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Economic and Social Research

The Census Bureau employs dozens of researchers with graduate degrees in economics, sociology, demography, and other social sciences who use confidential microdata from Census Bureau censuses and surveys of businesses and households, along with administrative records from federal and state agencies, to conduct empirical research that leads to:

  • Groundbreaking discoveries published in top peer-reviewed journals in economics, sociology, and the other social sciences

  • Important improvements in existing Census Bureau surveys and statistical products

  • Innovative, new statistics and public-use data products 

  • Large, linkable databases of businesses and households for academic research

These researchers are members of one of a number of Census Bureau divisions that conduct economic and social research, including the Center for Economic Studies and the Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.

Research Topics

The economic and social research we conduct on the nation’s people, households, workers, and businesses covers a wide range of subjects including:

  • Business dynamics, including openings, expansions, and closings
  • Capital investment, technology adoption, and management practices
  • Commuting
  • Demographics
  • Education
  • Employment and earnings
  • Employment flows and job mobility
  • Entrepreneurship and self-employment
  • Families, marriage, fertility, and households
  • Health, disability, and mortality
  • Health insurance
  • Housing and homeownership
  • Income and wealth
  • Income measurement and inequality
  • Industrial location and local economic development
  • Industrial organization and business behavior
  • Industrial output and productivity
  • Intergenerational mobility
  • International trade and multinational firms
  • Labor costs, material & energy use, and other business expenses
  • Migration and immigration
  • Occupation and industry
  • Poverty and program participation
  • R&D and Innovation

Library

Staff research is published in many of the top peer-reviewed journals in economics, sociology, and other social sciences. See the Center for Economic Studies Research Publications for many examples.

Preliminary and final versions of our research are often also published in one the Census Bureau’s many working paper series. Some of this research can be found at the following links.

Research Data

Our research employs the vast array of restricted-use microdata available at the Census Bureau, including: 

Public-Use Data Products

Our research has also led to the successful development of several innovative public-use data products that combine and enhance existing survey and administrative data.

Page Last Revised - February 6, 2025
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