April 2021 Stakeholder Report

COPAFS News

On March 29, COPAFS joined nearly 20 other organizations in signing a letter recommending an appropriation of at least $200 million for the National Center for Health Statistics in FY22. The letter from the Friends of NCHS goes on to outline important initiatives occurring at the agency and how the additional funding will be utilized. The recommendation is a 14% increase over funding NCHS received in FY21.

On April 26, COPAFS signed onto a letter the Friends of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) wrote to send thanks for providing the BLS with increased funding in FY 2021 and to encourage a sustained investment in the agency by providing the Bureau with no less than $800 million in FY 2022.

On April 26, COPAFS signed onto a letter in support of the America Grows Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill Senators Durbin and Moran have recently introduced that would significantly increase our nation’s investment in agricultural research and development.

Upcoming Events

Next COPAFS Quarterly Meeting: Friday June 4, 2021
COPAFS will hold its next Quarterly Meeting on Friday June 4, 2021. This meeting will feature the heads of federal statistical agencies providing an update on recent data initiatives and other relevant news from the agencies. The full agenda and meeting registration will be made available in May.

AAPOR Conference: May 11-14, 2021
The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) will hold its 76th Annual Conference virtually from May 3-14, 2021. Short courses will be offered during the week of May 3 and the conference presentations will occur May 11-14. Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in the premier forum for the exchange of advances in public opinion and survey research.

Registration Information: https://www.aapor.org/Conference-Events/Annual-Meeting.aspx

2021 ACS Data Users Conference (#ACSConf21): May 19-20, 2021
The 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) Data Users Conference will be held virtually on May 19-20, 2021. The conference will bring together ACS data users and U.S. Census Bureau staff to share information about key ACS data issues and applications. The conference will include:Contributed presentations by ACS data users

Contributed presentations by ACS data users
Invited plenary sessions
Breakout sessions
Lightning sessions
Informal roundtable discussions

Registration for the conference will be free for all participants. For more information visit: https://acsdatacommunity.prb.org/p/conferences

2021 FCSM Research and Policy Conference: November 2-4, 2021
The 2021 FCSM Research and Policy Conference has been scheduled for November 2-4, 2021. It will be held at the Washington Convention Center (pandemic conditions permitting and cooperating) and registration will open in the coming months. The Planning Committee is currently accepting abstract submissions through April 19, 2021. To submit an abstract or to find out more about this year’s conference, please visit: https://fcsm2021.org/

Agency Updates

Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC)

On April 7, US International Trade in Goods and Services, February 2021 was released. The goods and services deficit was $71.1 billion in February, up $3.3 billion from $67.8 billion in January, revised.
On April 6, the GDP for the CNMI, 2019 was released. The estimates of GDP for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) show that real GDP—GDP adjusted to remove price changes—decreased 11.2 percent in 2019 after decreasing 19.3 percent in 2018. The decrease in real GDP reflected decreases in exports and private fixed investment. These decreases were partly offset by an increase in government spending.
On March 31, US International Investment Position, Fourth Quarter and Year, 2020 was released. The U.S. net international investment position, the difference between U.S. residents’ foreign financial assets and liabilities, was –$14.09 trillion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2020, according to statistics released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Assets totaled $32.16 trillion and liabilities were $46.25 trillion. At the end of the third quarter, the net investment position was –$13.86 trillion

Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)

On April 15, Financial Fraud in the United States, 2017 was released. About 3.0 million (1.25%) persons age 18 or older were victims of financial fraud. About 2.0 million persons (0.81%) age 18 or older reported experiencing consumer products and services fraud. About 1.7 million females experienced financial fraud, compared to 1.4 million males.
On April 15, Stalking Victimization, 2016 was released. About 1.5% (3.8 million) of persons age 16 or older were victims of stalking in 2016. A greater percentage of persons age 16 or older experienced stalking with technology only (0.5%) than traditional stalking only (0.3%). Females were stalked more than twice as often (2.0%) as males (0.9%).
On April 6, Federal Justice Statistics, 2017-2018 was released. During fiscal year (FY) 2018, federal law enforcement made 195,771 arrests, a 38% increase from the 142,008 arrests in FY 2017. An immigration offense was the most serious arrest offense in 56% of federal arrests in FY 2018. In FY 2018, the five federal judicial districts along the U.S.-Mexico border accounted for 65% of federal arrests.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL)

On April 21, Employment Characteristics of Families, 2020 was released. In 2020, 9.8 percent of families included an unemployed person, twice the figure of 4.9 percent in 2019. The increase in unemployment among families reflects the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the labor market. Of the nation’s 83.1 million families, 78.2 percent had at least one employed member in 2020.
On April 16, State Employment and Unemployment Summary, March 2020 was released. Unemployment rates were lower in March in 20 states and the District of Columbia and stable in 30 states. Forty states and the District had jobless rate increases from a year earlier and 10 states had little or no change. The national unemployment rate, 6.0 percent, edged down by 0.2 percentage point over the month, but was 1.6 points higher than in March 2020.
On April 16, Usual Weekly Earnings Summary was released. Median weekly earnings of the nation’s 112.1 million full-time wage and salary workers were $989 in the first quarter of 2021 (not seasonally adjusted). This was 3.3 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.9 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT)

On April 21, Air Travel Consumer Report: February 2021 was released. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in significant changes to airline schedules and operations in February 2021. The 10 marketing network carriers reported 350,170 scheduled domestic flights in February 2021 compared to 379,384 flights in January 2021 and 623,103 flights in February 2020. Of those 350,170 scheduled flights, 5.8%, 20,201 flights, were canceled. As a result of schedule reductions and cancellations, the carriers reported operating 329,969 flights in February 2021, compared to 375,229 flights in January 2021 and the all-time monthly low of 180,151 flights in May 2020.
On April 13, US Airline Passenger Tables, February 2021 were released. U.S. airlines carried 61% fewer scheduled service passengers in February 2021 than in February 2020 (preliminary), according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 22 airlines that carry more than 90% of the passengers. February was the fifth straight month of year-over-year declines slightly above 60%. The large airlines carried 26.5 million passengers in February 2021 (preliminary), compared to 67.6 million passengers in February 2020 and 3.0 million in April 2020.

Census Bureau (DOC)

On April 26, the 2020 Census Apportionment Results were delivered to the President. the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2020, was 331,449,281. The U.S. resident population represents the total number of people living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The resident population increased by 22,703,743 or 7.4% from 308,745,538 in 2010.
On April 26, Quality Indicators on 2020 Census were released. Information about the quality of the 2020 Census from two methods: (1) analyses that compare the first census results to other ways of measuring the population, and (2) metrics that provide insight into the census operations. The Census Bureau accelerated plans for releasing this information because of increased interest in how COVID-19 and its impact on operations may have impacted the quality of the 2020 Census. This is the first time that the Census Bureau has released such detailed analyses and operational quality metrics on the same day as the first population counts.
On April 22, New Leadership and Members for the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations (NAC) were announced.

Economic Research Service (USDA)

The Economic Crises and US Agricultural Exports Report was released in April. This report presents an examination of past economic crises and a simulation exercise of the effects of possible future crises show that such shocks can reduce U.S. agricultural exports considerably, especially if a crisis hits a number of countries simultaneously.
The Reforming Market Access in Agricultural Trade: Tariff Removal and the Trade Facilitation Agreement Report was released in April. ERS analyzes two potential scenarios for reforming global agricultural trade—removing all tariffs or eliminating trade costs through the Trade Facilitation Agreement—and compares their effects on trade, production, prices, and social welfare.

Energy Information Administration (DOE)

On April 26, the Electricity Monthly Update was released. Wholesale electricity prices reached $8,787/MWh in Texas (ERCOT) on February 17. Wholesale natural gas prices reached $350/MMBtu in Texas and set new 12-month highs at all selected trading hubs across the country. U.S. coal stockpiles had a month-over-month decrease of 12.5%, mainly due to the increase in coal-fired electricity generation which occurred because of the sharp increase in natural gas prices in February 2021.
On April 23, the State Energy Data System: Total petroleum products through 2019 was released. A set of updated data files is presented under Data files. The “2019P” in the data_status field indicates that these are “in progress” estimates generated from the 2019 data cycle. These files incorporate the latest estimates and revisions that have been processed in SEDS. They are updated every time a new set of SEDS estimates is released. Final data for the 2019 data cycle will be released on June 25, 2021.
On April 12, the Drilling Productivity Report was released.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)

The National Agricultural Classification Survey is Underway. The survey, one of the most important steps in determining who should receive a 2022 Census of Agriculture questionnaire, asks recipients if they are involved in agricultural activity. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently mailed the NACS to 633,000 potential agricultural producers. NASS requests that each person who receives the survey respond by May 3.
US farmers expect to plant more corn and soybean acreage. Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant an estimated 91.1 million acres of corn in 2021, up less than 1% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report. Planted acreage intentions for corn are up or unchanged in 24 of the 48 estimating states. The largest increases are expected in the Dakotas, where producers intend to plant a combined 8.90 million acres, an increase of 2.00 million acres from 2020. Producers across most of the Corn Belt intend to plant fewer acres than last year. If realized, the planted area of corn in Idaho and Oregon will be the largest on record.

National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd)

On April 27, Highlights of the 2018 NAEP Oral Reading Fluency Study was released. The 2018 ORF study reveals that for an estimated 1.27 million12 12 This number refers to 36 percent of 3.54 million (the number of public school, fourth-graders represented in the 2018 ORF study sample) = 1.27 million. fourth-grade public school students performing below NAEP Basic, and particularly for an estimated 0.42 million13 13 This number refers to a third of 1.27 million fourth-grade students who performed below NAEP Basic. Recall that students performing below NAEP Basic were evenly divided into three groups based on the NAEP reading score distribution. fourth-grade students in the below NAEP Basic Low subgroup, fluent reading of connected text—sufficiently fast and accurate reading of sentences and passages—can be a major challenge. The study also shows that word reading and phonological decoding skills are underdeveloped in students performing below NAEP Basic, particularly for students in the below NAEP Basic Low subgroup.
On April 19, SLDS Survey Descriptive Statistics were released.
On April 5, Common Core of Data (CCD) Preliminary Files were released.

National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)

On April 28, Race and Hispanic-origin Disparities in Underlying Medical Conditions Associated with Severe COVID-19 Illness: US Adults, 2015-2018 was released. Seventy-six percent of adults and 86.4% (95% CI: 83.5–89.0) of non-Hispanic black adults had at least one condition. Obesity and diabetes were highest among non-Hispanic black (47.9% CI: 45.0–50.8; 19.2% CI: 16.7–21.8, respectively) and Hispanic adults (45.7% CI: 42.9–48.6; 21.3% CI: 19.0–23.7, respectively).

On April 19, Comparability of Race-specific Mortality Data Based on 1977 versus 1997 Reporting Standards was released. In 2018, single-race death counts were lower than bridged-race counts for all major racial and ethnic groups, overall and by age and sex. This is expected because in bridged-race data, multiple-race decedents are reassigned to single-race categories. The single-race age-adjusted death rate was higher than the bridged-race rate by 0.4% for the non-Hispanic white population (748.7 per 100,000 U.S. standard population versus 745.7) and by 1.5% for the non-Hispanic black population (892.6 versus 879.5). State-specific differences between bridged-race and single-race age-adjusted death rates were significant only for the non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander (API) population in Hawaii, for whom the single-race rate (488.9) was 10.3% lower than the bridged-race rate (545.3). Generally, at the national level, the transition to single-race mortality data seems to have minimal impacts for all major racial and ethnic groups on age-adjusted death rates; however, impacts vary by state.

On April 15, Influenza Vaccination in the Past 12 Months Among Children Aged 6 Months-17 Years: US 2019 was released. In 2019, just over one-half of children aged 6 months through 17 years (53.1%) had an influenza vaccination in the past 12 months. Overall, and for each race and Hispanic-origin group examined, influenza vaccination coverage was lower with increasing age. Across all age groups, children in more rural areas had lower influenza vaccination coverage than those in urban areas.

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)

On April 29, a Special Report on Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2021 was released. In 2018, more women than men were enrolled in college, both in 2-year and 4-year institutions. The share of undergraduate students who were Hispanic or Latino increased from 2016 to 2018 but the share of Blacks or African Americans declined during that time. Although the overall number of S&E graduate students declined between 2016 and 2018, the share of Hispanic or Latino students increased. However, the shares of both American Indian or Alaska Native students and Black or African American students remained the same. Of all S&E degrees awarded in 2018, women earned about half of bachelor’s degrees, 44.7% of master’s degrees, and 41.2% of doctorate degrees.
On April 27, the data tables from the Survey of Doctorate Recipients, 2019 were released.
US R&D Increased by $51B, to $606B in 2018; Estimate for 2019 is $656B. These numbers compare with U.S. R&D totals of $494.5 billion in 2015 and $406.6 billion in 2010.

Office of Research, Evaluation & Statistics (SSA)

Statistics of Income Division (IRS)

The release of the IRS Data Book has been pushed to May 13, 2021.

Federal Register Notices

There were 21 federal register notices posted by federal statistical agencies from March 26, 2021 to April 25, 2021. Links to each of these notices are organized by agency below.

Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC) – 1 New Notices

Bureau of Economic Analysis Advisory Committee Meeting (4/19/2021)

Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ) – No New Notices

Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL) – 1 New Notice

Technical Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting and Agenda (4/23/2021)

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT) – No New Notices

Census Bureau (DOC) – 8 New Notices

Economic Research Service (USDA) – No New Notices

Energy Information Administration (DOE) – 1 New Notice

Agency Information Collection Proposed Extension (3/26/2021)

National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) – 3 New Notices

National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd) – 6 New Notices

National Center for Health Statistics (HHS) – 1 New Notice

Board of Scientific Counselors, National Center for Health Statistics (BSC, NCHS) (4/5/2021)

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

The Data Foundation is sponsoring the COVID-19 Household Impact Survey funded in part by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and administered by NORC at the University of Chicago. This survey is a philanthropic effort to provide national and regional statistics about health, the economy, and social dynamics in the United States during this pandemic.

The Societal Experts Action Network (SEAN) weekly publishes a summary of the latest publicly released probability- based surveys on the COVID-19 pandemic. The report covers 18 national and state surveys released in the past week as well as seven international surveys.

COPAFS is proud to be a partner of Count on Stats, an initiative from one of its member organizations, the American Statistical Association, that provides a strong, independent, and non-partisan voice in support of the federal statistical system. Together, we advocate for the 13 federal statistical agencies and the nation’s data infrastructure. Federal Statistics are critical to public health, business development, community services, education, evidence-based policymaking and more. We Count on Stats to assist the federal agencies and COPAFS to highlight federal statistics through its communication channels.

Go back to the 2021 Stakeholder Reports