COPAFS News
The 2021 FCSM Research & Policy Conference has recently concluded. Slides from the over 225 presentations at the conference are currently available at the FCSM Fall 2021 Conference Program.
COPAFS is organizing a Working Group focused on reviving the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF) at the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey employs a nationally representative sample of full-and part-time faculty and instructional staff at public and private not-for-profit 2- and 4-year institutions in the United States. It is designed to provide data about faculty and instructional staff to postsecondary education researchers and policymakers. The survey was initially conducted during the 1987-88 school year and repeated in 1992–93, 1998–99, and 2003–04. It has been 18 years since it was last administered. If you or someone you know would be interested in joining the NSOPF Working Group please send Paul an email.
Upcoming Events
COPAFS Quarterly Meeting: March 4
COPAFS will hold its next Quarterly Meeting on Friday, March 4, 2022. The agenda and meeting registration information will be available in February.
ASSA 2022 Virtual Annual Meeting: January 7-9
The American Economic Association, along with other social science organizations will hold it’s annual meeting virtually next year. For more information please click here.
Applied Demography Conference 2022: February 1-3
The Population Association of America will put on this conference virtually. More information can be found here.
AUBER 2022 Spring Conference: February 26 – March 1
The Association for University Business and Economic Research (AUBER) will hold its Spring Conference in Boulder, Colorado. For more information please click here.
38th Annual NABE Economic Policy Conference: March 20-22
The National Association for Business Economics will hold its Economic Policy Conference in Washington, DC at the Ritz Carlton. More information is available here.
SAVE THE DATE 2022 FCSM Research and Policy Conference: October 25-27, 2022
The 2022 FCSM Research and Policy Conference has been scheduled for October 25-27, 2022. The conference is being planned as an in-person event at the Washington Convention Center.
Agency Releases
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC)
- On December 23, Personal Income and Outlays, November 2021 was released. Personal income increased $90.4 billion (0.4 percent) in November. Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $70.4 billion (0.4 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $104.7 billion (0.6 percent). Real DPI decreased 0.2 percent in November and Real PCE increased less than 0.1 percent; spending on services increased 0.5 percent and spending on goods decreased 0.8 percent. The PCE price index increased 0.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 0.5 percent.
- On December 8, Gross Domestic Product by County, 2020 was released. Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 864 counties, decreased in 2,234 counties, and was unchanged in 14 counties in 2020. The percent change in real GDP ranged from 91.0 percent in Foard County, TX, to –29.0 percent in Skagway Municipality, AK.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)
- On December 16, Employment of Persons Released from Federal Prison in 2010 was released. Of the 73,500 persons released from federal prison in 2010, a total of 51,500 (70%) received a Protected Identification Key (PIK) that allowed for linkage to employment records from 2010 to 2014. A third (33%) of persons in the study population did not find employment at any point during the 16 quarters after their release from prison from 2010 to 2014. Persons in the study population convicted of drug offenses had higher post-prison employment rates than persons convicted of other offenses.
- On December 7, Jail Inmates in 2020 – Statistical Tables were released. The number of inmates in local jails across the United States decreased 25% from midyear 2019 (734,500) to midyear 2020 (549,100), after a 10-year period of relative stability. After increasing an average of 2% per year from 2010 to 2019, the number of females confined in local jails decreased 37% from midyear 2019 to midyear 2020. The number of males declined 23% during this same period. At midyear 2020, inmates ages 18 to 34 accounted for 53% of the jail population, while inmates age 55 or older made up 7%.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL)
- On December 17, State Employment and Unemployment – November 2021 was released. Unemployment rates were lower in November in 40 states and the District of Columbia and stable in 10 states. Forty-eight states and the District had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and two states were little changed. The national unemployment rate, 4.2 percent, fell by 0.4 percentage point over the month and was 2.5 points lower than in November 2020.
- On December 16, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2020 was released. There were 4,764 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2020, a 10.7-percent decrease from 5,333 in 2019. The fatal work injury rate was 3.4 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 3.5 per 100,000 FTE in 2019.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT)
- On December 22, US Airline Passengers (Preliminary) October 2021 was released. U.S. airlines carried 119.47% more scheduled service passengers in October 2021 than in October 2020 (preliminary), according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 23 airlines that carry more than 90% of the passengers. The increase from October 2020 was the smallest one-year increase since March (9.5%). Airline passenger volume remained 16.24% below October 2019, the most recent pre-pandemic corresponding month.
- On December 15, North American Transborder Freight – October 2021 was released. Total transborder freight: $117.4 billion of transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation, up 15.1% compared to October 2020. October 2021 transborder freight was up 9.6% compared to $107.1 billion in October 2019. Freight between the U.S. and Canada totaled $58.6B, up 21.1% from October 2020. Freight between the U.S. and Mexico totaled $58.8B, up 9.6% from October 2020.
Census Bureau (DOC)
- On December 21, New Population Estimates for 30 Countries and Areas were released in the International Database. The IDB consists of estimates and projections of demographic indicators, including population size and growth (by sex and single year of age up to 100-plus) and components of change (mortality, fertility and net migration) for more than 200 countries and areas. The Census Bureau periodically updates the IDB as new data become available. Estimates and projections from the IDB can be found at on the International Database Overview web page.
- On December 16, data tables from the Annual Survey of State Government Finances were released. These statistics provide a summary of the finances of the state governments, as well as data for individual states and details on revenue by source, expenditure by object and function, indebtedness by term, and assets by purpose. The data are used by federal, state and local governments and educational and research organizations for comparative studies and other activities like developing the government component of the gross domestic product.
Economic Research Service (USDA)
- In December, Trends in US Irrigated Agriculture: Resilience Under Water Supply Scarcity was released. Irrigated agriculture generates substantial value for the broader U.S. agricultural economy. In 2017, irrigated farms accounted for more than 54 percent of the total value of U.S. crop sales, while irrigated cropland constituted less than 17 percent of total harvested cropland. Irrigated acreage has expanded rapidly since the onset of the Federal reclamation era, which began with the passage of the Reclamation Act (P.L. 57-161) in 1902. Nationwide, irrigated acreage grew from less than 3 million acres in 1890 to more than 58 million acres in 2017.
- In December, Examining Pathogen-Based Import Refusals: Trends and Analysis From 2002 to 2019 was released. From 2002 to 2019, Salmonella violations accounted for 79.8 percent of pathogen/toxin violations, followed by Listeria at 11 percent, histamine at 3.6 percent, aflatoxin at 3 percent, and other bacteria at 2 percent. All remaining pathogen types accounted for 0.6 percent of pathogen/toxin violations. Annually, the number of violations for Salmonella peaked in 2011, then declined. The number of violations for Listeria declined from 2003 until 2008 but was volatile with a slight downward trend since 2010.
Energy Information Administration (DOE)
- On December 22, US Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2020 was released. U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions were 570 MMmt lower in 2020 than in 2019. Total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020 were 11% lower than in 2019. Percentage changes in energy-related CO2 emissions can be broken down into changes in four factors: Energy intensity (energy consumed per unit of GDP), Carbon intensity (CO2 emissions per unit of energy), Population, and GDP per capita.
- On December 13, the Drilling Productivity Report was released. The average oil production per rig per day was 1,142. The map below indicates the drilling areas which make up the nationwide report.
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)
- On December 23, it was reported that the US Hog Inventory was down 4% from 12 months earlier. Of the 74.2 million hogs and pigs, 68.0 million were market hogs, while 6.18 million were kept for breeding. Between September and November 2021, 33.7 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, down 4% from the same period one year earlier.
- On December 16, it was announced that the 2022 Census of Agriculture questionnaire would be tested via a new online Respondent Portal. The test will run through Spring 2022 and will seek input from 15,000 agricultural producers from around the country. The Portal aims to improve the reporting experience for all producers while ensuring secure and confidential data collection.
National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd)
- On December 13, data tables from Enrollment and Employees at Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2020 was released. This provisional set of web tables presents data findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) spring 2021 data collection. The spring 2021 collection includes four survey components: Enrollment for fall 2020; Finance for fiscal year 2020; data on employees in postsecondary education for Fall 2020; and data for Academic Libraries for fiscal year 2020.
- On December 10, the International Comparisons of Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills Over Time was released. This Data Point summarizes trends in adult literacy and numeracy skills since the 1990s for countries that participated in all three international adult literacy studies over the past three decades: Canada, Hungary, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States. These studies are the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), conducted in 1994-98; the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL), conducted in 2003-08; and the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), conducted in 2012-17.
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
- On December 30, Drug Overdose Deaths in US, 1999-2020 was released. The age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths increased 31% from 2019 (21.6 per 100,000 standard population) to 2020 (28.3). Among adults aged 35–44, the age group with the highest rates, drug overdose deaths increased 33% from 2019 (40.5) to 2020 (53.9). Rates increased from 2019 to 2020 for all race and Hispanic-origin groups.
- On December 27, Emergency Department Visits Among Adults With Mental Health Disorders: United States, 2017–2019 was released. In 2017–2019, the emergency department (ED) visit rate for adults with mental health disorders was 52.9 per 1,000 adults and decreased with age. The percentage of ED visits lasting 4 hours or more was higher among visits by adults with mental health disorders than visits by adults without mental health disorders.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)
- On December 27, Higher Education Research and Development: Fiscal Year 2020 was released. This report provides data from the FY 2020 Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey. The survey is an annual census of institutions that expended at least $150,000 in separately accounted for research and development in the fiscal year.
- On December 1, it was reported that State Agencies R&D Increased 1% in FY2020. While total R&D expenditures saw a slight increase in FY 2020, state agency expenditures for health-related R&D declined for the second year in a row from a high of $1.1 billion in FY 2018. Nonetheless, and despite additional pressures on state health agencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health remains the largest governmental function for states’ R&D, with $1.0 billion in expenditures in FY 2020.
Office of Research, Evaluation and Statistics (SSA)
- In December, Housing Expenditures of Social Security Beneficiaries, 2005-2018 was released. The median share of income spent on housing by renter households with one or more Social Security beneficiaries was 32.5%, while non-beneficiary households spent 28.0%. For homeowner households without a mortgage, the median share of income spent was 12.4% for beneficiary households and 9.0% for non-beneficiary households.
Statistics of Income Division (IRS)
- In December, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax, Calendar Year 2021 was released. A table presenting National-level statistics on the number of Forms 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Returns, filed electronically by month is now available. The updated table includes the number of filings through the third quarter (July through September) of Calendar Year 2021.
Federal Register Notices
There were 26 federal register notices posted by federal statistical agencies from November 26, 2021 to December 25, 2021. Links to each of these notices are organized by agency below.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC) – 2 New Notices
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/2/2021 | Federal Economic Statistics Advisory Committee – Nominations | Link |
11/26/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Services Surveys: BE-30, Quarterly Survey of Ocean Freight Revenues and Foreign Expenses of U.S. Carriers, and the BE-37, Quarterly Survey of U.S. Airline Operators’ Foreign Revenues and Expenses | Link |
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ) – 4 New Notices
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/22/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Currently Approved Collection; Comments Requested: Generic Clearance for Cognitive, Pilot and Field Studies for Bureau of Justice Statistics Data Collection Activities | Link |
12/16/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Update With Changes, of a Previously Approved Collection Which Expires November, 2021: Department of Justice Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification | Link |
12/7/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement, Without Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval Has Expired: 2022 Police Public Contact Survey (PPCS) | Link |
12/7/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; COPS Extension Request Form | Link |
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL) – 2 New Notices
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/6/2021 | Technical Advisory Committee; Request for Nominations | Link |
11/30/2021 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request on extension of the “BLS Data Sharing Program” | Link |
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOT) – NO New Notices
Census Bureau (DOC) – 7 New Notices
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/21/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Small Business Pulse Survey | Link |
12/15/2021 | Proposed Information Collection; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2023 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey | Link |
12/15/2021 | Foreign Trade Regulations (FTR): New Filing Requirement and Clarifications to Current Requirements | Link |
12/14/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Certification of Identity (Form BC-300); Correction | Link |
12/8/2021 | Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006, Determinations Under Section 203 | Link |
12/8/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Certification of Identity (Form BC-300) | Link |
12/7/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Ask U.S. Panel | Link |
Economic Research Service (USDA) – No New Notices
Energy Information Administration (DOE) – 1 New Notice
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/7/2021 | Agency Information Collection Proposed Extension – Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery | Link |
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) – 6 New Notices
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/13/2021 | Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection | Link |
12/13/2021 | Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection | Link |
12/13/2021 | Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection | Link |
12/3/2021 | Notice of Intent To Request To Conduct a New Information Collection | Link |
12/3/2021 | Notice of Intent To Request To Conduct a New Information Collection | Link |
12/3/2021 | Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Revise and Extend a Currently Approved Information Collection | Link |
National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd) – 3 New Notices
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/20/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; School Pulse Panel Data Collection Winter Collections Revision | Link |
12/16/2021 | Eligibility Designations and Applications for Waiving Eligibility Requirements; Programs Under Parts A and F of Title III and Programs Under Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended (HEA) | Link |
12/15/2021 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/22) Field Test | Link |
National Center for Health Statistics (HHS) – 1 New Notice
Date | Notice | URL |
---|---|---|
12/3/2021 | Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics (BSC, NCHS) – Next Meeting is on February 10, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., EST | Link |
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF) – No New Notices
Office of Research, Evaluation & Statistics (SSA) – No New Notices
Statistics of Income Division (IRS) – No New Notices
Of Interest
Transgender people are three times as likely to go hungry, new census data shows
Transgender people are three times as likely to go hungry, new census data showsTransgender adults were three times as likely as cisgender people to experience food insecurity this year, according to new data analyzed by the Williams Institute at UCLA. The data, which was collected by the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey between June and October 2021, showed that more than a quarter of transgender adults in the United States reported sometimes or often not having enough to eat, compared with just 8 percent of cisgender adults. Trans people of color were especially vulnerable. Nearly 36 percent experienced food insecurity.
[Washington Post, December 31, 2021]
U.S. population growth has nearly flatlined, new census data shows
U.S. population growth has nearly flatlined, new census data showsAmerica’s population size is standing still, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population growth over the 12-month period from July 1, 2020 through July 1, 2021 stood at unprecedented low of just 0.12%. This is the lowest annual growth since the Bureau began collecting such statistics in 1900, and reflects how all components of population change—deaths, births, and immigration levels—were impacted during a period when the COVID-19 pandemic became most prevalent.
[Brookings, December 23, 2021]