COPAFS News
2024 FCSM Conference – Call for Abstracts
The 2024 FCSM Research and Policy Conference will take place October 22 thru October 24 at the College Park Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. The call for abstracts has been released and abstracts are due April 22nd. Visit fcsmconf.org for details leading up to the conference.
Updates to SPD No. 15 – Federal Race/Ethnicity Standards
On March 28, OMB published updates to SPD No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. Three key revisions include:
- Using one combined question for race and ethnicity, and encouraging respondents to select as many options as apply to how they identify.
- Adding Middle Eastern or North African as a new minimum category. The new set of minimum race and/or ethnicity categories are:
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Hispanic or Latino
- Middle Eastern or North African
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- White
- Requiring the collection of additional detail beyond the minimum required race and ethnicity categories for most situations, to ensure further disaggregation in the collection, tabulation, and presentation of data when useful and appropriate.
Census Bureau and PRB Seek Steering Committee Members for Data User Groups
In partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is soliciting applications for membership on two separate steering committees to help us plan activities for engaging data users.
- The American Community Survey Data Users Group (ACS DUG) Steering Committee will have approximately 10-12 members who provide feedback to PRB and the Census Bureau on ACS-related activities (e.g., data user events, bi-annual ACS Data User Conferences, and data user surveys), data products, dissemination channels, and/or methods.
- The new Decennial Census Data Users Group (Decennial DUG) Steering Committee will have approximately 10-12 members who will help guide the development of a new online community forum. This forum will enable decennial census data users to discuss matters related to decennial census data products
If you are interested in being considered for membership on either committee, please complete the application. The deadline for applications is Thursday, April 4. PRB will notify applicants regarding the selection decisions by Tuesday, April 23.
Upcoming Events
COPAFS Quarterly Meeting: June 7
COPAFS will hold its next Quarterly Meeting on Friday, June 7, 2024. We have secured space at the AERA Convening Center (1430 K St, NW, Suite 700) for this meeting but will also have a hybrid option available for those who cannot join in-person. The meeting agenda will be available in May.
2024 FCSM Conference: Call for Abstracts
The Call for Abstracts for the 2024 FCSM Research & Policy Conference is live. The deadline for turning in abstracts is April 22, 2024. For updates about the conference please visit fcsmconf.org.
American Education Research Association – 2024 Annual Meeting: April 11-14
The AERA 2024 Annual Meeting will be held April 11-14, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA. The theme is “Dismantling Racial Injustice and Constructing Educational Possibilities.” For more information, visit the conference site.
American Association for Public Opinion Research – 79th Annual Meeting: May 15-17
AAPOR’s 79th Annual Conference will be held May 15-17, 2024 in Atlanta, GA. The theme is “Impacting Communities: Surveys, Public Opinion Research, and Engaged Scholarship.” For more information, visit the conference site.
Agency Releases
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC)
- On March 25, Arts and Cultural Production Satellite account, US and States, 2022 was released. The account shows that arts and cultural economic activity, adjusted for inflation, increased 4.8 percent in 2022 after increasing 10.8 percent in 2021. By comparison, the broader economy, as measured by real gross domestic product (GDP), increased 1.9 percent in 2022 after increasing 5.8 percent in 2021. Arts and cultural economic activity accounted for 4.3 percent of GDP, or $1.10 trillion, in 2022.
- On March 21, US International Transactions, 4th Quarter and Year 2023 was released. The U.S. current-account deficit, which reflects the combined balances on trade in goods and services and income flows between U.S. residents and residents of other countries, narrowed by $1.6 billion, or 0.8 percent, to $194.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The revised third-quarter deficit was $196.4 billion. The fourth-quarter deficit was 2.8 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP), down less than 0.1 percent from the third quarter. The $1.6 billion narrowing of the current-account deficit in the fourth quarter primarily reflected a reduced deficit on secondary income that was mostly offset by an expanded deficit on goods.
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ)
- BJS currently has two funding opportunities which are open until mid-May. First, the BJS FY24 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Supplemental Funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which is due on May 13. Second the BJS FY24 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) which is due on May 20.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL)
- On March 15, U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes – February 2024 was released. U.S. import prices rose 0.3 percent in February, after advancing 0.8 percent in January. Higher prices for both nonfuel and fuel imports contributed to the overall increase. Prices for U.S. exports advanced 0.8 percent in February following a 0.9-percent increase the previous month.
- On March 13, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation – December 2023 was released. Employer costs for employee compensation for civilian workers averaged $45.42 per hour worked in December 2023. Wages and salaries averaged $31.29, while benefit costs averaged $14.13. Total employer compensation costs for private industry workers averaged $43.11 per hour worked in December 2023. Wages and salaries averaged $30.33 per hour worked and accounted for 70.4 percent of employer costs, while benefit costs averaged $12.77 per hour worked and accounted for the remaining 29.6 percent.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT)
- On March 8, U.S. Transportation Sector Unemployment – February 2024 was released. The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 5.9% (not seasonally adjusted) in February 2024 In February 2024, the transportation sector unemployment rate rose 1.2 percentage points from 4.7% in February 2023 and was above the pre-pandemic February 2019 level of 4.3%. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.
- On March 14, December 2023 Passenger Enplanements, Domestic and International was released. U.S. airlines carried 78.7 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in December 2023. When adjusted for seasonality, December enplanements are up 0.5% from November and reached a new all-time high the all-time high reached in December 2023.
Census Bureau (DOC)
- On March 15, the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES) was officially launched. On Friday, approximately 370,000 businesses began receiving notices to respond to the 2023 AIES. This new survey will provide key measures of economic activity, including the only comprehensive national and subnational data on business revenues, expenses and assets on an annual basis. The due date for responses to the 2023 AIES is April 30, 2024, and the first annual release of data will be in summer 2025. To ease respondent burden and streamline data collection, the AIES is designed to consolidate and combine content from seven current economic surveys:
- Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES);
- Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS);
- Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM);
- Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS);
- Manufacturers’ Unfilled Orders Survey (M3UFO);
- Service Annual Survey (SAS); and
- Report of Organization (COS).
- On March 14, the 2021 Nonemployer Statistics (NES) was released. This annual series provides subnational economic data for businesses that do not have paid employees or payroll and are subject to federal income tax. The data consist of the number of nonemployer businesses and total receipts. The data are available for approximately 470 industries at the national, state, metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area, combined statistical area and county geography levels. The statistics are also published by Legal Form of Organization (national and state only) and by receipts size class (national only).
Economic Research Service (USDA)
- On March 7, Utilizing the USDA’s National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey to Calculate a Household-Level Food Environment Measure was released. This report calculates a household-level Food Retail Environment Healthfulness Quality (FREHQ) measure utilizing the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) in conjunction with Circana’s (formerly IRI) OmniMarket Core Outlets (formerly IRI InfoScan) and USDA’s Purchase to Plate Suite (PP-Suite). The measure approximates a household’s exposure to a healthy food retail space, weighting each store within a 20-mile radius of a household by its distance from the household.
- On March 5, The Nature of the Rural-Urban Mortality Gap was released. The 2019 age-adjusted natural-cause mortality (NCM) rate for the prime working-age population (aged 25–54) was 43 percent higher in rural (nonmetropolitan) areas than in urban (metropolitan) areas. This is a shift from 25 years ago when NCM rates in urban and rural areas were similar for this age group.
Energy Information Administration (DOE)
- On March 12, the Short-Term Energy Outlook was released. As a result of OPEC+ extending crude oil production cuts, we have reduced our forecast for global oil production growth in 2024. The lower growth contributes to significant global oil inventory declines in our forecast for the second quarter of 2024 (2Q24). Because of falling inventories, we now expect the Brent crude oil spot price will average $88 per barrel (b) in 2Q24, up $4/b from our February STEO, and we expect the Brent price will average $87/b this year.
- On March 7, Wholesale Electricity and Natural Gas Market Data was released. The market data provided here are republished, with permission, from data collected by the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and are updated biweekly. Currently, electricity products can be traded at more than two dozen hubs and delivery points in North America, and natural gas products can be traded at more than 120 hubs. The data posted under EIA’s agreement with ICE represent eight major electricity hubs and their corresponding natural gas trading hubs.
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA)
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will hold its biannual Data Users’ Meeting April 16 from 1-4:30 p.m. CDT, at the University of Chicago – Gleacher Center. A virtual attendance option is also available. The meeting is free and open to the public. Registration is required. The Data Users’ Meeting is held to share recent and pending statistical program changes with the public and to solicit input on these and other programs important to agriculture. The event is organized by NASS in cooperation with the World Agricultural Outlook Board, Farm Service Agency, Economic Research Service, Agricultural Marketing Service, Foreign Agricultural Service and U.S. Census Bureau.
National Center for Education Statistics (IES)
- On March 19, results from the January 2024 School Pulse Survey was released. The School Pulse Panel is a study collecting information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from a national sample of elementary, middle, high, and combined-grade public schools. Some survey questions are asked repeatedly to observe trends over time while others examine unique topics in a single month.
National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)
- On March 14, Chronic School Absenteeism for Health-related Reasons Among Children Ages 5-17 Years: United States, 2022 was released. In 2022, 5.8% of children ages 5‒17 experienced chronic school absenteeism for health-related reasons in the past 12 months. The percentage of children who experienced chronic absenteeism varied by race and Hispanic origin. Children with family incomes of less than 200% of the federal poverty level were more likely to have experienced chronic school absenteeism than those with family incomes of 200% of the federal poverty level or more.
- On March 5, Infant Mortality by Selected Maternal Characteristics and Race and Hispanic Origin in the U.S., 2019-2021 was released. Infant mortality rates varied across the five largest maternal race and Hispanic-origin groups and by selected maternal characteristics. For most race and Hispanic-origin groups, mortality rates were higher among infants of women with prepregnancy obesity compared with those of women who were normal weight, and were higher for infants of women who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy, received late or no prenatal care, or were covered by Medicaid as the source of payment for delivery. Overall, mortality rates were higher for infants of women who received WIC during pregnancy, but results varied across race and Hispanic-origin groups.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NSF)
- On March 13, The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024 was released. National assessments show a sharp decline in elementary and secondary student mathematics performance since the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2019 to 2022, average mathematics scores of fourth and eighth grade students dropped to levels last measured approximately 20 years ago. Enrollment of international science and engineering (S&E) graduate students at U.S. institutions has rapidly increased from approximately 200,000 in 2020, a pandemic-era low point, to nearly 310,000 in 2022. International students on temporary visas accounted for about a third of S&E master’s and doctoral degree recipients at U.S. institutions in 2021. The U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce comprised 36.8 million people in diverse occupations that require STEM knowledge and expertise in 2021, accounting for 24% of the total U.S. workforce. Just over half of STEM workers did not have bachelor’s degrees or higher. Foreign-born individuals made up 19% of all STEM workers and 43% of doctorate-level scientists and engineers.
Statistics of Income (IRS)
- The 2024 SOI Bulletin, Winter Issue is now available. Articles included in this publication provide data available from various tax and information returns filed by U.S. taxpayers. This issue of the SOI Bulletin includes an article on the following topic: High Income Tax Returns for Tax Year 2020. SOI publishes the Statistics of Income Bulletin quarterly: winter, spring, summer, and fall.
Federal Register Notices
There were 48 federal register notices posted by federal statistical agencies from February 26, 2024 to March 25, 2024. Links to each of these notices are organized by agency below.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (DOC) – No New Notices
Bureau of Justice Statistics (DOJ) – 17 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/21/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO) E-Filing Portal | Link |
| 3/20/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Prohibited Persons Questionnaire-ATF Form 8620.57 | Link |
| 3/20/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Licensing Questionnaire | Link |
| 3/20/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Application To Register as an Importer of U.S. Munitions Import List Articles | Link |
| 3/20/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Residency and Citizenship-ATF Form 8620.58 | Link |
| 3/20/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; CJIS Biographic Verification Request | Link |
| 3/20/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Tribal Access Program Application | Link |
| 3/15/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Currently Approved Collection; FBI eFOIA Form | Link |
| 3/14/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval Has Expired; Survey of Inmates in Local Jails | Link |
| 3/11/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement, With Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval Has Expired: Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Application and Permit for Permanent Exportation of Firearms | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Semi-Annual Progress Report for Grants To Reduce Violent Crimes Against Women on Campus Program | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Semi-Annual Progress Report for the Grants to State Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Semi-Annual Progress Report for the Grants to Tribal Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coalitions Program | Link |
| 2/29/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Revision of a Previously Approved Collection; Authorization for Release of Information | Link |
| 2/27/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Previously Approved Collection; Fee Waiver Request (EOIR-26A) | Link |
| 2/26/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Reinstatement of a Previously Approved Collection Census of Jails 2024-26 | Link |
Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL) – 2 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/22/2024 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request – Proposed reinstatement with change of the “Work Schedules Supplement (WSS) to the Current Population Survey (CPS).” | Link |
| 2/27/2024 | Information Collection Activities; Comment Request – Proposed extension without change of the “Veterans Supplement to the Current Population Survey (CPS)” | Link |
Bureau of Transportation Statistics (DOT) – No New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/19/2024 | Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Report of Extension of Credit to Political Candidates-Form 183 | Link |
| 3/19/2024 | Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Submission of Audit Reports-Part 248 | Link |
| 3/19/2024 | Agency Information Collection; Activity Under OMB Review; Reporting Required for International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) | Link |
| 2/27/2024 | Request for Clearance for an Information Collection: Annual Tank Car Survey | Link |
Census Bureau (DOC) – 10 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/25/2024 | Current Mandatory Business Surveys | Link |
| 3/25/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; The American Community Survey (ACS) and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS) | Link |
| 3/19/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS) Basic Demographic Items; Correction | Link |
| 3/15/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Survey of Children’s Health. | Link |
| 3/15/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; State and Local Government Finance and Public Employment and Payroll Forms | Link |
| 3/11/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Quarterly Services Survey | Link |
| 3/8/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Quarterly Summary of State & Local Government Tax Revenues | Link |
| 3/8/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Business and Professional Classification Report | Link |
| 3/8/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Collection of State/Local Administrative Records and Third-Party Data | Link |
| 3/1/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Current Population Survey (CPS) Basic Demographic Items | Link |
Economic Research Service (USDA) – No New Notices
Energy Information Administration (DOE) – 1 New Notice
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/14/2024 | Agency Information Collection Proposed Extension; Withdrawal | Link |
National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA) – 4 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/7/2024 | Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection – Agricultural Labor Survey | Link |
| 3/7/2024 | Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Reinstate an Information Collection – Census of Horticultural Specialties. | Link |
| 3/7/2024 | Notice of Intent To Seek Approval To Reinstate an Information Collection – 2024 Tenure, Ownership and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) Survey | Link |
| 3/7/2024 | Notice of Intent To Request Revision and Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection – List Sampling Frame Surveys. | Link |
National Center for Education Statistics (DOEd) – 10 New Notices
| Date | Notice | URL |
|---|---|---|
| 3/21/2024 | Applications for New Awards; Technical Assistance and Dissemination To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-The National Center for Systemic Improvement | Link |
| 3/19/2024 | Application Deadline for Fiscal Year 2024; Small, Rural School Achievement Program | Link |
| 3/14/2024 | Applications for New Awards; Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2024-25 Through 2026-27 | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; School Pulse Panel 2023-24 Quarter 4 Revision | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2025 Long-Term Trend (LTT) | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Proposed Priority and Requirements-Technical Assistance on State Data Collection-National Technical Assistance Center To Improve State Capacity To Collect, Report, Analyze, and Use Accurate IDEA Part B Data | Link |
| 3/4/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2025 Long-Term Trend (LTT) | Link |
| 2/29/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Follow-Up Surveys to the 2023-24 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS): 2024-25 Teacher Follow-Up Survey (TFS) and 2024-25 Principal Follow-Up | Link |
| 2/29/2024 | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; National Teacher and Principal Survey of 2023-2024 (NTPS 2023-24) Data Collection | Link |
National Center for Health Statistics (HHS) – No New Notices
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