Initial Strategies for 2030 Census Preparations

The Census Bureau plans to release five strategy documents outlining how it plans to carry out the next decennial census. The strategies cover the Census Bureau’s approach for conducting a complete count, designing operations, developing the IT solution, sourcing contracts and engaging with stakeholders for the 2030 Census. (Tentatively scheduled for release in April.)

Census Bureau to Release Estimates of State and County Undercounts and Overcounts for Young Children in the 2020 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau is set to release the Demographic Analysis estimates of state and county net coverage error for children ages 0 to 4 in the 2020 Census. This is the first time the Census Bureau is releasing these experimental Demographic Analysis estimates designed to help gauge the accuracy of the 2020 Census count of the nation’s youngest children. (Scheduled for release April 11.)

2025 American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS) Federal Register Notice

The Census Bureau is inviting a final round of public feedback on the proposed content for the 2025 American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS) through a Federal Register notice (FRN). The FRN gives the public 30 days to provide comments. The public may submit comments through [date]. Once comments are reviewed, the Census Bureau will submit the final content recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget. As explained in a Director’s Blog released in February, the proposed 2025 ACS and PRCS content does not include any changes to the existing disability questions.

New Report on the Nation’s Foreign-Born Population 

The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to release new data products highlighting select demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the nation’s foreign-born population. The Foreign-Born Population 2022 report compares 2010 and 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates to provide insight into the changing composition of the foreign-born population in the United States. The Highlights of the Foreign-Born Population data visualization displays 2018-2022 ACS 5-year estimates about the foreign-born population at various levels of geography, including national, state and county. (Scheduled for release April 9.)

New 2022 Congressional Election Voting Report

The U.S. Census Bureau will release a new report, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2022, based on data from the 2022 Current Population Survey (CPS) Voting and Registration Supplement. The report highlights patterns in voter turnout over time among the citizen voting-age population (CVAP) and explores demographic groups over- and under-represented in the 2022 congressional elections compared to the CVAP as a whole. (Tentatively scheduled for release in April.)

Parental Mortality Brief

The U.S. Census Bureau will be releasing a new research brief on parental mortality based on the 2022 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). This report presents national level statistics for the percentage of people who lost a mother or father and how these estimates varied by age and race/ethnicity. (Tentatively scheduled for release in April.)

Census Bureau Releases New U.S. Population Estimates by Age and Sex

The U.S. Census Bureau is set to release a downloadable file containing estimates of the nation’s resident population by sex and single year of age as of July 1, 2023. In the coming months, the Census Bureau will release additional population estimates for cities as well as population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin for the nation, states, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas, and counties. (Scheduled for release April 11.)

Household Pulse Survey

The experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS) is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to measure how emergent issues are impacting U.S. households from a social and economic perspective. Phase 4 topics include employment status, spending, food security, housing, health, mental health, natural disasters, inflation and spending, vaccine receipt, COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, shortage of critical products, disability, income, social connection and child care arrangements. Data collection for phase 4.0 began January 9, with data dissemination, including detailed data tables and public-use files, on a monthly basis. (Scheduled for release April 18.)

2022 Annual Capital Expenditures for Robotic Equipment

The Census Bureau will release new Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES) estimates. ACES estimates by business type add details to national-level estimates of investment in machinery and equipment. The estimates reflect data defined by 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) industries in which the robotic investment was made. (Scheduled for release April 10.)

2024 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting

Researchers from the U.S. Census Bureau will participate in the 2024 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting beginning April 16. The AAG is a scientific and educational society founded in 1904 to contribute to the advancement of geography. The annual meeting features presentations by geographers and those in related professions on theory, methods and practice of the discipline.

“Mom and Pop Shops Lead Job Recovery from Economic Downturn after Covid-19”

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership, in collaboration with the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and the Labor Market Information (LMI) Institute, welcomes Bryce Hill as he presents, “Mom and Pop Shops Lead Job Recovery from Economic Downturn after COVID-19.” The Census Bureau’s Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) dataset indicates small businesses with fewer than 50 employees created the majority of new jobs in the state of Illinois. Despite obstacles from the pandemic and government policies, Hill shares insights on how small businesses thrived in new jobs, employment and payroll. (Scheduled for release April 17.)

Using Census Data: A Case Study & Data Tools Walk Through

Join us for the Exploring Census Data webinar series on Using Census Data: A Case Study & Data Tools Walk Through.  In this session, Census Bureau subject matter experts will dive into different ways to use and access Census data through case studies with real-world applications including examples of how Census data is used to make business decisions. The session includes a live demonstration on how to find key data and will offer resources connected to the statistics. There will be an opportunity to engage with our experts through live chat and the Q&A segment of the webinar.  This webinar is part 1 of 6 in a series to help data users discover Census data related to people, places and the economy. (Scheduled for release April 18.)

Census Business Builder Version 5.5 

The U.S. Census Bureau will release version 5.5 of the Census Business Builder (CBB) tool. This update will introduce a new supply chain view in the CBB dashboard, which will allow users to report on the economic impact of FEMA declared disasters areas by NAICS code at Ports of Entry to the U.S. Version 5.5 will also include a cartographic representation of supply chain data, as well as enhancements to reports and the latest data available. More information on Census Business Builder is available online. (Scheduled for release in April 19.)

Census Bureau to Release Public Use File Microdata on Nation’s Vehicle Inventory and Use 

The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled release the Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey (VIUS) 2021 Public Use File on the Microdata Access Tool (MDAT) website. The VIUS is a joint partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics and Federal Highway Administration; the U.S. Department of Energy; and the U.S. Census Bureau. (Scheduled for release April 23.)

Annual Survey of School System Finances

The U.S. Census Bureau will release new 2022 Annual Survey of School System Finances tables. The tables will provide new data on current spending per pupil as well as data on revenues, expenditures, debt and assets for public elementary-secondary education (pre-K through 12th grade) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (Scheduled for release April 25.)

2022 Individual State Descriptions report 

The Census Bureau will release the 2022 Individual State Descriptions (ISD) report. The report summarizes legal organization of U.S. state and local governments for each state and the District of Columbia.  Descriptions cover local government types according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s classification structure, which are County, Municipal, Township, School District, and Special District governments.

Related products include 2022 Census of Governments - Organization data (released in 2023) which provide official counts of in-scope U.S. governments by type, state, population-size groups, function, and school systems. (Scheduled for release April 30.)

Business Trends and Outlook Survey 

The Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) measures business conditions on an ongoing basis. BTOS experimental data products are representative of all employer businesses in the U.S. economy, excluding farms. Data are available by additional employment size classes: 1-4 employees, 5-9 employees, 10-19 employees, 20-49 employees, 50-99 employees, 100-249 employees and 250 or more employees. The data allow greater insight into the state of the economy by providing continuous, timely information for key economic measures. Data are released biweekly and are available by sector, state and the 25 most populous metropolitan statistical areas. Additional details on artificial intelligence use and types used will be added for one cycle starting December 4, 2023, and released on March 28, 2024. Because of the change in sample composition, BTOS data from before September 11, 2023, are not directly comparable with data after that date.

Monthly Business Formation Statistics

Business Formation Statistics (BFS) provide timely, high-frequency data on business applications and employer business formations monthly. The data are available at the state, regional and national levels and by industry sector at the national level. The next monthly BFS will be released April 11 and will include March 2024 data. Business Formation Statistics - Release Schedule (census.gov).

Census Bureau Statement on Updated Race and Ethnicity Standards — March 28 

The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the results of their Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) review and issued updated standards for maintaining, collecting and presenting race and ethnicity data. Spanish

Puerto Rico Enhancements to the Address Geocoding Tool — March 25 

The U.S. Census Bureau released an upgraded Census Geocoder  web application that allows users to include an urbanización when inputting an address. This will help geocoding of addresses in Puerto Rico that reference the urbanizaciones. This upgrade to functionality for Puerto Rico will enhance the user experience and increase geocoding rates in Puerto Rico. The Census Geocoder is an address lookup tool that allows businesses, governments and other data users the ability to match addresses to geographic locations and entities with those addresses efficiently and accurately. Initially released in 2013, this latest update continues to provide users with an intuitive, efficient and accurate application for geocoding addresses and location coordinates. Users may access the Census Geocoder at https://geocoding.geo.census.gov/.

New 2020 Census Brief on Households and Families — March 25 

The U.S. Census Bureau released a Households and Families: 2020 brief that provides relationship to the householder and household type data from the 2020 Census. The brief combines information from four previously released America Counts stories: Share of U.S. Coupled Households Declined in 2020; Married Couple Households Made Up Most of Family Households; Home Alone: More Than A Quarter of All Households Have One Person; and Several Generations Under One Roof. Data in the brief come from the 2020 Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics File.

Census Bureau Releases BTOS Data With Artificial Intelligence Survey — March 28 

The U.S. Census Bureau released data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS) and a new supplement measuring artificial intelligence (AI). The BTOS measures business conditions and projections on an ongoing basis. The supplemental questions are designed to provide insight into how widespread AI use is by businesses, the specific types of AI that businesses are using, how that use is impacting their employment, and how AI is changing the organization of their business. Businesses were asked about both current and future use of AI. Content from the AI supplement is only available in this cycle. In addition, the Census Bureau today also released new research on this topic.

Commodity Flow Survey Expanded Hazardous Materials Supplement — April 5 

The U.S. Census Bureau released a new experimental data product, the Commodity Flow Survey Expanded Hazardous Materials (EHM) Supplement. The EHM is a supplemental set of questions about the packaging of hazardous materials that were added to the first and fourth quarters of the 2022 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS). Data were collected for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The EHM includes annual data for 2021 and 2022. 

Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: May 2024 — March 26

This month-long observance of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders started more than 25 years ago. We celebrate their growing contributions to our nation with a host of demographic and economic statistical information about the Asian and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations.

Women’s History Month: March 2024 — March 6

The roots of National Women’s History Month go back to March 8, 1857, when women from various New York City factories staged a protest over poor working conditions. The first Women’s Day celebration in the United States was in 1909, also in New York City, but Congress did not establish National Women’s History Week until 1981 to be commemorated annually the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week to a month.

Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) — February 27

You may not find a pot of gold at the end of this edition of Facts for Features, but you will find it useful and informative. It is filled with statistical information from the Census Bureau’s demographic and economic subject areas on the nation’s Irish-American population and other facets of this celebration of all things Irish.

America Counts tells the stories behind the numbers in a new and inviting way. We feature stories on various topics such as families, housing, employment, business, education, the economy, emergency preparedness and the population. New stories include:

• How Parents Coped with the Infant Formula Shortage (April 2)
• Batter Up! America’s Pastime Is Back (March 28)
• The Share of Coupled Households in Your County and the Nation (March 26)
• College Hoops Craze Captivates the Nation (March 22)

Global Reach Blog: A Guide to Report Exporting Gold — Written by Sabah Raheem, Survey Statistician, International Trade Indicator Micro Analysis Branch, U.S. Census Bureau — April 2

Data is essential in estimating the U.S. GDP, but what happens when it is corrupted or manipulated? The consequences could be disastrous, especially for something as valuable and influential as gold. Did you know that misclassifying gold can lead to an error in the Automated Export System (AES)? So, what’s the right way to classify gold? The short answer: by its weight, shape, and purity level. In this blog, I will explain the existing primary gold classifications and common mistakes that exporters make when classifying gold.

Emergency Management/Disaster Resources — When major disasters strike, visit our Emergency Management webpage for demographic and economic data on impacted areas. Each disaster will include data from our key emergency management tools: OnTheMap for Emergency Management, Community Resilience Estimates, Census Business Builder: Regional Analyst Edition, and other useful resources.

Learn What Surveys Are Being Conducted in Your Community — Discover which of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 130-plus annual surveys are being conducted in your community. In a variety of surveys and censuses, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America’s people, businesses, industries and institutions. Learn more about surveys currently being conducted in each Census Bureau region:

• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Denver
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Philadelphia
• All Surveys

Below are a few of the U.S. Census Bureau’s interactive applications used to access statistics from our 130-plus annual surveys. A complete list can be accessed on the Census Bureau’s Data Tools and Apps webpage.

EDA (Economic Development Administration)-Census Poverty Status Viewer — This interactive tool measures high poverty areas and persistent poverty counties using data from the American Community Survey, SAIPE, and decennial census.

International Database (IDB) — Find demographic indicators, population pyramids, and source information for countries and areas of the world with a population of 5,000 or more.

My Congressional District — Access selected statistics about your Congressional district collected through the American Community Survey (ACS) and County Business Patterns (CBP).

Census Bureau Training Opportunities — Webinars are available on a regular basis to help the public access and use Census Bureau statistics. These free sessions, which are 60 to 90 minutes each, show users how to navigate Census Bureau databases and mapping tools and find demographic and economic statistics at the local or national level. Descriptions of upcoming sessions are available on our Census Academy webpage. Login details are provided at least one week before a webinar.

• Credit Insurance as a Risk Mitigation Tool for International Trade (Wednesday, April 10, 3-4 p.m. EDT)
• What are Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs)? (Thursday, April 11, 2-3 p.m. EDT)
• Mom and Pop Shops Lead Job Recovery from Economic Downturn after Covid (Wednesday, April 17, 1:30-2:30 p.m. EDT)
• Using Census Data: A Case Study & Data Tools Walk Through (Thursday, April 18, 2-3 p.m. EDT)
• Using CBP Non-Employer Statistics (NES) to Evaluate Change (Thursday, April 25, 2-3 p.m. EDT)
• Using Census Data: A Case Study & Data Tools Walk Through (Thursday, April 18, 2-3 p.m. EDT)
• Estimados y Proyecciones de la Población de Puerto Rico (Tuesday, April 30, 11:30-12:30 p.m. EDT)

Archived Training Resources — Visit the Census Bureau’s Educational Resource Library for previously recorded, free training available at your convenience. The library includes presentations, recorded webinars, tutorials and other helpful materials.