Appropriations Update
The Census Bureau is still operating under a continuing resolution (CR), at its FY 2022 spending level. That CR was approved in September and will run through December 16. Word on Capitol Hill is to expect a 1-2 week extension of the CR to allow more time for House and Senate leadership to come to agreement on a final omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY 2023).
The co-directors of The Census Project reached out to Appropriations leadership in the House and Senate on November 15, 2022, reiterating the widespread support from the census stakeholder community for ensuring the Census Bureau receives no less than $1.505 billion in FY 2023 – an amount approved by the House Appropriations Committee and requested by the White House – as they negotiate the final FY 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, or an omnibus measure containing the CJS bill.
Stakeholders may wish to replicate the November 15 Census Project letter and/or similarly communicate their concerns to CJS Appropriations leaders in both the House and Senate as Congress digs into the final funding battles of the year.
Policy Update
Population Estimates Challenge Program
The Census Bureau published a final rule in the Federal Register on November 22, 2022 to resume the Population Estimates Challenge Program for the decade following the 2020 Census. The Challenge Program provides eligible governmental units the opportunity to file requests for the review of population estimates for 2021 and subsequent years in forthcoming estimates series, beginning with the Vintage 2022 series that is scheduled to be published in 2023.
The Bureau also published a notice that same day proposing changes to the Population Estimates Challenge Program and seeking suggestions for other program improvements. It has proposed to amend its regulations to: update references to the input data used to produce the official population estimates and revise the evidence required to support a challenge.
Written comments on the proposed changes to the Challenge Program are due by December 22, 2022.
Stakeholders Respond to Bureau’s Request for Comments on 2030 Census
In response to a Federal Register notice that the Census Bureau issued earlier this year, census stakeholders submitted over 8,000 comments (by the November 15 deadline) regarding the operational design of the 2030 Census. Comments were solicited on five specific topics: Reaching and Motivating Everyone; Technology; New Data Sources; Contacting the Public; and Providing Support to the Public. Stakeholders were also given the option to share their views on other ways in which the Bureau could improve the conduct of the 2030 Census.
Below are examples of a few of the comments that stakeholder organizations submitted.
- Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Population Association of America/Association of Population Centers
- National League of Cities
National Advisory Committee Convenes
The latest meeting of the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations (NAC) was held on October 27 and 28, 2022. The NAC reviewed a variety of updated Census Bureau tools, the application of differential privacy, and new/upcoming census data products. The Census Project shared a link to details, including presentations and recordings.
Census Bureau News
The U.S. Census Bureau announced a change in associate director for Decennial Census Programs. Albert E. Fontenot Jr., who has held the position since October 2017, will be moving to a new role as executive senior advisor for Decennial Census Programs. Deborah Stempowski, currently assistant director for Decennial Census Programs, will be associate director for Decennial Census Programs. The associate director for Decennial Census Programs serves as advisor to the director and deputy director on decennial programs including the 2020 Census, the American Community Survey and the Census Bureau’s geographic programs.
The Census Bureau announced its co-hosting of the Web3 Hackathon 2.0 Technical Competition November 11 to December 4, 2022, in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Blockchain Trade Association (PRBTA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) – Blockchain Initiative and Puerto Rican non-profit Evolving Space.
The Bureau released a prerecorded presentation explaining how it is preparing for the 2030 Census, including research that is underway, the planning timeline and details on how the public can provide input on the design and planning of the next census.
Census Bureau Data Releases
The U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to hold a webinar Dec. 1, 2022, explaining how to access data and online resources from the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS). The webinar will also provide tips for comparing ACS geographies and statistics over time. Embargo subscribers will have access to these statistics from Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m. EST to Thursday, Dec. 8, at 12:01 a.m. EST at which time the embargo will be lifted, and members of the media will be able to post their stories. The data will be publicly available on data.census.gov for all data users on Dec. 8 by 10 a.m. EST.
The U.S. Census Bureau released new data from phase 3.6 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS) on November 29.
The Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released new summary tables for the 2021 Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS).
The Census Bureau released data from the Business Trends and Outlook Survey (BTOS), a survey that measures business conditions on an ongoing basis, on November 10 and November 23. The BTOS is the successor to the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS).
The Bureau released a brief on health insurance coverage and the rate of uninsured in the United States by race and Hispanic origin. The brief uses 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates to describe how health care coverage — whether people have health insurance as well as the type of coverage they hold — varies across groups.
The U.S. Census Bureau released new data tables from the 2021 Service Annual Survey (SAS). The SAS table package provides statistics on revenue, payroll, sources of revenue, expenses, exports, inventory, revenue from electronic sources and other selected industry-specific data for service industries.
The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates showing there were 10.9 million one-parent family groups with a child under the age of 18 in 2022. Data from the annual release of America’s Families and Living Arrangements also show that 80% of one-parent family groups were maintained by a mother.
The Bureau released new estimates on the characteristics of employer businesses. According to the 2021 Annual Business Survey (ABS), which covers reference year 2020, approximately 1.15 million or 19.9% of employer businesses in 2020 were minority-owned; 320,864 (5.6%) were veteran-owned; and around 1.24 million (21.4%) were owned by women.
The Census Bureau released new Business Formation Statistics (BFS) for October 2022. The BFS provide timely and high frequency information on new business applications and formations in the United States. The BFS are a standard data product of the Census Bureau, developed in research collaboration with economists affiliated with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the University of Maryland, and the University of Notre Dame.