates.

Note: The image above is cropped on the bottom and left side. Click the image to see the full web page. Data Profiles present statistics across a variety of topics for the U.S., your state, county or town. Click each topic on the left side of the full web page. The nine topics are:

Statisticians

Source: 2019 American Community Survey (ACS), 1-Year Estimates.

From Topics > Research:

Our researchers explore innovative ways to conduct surveys, increase respondent participation, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. They analyze the data we collect and uncover trends that give us a deeper understanding of our complex society.

From the Library > America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers:

Since its debut on September 26, 2017, America Counts tells the stories behind the numbers in a new inviting way. It features such topics as families, housing, employment, business, education, emergency management, and population.

From the Library > Census Infographics & Visualizations > Census Interactive Gallery:

Since 2017, we have created and published over 80 interactive data visualizations using the Tableau analytics platform, founded in 2003 at Stanford University. Our Tableau Public website features 37 visualizations. Sign up for our data visualization newsletter.

From the Newsroom > Press Kits:

All the background material reporters need to write stories on major releases and events. Includes a wide range of resources such as archived webcasts, reports, ranking tables, translations, factsheets, press contacts, product release schedules, brochures, bios, etc.

From Statistics in Schools: Classrooms Powered by Census Data:

Statistics in Schools (SIS) is a Census Bureau program that uses census statistics and resources to create activities and materials for students. Teachers and subject matter experts from across the country help develop and review each and every SIS activity to make sure it is valuable, engaging, relatable, and easy to use.

About the Federal Statistical System in the United States

From the Office of Management and Budget:

Mission

“The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is charged by statute with coordinating the U.S. Federal statistical system. The Director of OMB delegates these responsibilities to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator. Among the responsibilities of OIRA’s Statistical and Science Policy office, headed by the Chief Statistician of the United States, are the promotion of the quality of Federal statistical information that facilitates evidence-based policies and programs and the viability of the underlying systems that produce that information.

Overview of the Federal Statistical System

“Federal statistics are essential to inform private and public decision-making across our Nation. Thirteen principal Federal statistical agencies and three recognized statistical units (agencies whose principal mission is to produce official Federal statistics) are joined by over 100 other Federal programs in statistical activities spanning measurement, information collection, statistical products, data management, and dissemination.”

The 13 Principal Statistical Agencies (PSAs) in the United States are listed alphabetically below: